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Posted: July 27th, 2007 at 1:54am By: Anne E. Ulvestad
"The car was towed." Her voice came over the phone hesitant and obviously upset. Are you OK? Is Christopher OK? The usual questions of concern came out before getting into the details of what to do next. Yes, yes; he wouldn't wait until I got the money for him; he wouldn't tell me where the car was being towed; he wouldn't answer my questions. Confused, hurt and from overseas, this was a big deal for her.
"Don't worry," I soothed. Getting the car was just one of life's inconveniences. Not wanting to talk because she needed some calming-down time, I hung up and focused on finding the towing lot. I was at work, sitting in front of the computer and Googled the directions.
Amazingly, I knew just where it was. Another coincidence was that I had just put enough mad money in my sock drawer to cover the penalty. Now, how to get transportation there? As I was finishing up some last-minute details before I could leave, someone asked me about my state of agitation.
Driving there with this coworker, who just happened to know all the back roads, was easy. As we drove past the parking lot from where the car had been towed, we spotted the same tow truck picking up a Cadillac. This guy was on a roll!
Just the night before, my friend and I had been talking about the differences in the cultures between here and where she comes from. She was having a hard time understanding people's reactions and responses. I knew she'd have a difficult time with this.
When we arrived at the tow lot, it was locked, with no one in sight. I called the number, and he said he was three minutes away. Sure enough, along came the tow truck we had seen with someone's bright red Cadillac in tow. "Quite some scam you've got going here," I suggested. He looked at me to see if there was malice behind the words, ready with a quick rebuttal.
But there was none. People do what they need to do to survive. I knew that parking lot. Although clearly marked, it adjoined the store's parking lot and the street — very convenient for a quick hop out and back. Like a hyena, he was waiting, and grabbed the first car whose owner took a moment too long.
It was unfair, but life is often unfair, and, frequently it is the innocent and unsuspecting who suffer. Why, then, did I have such good luck in finding the place, coming up with the money and a ride? Why did my friend have the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? And wasn't the real victim here the tow truck operator?
My friend told me later that earlier that day she had been instructing her son on the ways of our neighborhood, telling him about her talk with me. If someone is angry here, best just take the low road and be humble. Maybe that's just good advice anywhere.
The man didn't react to my teasing. I handed him the money with a smile and drove away. The next day my friend went back to the lot. It did her heart good to see that the sign did say clearly that towing would be immediate, and she could acknowledge her mistake. It also did her heart good to see the tow truck driving off as she warned another unsuspecting driver of the dangers of parking there.
When we learn something, how important it is that we pass it on. And after we pass it on, especially to our children, how important it is that we heed our own advice. Makes me wonder what is in store for me tomorrow!
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Anne E. Ulvestad is a free-lance writer residing in Maryland. She has her masters in earth literacy, and is available for public lectures and group presentations and rituals on Spirituality and the Environment. Anne can be reached at {email anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com}anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Anne E. Ulvestad.
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"The car was towed." Her voice came over the phone hesitant and obviously upset. Are you OK? Is Christopher OK? The usual questions of concern came out before getting into the details of what to do next. Yes, yes; he wouldn't wait until I got the money for him; he wouldn't tell me where the car was being towed; he wouldn't answer my questions. Confused, hurt and from overseas, this was a big deal for her.
"Don't worry," I soothed. Getting the car was just one of life's inconveniences. Not wanting to talk because she needed some calming-down time, I hung up and focused on finding the towing lot. I was at work, sitting in front of the computer and Googled the directions.
Amazingly, I knew just where it was. Another coincidence was that I had just put enough mad money in my sock drawer to cover the penalty. Now, how to get transportation there? As I was finishing up some last-minute details before I could leave, someone asked me about my state of agitation.
Driving there with this coworker, who just happened to know all the back roads, was easy. As we drove past the parking lot from where the car had been towed, we spotted the same tow truck picking up a Cadillac. This guy was on a roll!
Just the night before, my friend and I had been talking about the differences in the cultures between here and where she comes from. She was having a hard time understanding people's reactions and responses. I knew she'd have a difficult time with this.
When we arrived at the tow lot, it was locked, with no one in sight. I called the number, and he said he was three minutes away. Sure enough, along came the tow truck we had seen with someone's bright red Cadillac in tow. "Quite some scam you've got going here," I suggested. He looked at me to see if there was malice behind the words, ready with a quick rebuttal.
But there was none. People do what they need to do to survive. I knew that parking lot. Although clearly marked, it adjoined the store's parking lot and the street — very convenient for a quick hop out and back. Like a hyena, he was waiting, and grabbed the first car whose owner took a moment too long.
It was unfair, but life is often unfair, and, frequently it is the innocent and unsuspecting who suffer. Why, then, did I have such good luck in finding the place, coming up with the money and a ride? Why did my friend have the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? And wasn't the real victim here the tow truck operator?
My friend told me later that earlier that day she had been instructing her son on the ways of our neighborhood, telling him about her talk with me. If someone is angry here, best just take the low road and be humble. Maybe that's just good advice anywhere.
The man didn't react to my teasing. I handed him the money with a smile and drove away. The next day my friend went back to the lot. It did her heart good to see that the sign did say clearly that towing would be immediate, and she could acknowledge her mistake. It also did her heart good to see the tow truck driving off as she warned another unsuspecting driver of the dangers of parking there.
When we learn something, how important it is that we pass it on. And after we pass it on, especially to our children, how important it is that we heed our own advice. Makes me wonder what is in store for me tomorrow!
— — —
Anne E. Ulvestad is a free-lance writer residing in Maryland. She has her masters in earth literacy, and is available for public lectures and group presentations and rituals on Spirituality and the Environment. Anne can be reached at {email anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com}anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Anne E. Ulvestad.
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