My father loves to take a car ride and look at this amazing world. Since he no longer drives, the ability to do that rests on me taking time and getting him out for a drive. Last Friday, May 8th, I set aside as a day with Papa.
We began our adventure at Dr. Weckman's office for another INR. This is the blood test to check the density of his blood as Papa takes Warfarin, a generic for Coumadin, a blood thinning drug. On April 28th his result was 5.7. Since he should be between 2 and 3, 5.7 is a HUGE concern. That is exceedingly thin and any bruise or cut could result in bleeding that must be stopped immediately. We have gone in quite regularly to get this blood count back in an acceptable range. Fortunately this time the test result was 2.0 and Papa does not have to go back for a month. Yippee!!
As soon as the test was completed, we hopped (figuratively speaking) in my car and headed out for a drive. I had Papa spend Tuesday plotting a route. He chose to take one he thought we had not taken in a few years. This is just an indication of his memory loss. We have actually done this same drive twice in the last 6 months. That really doesn't matter. The point is to have him see scenery that he will enjoy and have a good outing. Off to drive around Cave Run Lake we headed.
We took back roads to Mt. Sterling and then we hop on I-64 for a bit to the exit for Cave Run Lake. Just as we neared that exit we both started hearing something that was not right with my car. I took the exit and the sound was louder to us as we drove. A few yards off the exit I pulled over to the side of the road to check tires and things. Like I really know what I'm doing... An old duffer on a motorcycle went past me, then turned around a little way down the road and came up facing my car. By this time I had checked all the tires and they were okay. Then I saw the problem. Something was hanging from under the car on the driver's side.
The biker came up and I pointed to my issue. I told him there was a gas station right at the exit and I thought I would just go there and see if someone could help me reattach the piece that was hanging. You see, this had happened twice on the passenger side under the front of the car. Both times Claude has crawled under the car and reattached the piece with a plastic tie-back thing. I love my car. The one fault with its design is that it is low to the ground and long in the front. Often when parking in front of one of those concrete barriers, the front of the car will go over it and then scrap as you back out. When I even come out of Papa's driveway, it will scrape at the curb. We always scrape when parking in Andie and Michael's driveway. Over time that wears away the bolts and then this cover for the bumper system will hang down. It's not a mechanical problem with the way the car functions, just a problem with the design. So, I was sure of the easy fix. I just needed a little help getting it done.
The biker looked at me and said, "They don't have any mechanic of any kind at that gas station. The closest one will be to keep going on this road another couple of miles." Then he said, "Wait a minute. Wait a minute." You could tell he was thinking up a plan.
He looked at me and said, "If you wouldn't mind turning around and following me for a couple of miles, I know just the man to fix this for you. He has his own shop and he will fix you just fine." I assured him I would be happy to follow him. He got on his bike. I started my car. He gave me a signal to just make a U-turn in the highway and not drive into the gravel lot by where I had parked. I followed his instructions and waited for him to get in front of me and we were off in the opposite direction.
I found all this quite amusing. I told Papa, "He doesn't know he has an old biker chick following him. I know how to do this and be safe with him in front of me." Felt good.
He pulled into his friends parking area and pointed for me to pull up to one of the three bay doors. I didn't pull in but stopped my car and got out and entered the building with the biker. He called to his friend who came out from the car he was working on. He looked at his friend (the biker) and then looked at me. I said, "I'm a old broken lady and need some help." He grinned. The biker gave him a little background and the mechanic came to look at my problem. I explained Claude's fix on the other side. The mechanic asked me to pull just the front of the car inside so it would be on a bit of a slant. I did that and he immediately set to work to fix my little problem.
This gave me time to talk to the biker. I told him we used to have a Honda Gold Wing and that Claude used to be a National Director for the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. I told him how much we had enjoyed our biking years. He told me this was his only mode of transportation. I asked him what he did in winter. He assured me he road his bike even in winter. We shared a few biking memories. I asked about good roads to ride in his area (which is where he stays all the time). I told him good biking roads translated into good rides on which I could take Papa. Good conversation.
The mechanic finished and I asked what I could pay him for this wonderful help. The mechanic looked me right in the eye and said, "Nothing. You are doing a good thing to take your father for a ride. Just go and enjoy a good ride with your father." I was so touched.
The biker got on his bike and drove away. The mechanic when back to his work. Papa and I continued on our journey. I said to Papa, "We have been richly blessed by a very loving Heavenly Father. These two guys were placed in our path at just the right time for us." I believe that with all my heart. Before we ever leave on one of these little outings, I say a little prayer that we will be blessed with safety and protection as we travel. We are always on back roads, some very narrow, with lots of possibility for wrecks. The events of that day just confirmed for me again the love of each of us in our individual lives from a very gracious Heavenly Father.
The kindness of strangers is still around us. Often I see so much corruption and violence and evil around me. Often it appears like there is so much more of it than even 10 or 20 years ago. Then, I have an experience like this and the goodness of mankind is manifest. It just makes one want to do good for others as the only way to pay this type of kindness back. Pay it forward.
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