The phone rang at 10 PM. Our daughter in the Bay Area was calling to ask if we could come as soon as possible to take care of her children while she took care of a work emergency on the East Coast. We assured her we would begin the drive at dawn.

It was a familiar trip, one we had made often, but usually with a bit more time to prepare. This time we jumped out of bed at 5, threw on old sweats, grabbed the sandwiches I had made the night before along with a thermos of coffee and got in the car.   We had promised her we would get there as soon as possible but the pending storm warning was daunting.

Now we were driving across the Sierras in a raging blizzard and I was convinced that we were going to die (I have an active imagination).  My husband was calmly telling me that we would be fine when a warning light flashed on the dashboard. The heavy snow and powerful wind made it difficult to see the road and bumper to bumper traffic made it impossible to stop. How could we get help here?   Driving as cautiously as possible, we prayed our way down the mountain to the first town, pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot and called AAA.  We weren’t the only travelers in trouble; it would be 1-2 hours before they could get there.   Waiting in the car certainly wasn’t appealing so we went inside for coffee.

I wasn’t hungry but I had nothing to do (if only I had brought that book) so when my husband went back outside, I wandered back to the counter and perused the food options posted on the board.  All the hamburgers seemed to be a lot pricier than they were the last time I visited a McDonalds (admittedly a long time ago but it seems to me that there was a time when they cost 29 cents?)  so I asked the young man at the counter what had happened to the cheap hamburgers I remembered.  “We still have cheap ones;; do you want one?”  I declined, explaining that I was merely curious.

45 minutes later I was still pacing the restaurant while my spouse was still pacing near the car, hopeful that might hasten the arrival of AAA.   I still wasn’t hungry, just bored.  Maybe I would get a hamburger after all so I returned to the clerk at the counter.

He was engaged in conversation with a man who appeared to be a regular customer.  After a moment, the clerk turned to me and I told him I had decided to get one of the cheapest hamburgers and asked how much it was… $2.49.29 plus tax, he said.

This was a good opportunity to get rid of some of that bulky change in my billfold so I started counting out coins.  The man who had been talking to the clerk stepped toward me and said “let me take care of this for you…”

Suddenly aware of my appearance in wrinkled, mismatched clothing, scruffy shoes and messy hair, I realized how i must appeared to an observer.  I was horrified but very touched by his kindness. I was also embarrassed and quickly explained that I had money and didn’t need help.

Seizing the hamburger, I went outside to tell my husband what had happened.  He went in to thank the Samaritan, noticed his Viet Nam baseball cap and discovered they had been there at the same during that war.  While I ate my hamburger, they had a pleasant conversation about their mutual experiences.

AAA eventually arrived, took care of the issue and we were able to safely continue our trip, heartened by having experienced an offered helping hand.  I resolved to remember it and pay it forward.  I also resolved to rethink my travel attire.