I was really excited. I'd received a call
from someone who wanted me to speak at a gathering. I'd never done that before and my first thought was that
I needed a nice outfit to wear. My car was not working ... which was a common occurrence ... and so I asked
a dear friend if I might borrow hers just for the evening. She immediately said 'yes' but with an added warning.
The gas gauge was not working. She thought it had plenty of gas but she wasn't absolutely sure. Be
sure to check it, she warned.
Well, I was excited and had all the faith in the world that everything would be okay. Besides, I didn't know
HOW to check it and so ... I didn't check it. Nervous about driving someone else's car, and with the warning
hanging over my head, I headed into the falling twilight to find the perfect outfit.
Well, I found it! I walked into the first store in the mall, went directly to a clothes rack that was about
10 feet from the door, and found the perfect color, perfect size, perfect fit, perfect outfit! And to top
it off, the price had been cut in half! Now, with that kind of miracle, how could anything go wrong?
It was almost winter and darkness was falling fast. I had to drive through a section of town that was rumored
to be the absolute worst. I'd grown up in this town and I knew for a fact that the rumor was justified.
The neighborhood had "earned" its reputation.
I'm sure you've guessed by now ... the car began to sputter and a few seconds later it simply stopped. I
felt my heart drop. I looked to my right at the cemetery! I looked to my left at the buildings with
tangled weeds and drooping doors. I looked up at the darkness, which, without any sympathy at all, had swiftly
fallen upon me. And then I looked at the possibilities of another miracle. They seemed faint, possibly
non-existent. Shaking a little, but trying to maintain my belief that everything happened for a good reason,
I stepped out of the car, preparing to walk until I found a gas station.
A car pulled up immediately. Was this the miracle I needed?
I bent over to smile at the driver. I am caucasian and five feet tall. (Female.) He was African
American, big, tall, and strong-looking. He didn't smile back ... which was what worried me. But I
decided that he was my miracle. I kept smiling and when he took his big hand and scraped all of the junk
off of the filthy front seat onto the floor and gestured for me to get in, I did.
By now it was totally dark. He was silent in the darkness. I chattered nervously, explaining about
the car. He remained silent. I began to worry. About seven blocks away, we came to a dimly lit
service station. He pulled in and, still without speaking, stuck his hand in his pocket.
I gulped and cast my eyes heavenward, expecting to have a gun or knife suddenly at my throat..
He pulled his hand out and tossed a five dollar bill across the seat. I protested immediately. He insisted
so aggressively, with something that sounded like a snarl, that I got nervous and took the money into the station
to secure a gas can and some gas.
I was surprised when I came out and he was still there. I had thought that he'd probably had enough of my
nervous chatter and had driven off, leaving me to walk the seven blocks back to the car. But he was there
and I climbed tentatively back into his car.
"I'm sorry to be such a bother," I told him.
He didn't respond. He hadn't spoken once except for the snarl that was probably supposed to have been a sentence.
We drove in silence back to where the car sat forlornly next to the cemetery. I reached for the door handle.
His big hand reached out and grabbed my wrist. I was so stunned that I didn't know how to react. I
simply waited silently to see what he was going to do.
"You know, bitch, you're one lucky broad," he snarled.
I stared at him. Wide-eyed and silent.
"When I saw ya gettin' out a that car I decided that I was gonna have me a piece a white meat. I was
gonna rape ya, take ya out somewhere, kill ya, and leave ya there to rot."
By now I was finding it impossible to breathe. I simply stared at him, waiting to hear the rest.
"But you got God with ya. I could hear 'im. I could even smell 'im. He told me if I touched
ya I'd regret it for eternity. You got God with ya and you don't know how lucky that makes ya. You're
one lucky broad, that's all."
I stared at him, awestruck by what I had heard. I had been struck dumb by his words. I could feel the
presence of God in the car with us now, though I hadn't been aware of that presence before. Probably because I'd
been so nervous. I knew immediately that I was smack in the middle of an experience that would impact my
life forever. I stared at him, doing my best to think of something to say that would express my gratitude
to him. And I wanted something else as well. I wanted him to be forever touched by the moment, for
the moment to change his life as I knew it was going to change mine.
He glared at me through the darkness. "What the hell ya waitin' for? Get the hell out a my car."
And so I did ...........