Saturday, September 11, 2010
I only met Kyle for about 15 minutes, but his incredible kindness caused me to try to track him down to repay it about a year later, and lead me here.
I was driving across country to NYC in a borrowed, raised van when my left front tire blew out on the highway. After fighting to bring the van to a stop at the side of the road, without hitting any other vehicles, I was extremely shaken and trying in vain in the hot sun to use the makeshift bottle jack for the wrong vehicle I'd been left with when Kyle, a complete stranger, pulled over to help.
He rummaged through his own box van to produce a proper jack and helped me so much when I really needed it. Since I was traveling, I had hardly any cash on me, but I offered him all I had and he politely, but firmly refused and just said that's what he does. As I said, I only knew him for a few minutes, but it was all the time needed to know he was a remarkably kind and humble man. I took his business card and promised myself I'd repay his kindness one day.
I deeply regret that I let it get lost in the shuffle of the moving I was doing, in bringing the rest of my belongings back from New York, and only now found it and went online to try to track him down to make some gesture of my own to find this very sad news.
I'm sure his friends and family already knew what I learned that day about the man Kyle was. I'm so very sorry for your loss.
Take care,
- Scott
