The Detour

Sometimes things just happen for a reason. Unexpected course changes take place in order to put you in the right spot at the right time. Kind of like a "test of character" event.

I was more than a little upset that morning when the boss called and told me where he'd lined me up to work that day. It was over a hundred miles away and it was already almost daylight outside. The coffee pot was still brewing and I had yet to have my first cup of the day, and now I felt pressed to just turn the thing off and rush out the door. I didn't though. I waited just long enough to grab a some coffee to go in a leaky travel mug which always ticked me off when it dribbled down the front of my uniform shirt... but I had to go. It was going to take me a couple of hours to get there, and from the sounds of it there was at least fifteen to twenty hours of work to be done.

"Just do as much as you can." Dan repeated several times through the short phone conversation. He knew I was upset.. He'd normally call the night before when he had me scheduled so far from home.

Out the door and down the road I go.. turning on to the paved secondary road which led to my destination. That road had taken a beating during the past winter and it was one rough ride. I was driving way too fast, given the current condition of the road, and not paying close enough attention when I topped that little drop off which left my tires spinning trying to find the pavement. I was certainly glad there were no immediate turns to deal with.

"I'll have to buy a new rear axle for this thing if I do that again." I thought to myself, never letting up on the gas pedal.

I reached my destination and found it to be the long hard day I feared it would be.. I worked until they finally ran me out so they could close their doors for the night at around 11 PM. I did manage to get a plate of food as I was signing out so I didn't have to wait until I got home to eat. There would be no place open on the trip home to get even a burger. It would be past 1 AM by the time I pulled back into my driveway, if I didn't pull off along the way for a nap first.

I was just beginning to get really sleepy behind the wheel when I came upon the barricade and detour sign... Coming to a complete stop in front of it I couldn't help but wonder how the state department had, in the time since I'd passed through there in the early hours of the day, managed to tear that road up enough to make it impassible. I have to admit, I considered going around it. But the little "never break the rules" dude was sitting on my shoulder screaming "You can't do that!!!... Don't you remember what happened this morning??

I wanted to slap him out the window. But instead, I turned to the left and headed off down the detour... "How much longer is this going to take?" I asked no one there. To make matters worse the radio station I always listened to went off the air at midnight. Good thing I had a tape deck.. now where did I put that case of tapes?

Almost 1 AM and I still hadn't reached the turn to the right which would put me traveling back in the direction of home. North!!! Where in the heck is this road taking me? If I keep going this should dump me out in Logansport... that's way north and west of home... surely I wouldn't have to drive that far north. I had never driven these roads before... because there was nothing out there but forests and corn fields! I'd say there were a spattering of farm houses out there too, but most of them were so far from the road that if they didn't have a light on you'd never see them this late at night.

About 10 minutes later I found the detour sign shinning in my headlights and was relieved to be turning back to the right finally. I made the turn and put the hammer down. I hadn't gone too far when the tape in the stereo started squeaking and I yanked it out before looking for another one to replace it with. I was too tired to be driving along with only the ringing in my ears to keep me company. I found one and looked back up just in time to come to a screeching halt behind a one ton pickup sitting dead in the middle of the road.

With my heart pounding and both hands still white knuckle gripping the steering wheel I heard the cassette tape hit the floor near my feet. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an older couple emerging into my headlights. They must have run off the road when they heard my tires screeching to a halt. At first I was really upset, until I noticed the left rear axle sitting on the road. The dual set of tires gone. When I finally calmed down a bit I reached for the shifter with intentions of putting it in reverse so I could back up and go around. At that moment the old couple turned to face the glare of my headlights and I saw the huge dimple in the man's head. He'd obviously seen some hard times.

Putting the van in park I left it running and got out, leaving the headlights on so I could assess the damage. I walked over to the couple and asked if they were okay. The woman did all the talking informing me that her husband had been driving along when they lost the wheels.
"I was so afraid." she said, "He doesn't react as quickly as he used to before the surgery." Then she went on to tell me they were on their way home after dropping their youngest son off at the college in the town I had been working in.

We shared a mutual surprise about the road being closed on our way back through and she was telling me they lived in Muncie, which was at least another 45 minutes on the other side of where I lived. We were actually stopped right at the edge of a little town in the middle of nowhere Indiana, and it was plain to see that the streets had been rolled up for the night long before we'd arrived.

It was just about that time that a tow truck came up the road and the guy never even stopped to ask if they needed help, he just pulled around in front of their truck and backed up to hook up to it. We all stood there for a moment in total surprise at his actions. Finally the woman stepped up to the front of the truck and asked the driver where he planned to take it. In reply he raised up and pointed over his shoulder.

"See that building right down there?" he asked. When she acknowledge he simply stated.. "there"

She asked when the business would open... "9 AM" he replied... "Is there a hotel or motel?"... "NO!" he seemed agitated.. He was getting ready to hook up the chains when she asked how much.. "75 dollars" he blurted out.

The look on her face as she turned to her husband was one of utter despair. I heard her tell her him "We can't afford this." His reply was a forced smile as he took her into his arms.

At that point I stepped over to the truck driver and told him I didn't think the couple wanted his help... "They don't have a choice!" he replied... "And they're damned lucky I was on my way home from the bar or they'd still be sitting here when the county sheriff drove through in the morning."

"I don't think you understand." I said, and was about to tell him they didn't have the money when he stood upright and started yelling at me to go on my way and leave it alone. "There's nothing you can do for them!" I can't explain why this angered me so, but it did.

"I said take your chains off their truck!" I demanded. "They can't afford to pay you and they don't want your help!"

The argument was heating up when the woman touched my arm. I turned to her and in the instant we made eye contact she told the tow truck driver to leave. He started to argue but was cut short when her husband held up his hand, and in a soft but firm voice said "Leave."

I watched as he unhooked his chains and drove away before turning to face them again. "I guess I'd better get my tools out." I smiled at them, and asked "Do you have a flashlight?" Then I stepped past them toward my van before they had a chance to answer. I had pulled my toolbox from the back of the van and was heading back when I was almost blinded as the night lit up all around me. Holding my free hand up to block the intense beam of light I heard the woman instruct her husband to point it down at the ground.

I stepped up to the back of their truck and set my box on the road, then inspected the damage done to the hub of the truck's axle.

"My name is Marylin" the woman said as she moved closer, "And this is my husband Henry." she turned and motioned for him to point the floodlight down even more. "You'll have to forgive him." She added, "I'm afraid he's become a little scared of the dark since his surgery."

I looked up to find him offering a sheepish smile and a node to support her comment. "It's okay Henry." I said, "We all have our fears." then I reached out my hand in greeting... "My name is Bob." and he gave me a firm shake.

"So now what do we do?" Marylin asked, trying to mask the concern in her tone of voice.

"Well, since we have the power of the sun at our disposal I think we need to find as much of your missing parts as we can and then go from there." I replied with a smile.

We followed the scar in the pavement left by the hub of their axle and started picking up anything that looked like it might belong to the brake, and when we were satisfied there was nothing left to find I instructed Henry to shine his light out on the field so we could locate the set of tires. We finally spotted them about 100 yards off the road and I handed the parts to Marylin before heading off to retrieve them.

It took a good hour or more for me to piece the puzzle of their brake back together, and it was obvious we were missing something. Even still, it held together long enough for me mount the tires back on. It was a real trick getting the axle off the ground, since their jack wouldn't fit under it. I had to use the little scissor jack from my van and a set of blocks from the back of their truck to get it high enough for their jack to slide under it. But we finally had it, and I took a lug nut for each of the other wheels to hold it on.

During the entire process Marylin spun the tale of their recent hardships.. Henry had suffered a stroke and that's when the doctor's discovered the tumor in the left side of his brain. She told of how they'd had to remove almost all of that half of his brain and how devastated he was to find he could no longer do most of the things he'd been accustomed to doing prior to the surgery.

"He's such a determined man." she said with a smile as she moved close enough to wrap her arms around him. "They said he'd probably never walk again... " and she turned to look up at him as she added, "But just look at him now... he's recovered so well."

He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her closer, then kissed her on the forehead. And as he looked back at me I could feel the sense of pride in him... and I just knew deep inside everything he'd gone through, all the achievements he'd made in his recovery he'd pushed the limits so he could be there for her.

"You've done well Henry." I said with a smile as I carried on with my work.

I was almost done when Marylin spoke up again. "Bob, as we've watched you work on the truck we've both noticed that you seem to be in pain with almost every move you make. Are you?"

"Some." was my only reply, with a quick glance at her.

"Do you mind if we ask what happened?"

Up to that point I purposely hadn't mentioned the accident that had taken place while I was in the Navy. I just couldn't imagine my experience even comparing to what Henry had suffered. But as I told my story I was surprised to catch Henry wiping tears from his eyes. Marylin, too, seemed genuinely upset about it. I finished the work on their truck about the time I finished my story and started collecting my tools.

After all was done, the tools put away, and we'd performed a couple of short test runs to ensure the three lug nuts were going to stay secure I told them I'd follow them all the way home if it would make them feel better. Marylin pulled her purse off the seat of the truck and started digging for her wallet. "We don't have much." she said, "But we want to give you something for your help."

I reached over and placed my hand on her arm. "No you don't." I stated
"But you did so much, Bob... and you've probably saved us a lot of money tonight." she pleaded.

"I saved you from a road bandit." I replied. "But you still owe me nothing."

"We.... in..sist!" Henry struggled for the words.

"Then here's what you must do to repay me." I said without giving a thought to what I was about to say... Taking Marylin's hand in mine and looking her in the eye I told her. "Every day we encounter people that demand our help, and because of that we've all become a little less sensitive to the needs of others. We've hardened our hearts to prevent others from taking advantage of us..." I paused for a moment when I saw the recognition in her eyes, "Yet every so often we encounter that person who asks for nothing, yet the look of despair in their eyes pleads for help."
I watched a tear well up in her eyes and break free to roll down her cheek. "You know what I'm saying is true don't you?" I asked

"Yes." she replied. Her hand gripped mine a little more.

"Well.. the next time you get that gut feeling that someone truly needs your help even though they've not asked for it..."

"We will... " she said before I could finish. Then she gave me a true heartfelt hug. One of those hugs that allows your souls to embrace.

As we parted company that night I knew she would hold true to her promise and when the time came she too would instruct that fortunate someone just how they could repay them for their kindness. And I wiped the tear as I drove away.