Helaine and Stef are on their way to a concert tonight. They headed out early. Helaine always likes to leave plenty of time. Today it was warranted.
While cruising on I-95’s Baldwin Bridge over the Connecticut River, they heard a thud. Then they saw a piece of tire. A dashboard light was on a few seconds later. Her tire had gone flat¹.
We have AAA. She has a cell phone. A call was made.
It’s never fun to change a tire, though that was never a concern. I’m pretty sure Helaine has never done changed one and never will. On top of that, it’s raining.
So, there they are, sitting in the car waiting for AAA, when up pulled Jim.
Who is Jim? Today he is Helaine’s guardian angel.
Jim works for the I-95 Safety Patrol. Paid for by the DOT, the patrol cruises I-95 in his yellow van, offering free assistance to stranded motorists.
As Jim found the spare tire and began to change the flat, Helaine called AAA to tell them “never mind.” A few minutes later it was mission accomplished and the girls were on their way.
Helaine tried to offer Jim a tip, but he said it wasn’t allowed. She said he was polite and helpful and… like I said, he’s guardian angel material. We are grateful.
If you’re wondering if Jim’s performance had anything to do with my TV-boy status, the answer is no. There was no way for him to know and Helaine never offered it up, though he might know now, because I gave him a shout-out on the news.
On behalf of the Fox Family, my thanks for Jim and to all the other Jims out there. You know who you are.
In a perfect world, they’d allow you to accept tips..
¹ – Originally, Helaine said it was a blowout, which to me means a physical breakdown where the tire comes apart. I’m not sure that’s actually the case right now.