Temporary Part Time Angel


On The Road



The Taxi Driver



It was a hot summer afternoon as Juan and I were walking down the edge of the road. Juan was going to apply for a job as a cook at Red Lobster. Out of nowhere, a Lincoln Town Car taxi pulled over and the driver said, “Get in I will give you a ride free, it’s on me.” We gladly climbed into the car. Then he asked us, “Where are you headed too?” Juan told the driver and he answered “I just happen to be going that way!”
As the driver passed Juan a towel he said, “You’ll need to wipe your face, you’ll want to look fresh when you walk in; oh by the way do you have a pen, it makes you look more prepared? …Plus remember to tell them just how much you love to cook and that you really want to work for Red Lobster. Also be sure to mention that you know about the opportunities for advancements; and that you can see how with hard work and determination you could become head cook one day or even the manager.” The driver then proceeded to share with Juan the bus schedule for when he would start working there. As I sat in the back seat, I saw the difference in Juan by the time we arrived at the restaurant. Juan looked strong and more self-confident. I asked the driver if he was an Angel, and he said “Absolutely I am! …That’s why I’m wearing this shirt and tie; it’s what I thought they were wearing these days! Only apparently I was mistaken.”
I don’t really think he was an Angel, but I do think an Angel sent him to us.

Maria

The Tow Truck Man



I met Jack in a McDonald’s parking lot. I noticed his leather jacket, and asked if he rode, He told me he had been riding Harleys for sixty years. As we talked he told me of some of the things he had done in his 71 years. Soon the subject of the book came up and he told me he always carries a variety of donut spare tires, so when he comes across someone who can’t afford a new tire he has one, for free. He also carried an extra two gallon gas can that he could simply give when he felt there was a need.
As we talked he told me a number of times that he helped someone, but the following was my favorite.


One chilly night when Jack was coming back from “A Tow” he had a very strong feeling to turn down a little dirt road. He had barely driven a mile when he saw a young woman changing a baby, on the hood of her Car. Jack stopped and asked her “What’s the problem lady?” In tears she told Jack she was lost, and trying to get to a woman’s shelter when the tire went flat, and the car had run out of gas keeping the baby warm, and she only had a few dollars with her.
Jack said “No problem, I happen to have an extra tire, and some gas. Oh don’t worry about the money, and we’ll see that you get to the shelter.” Jack changed the tire, put gas in the car, and called the dispatch to get directions, then said to the woman “I got the directions, and it’s not all that far from here. There are a number of turns, so just follow me, and we’ll get there together. Jack asked the girl at dispatch to call the shelter, so when they arrived there was someone waiting outside for them. When they reached the shelter, he got out of his tow truck to say goodbye to the woman. Jack put out his hand and the woman thought he was going to shake her hand, but instead he slipped a small role of money into her hand.
Still crying, the woman hugged Jack and said. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. You must have been Angel sent.”
Jacks Story


Author’s Comments



Jack never told me just how much money he had given her, but said it was enough to help. He also told me he had a daughter and hoped someone would be there to help if she ever needed it.


The Jump Start



I was driving down a main road late one night, about 10 pm, when I suddenly got a strong urge to pull off into a parking lot. The lot was empty except for two cars parked nose to nose and a group of people that appeared to me to span in age through perhaps four generations--- a great grandmother, a grandmother, two mothers, and several children ranging in age from one year old to ten. The two eldest boys were playing with some type of electronic game. One of the mothers was rocking a stroller back and forth while the other mother, with the help of the two older girls, was trying to entertain the younger children. As I neared closer to the cars, I saw two men, one standing and the other getting up off his knees. I rolled down my window, “Need any help”, I asked? Theman who had just gotten up spoke, “Do you know how to connect starter wires?” I said, "yes" and offered to show him. After a few moments we got the car started, and as all of his family got into the two SUVs he turned to me and said “What made you stop this late at night?” I told him it was almost as if someone told me to pull over. He smiled and said, “Do you know what I was doing when you pulled up?” "Were you looking under your car", I asked? He laughed and said “No! I had gotten down on my knees, and asked GOD to please send someone to help and before I got up, you were here!" I laughed and said "may GOD bless you" knowing that he already had many times. As I walked back to my car, I thought how nice it felt to be part of a minor miracle. Suddenly I remembered a line out of an old movie “You never use the words minor and miracle in the same sentence.
Ralph



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