07/13/2022
************* A LESSON IN LIFE ************
I say this, with a battered heart, a feeling of disbelief. and a better understanding of human behavior. Here, in my home town of Harlingen. We have always lent a helping hand to those, obviously needing it. Stopping at Whataburger last night I say a 30-40 something man sitting on the curb. Not asking for help, but looking like he just climbed out of a broken-down car. I asked him what was going on. He said his car's serpentine belt had broken and he was waiting for someone to come and pick him up. I handed him a dollar and said, it's nothing but a cup of coffee, I hope you get things fixed. As I departed Whataburger he approaches me and tells me if I could spot him $ 8, that it would be a great help. I gave him $9 + the 1 made $10 bucks altogether. He asked me for a ride home if I could. That he lived very close by. I said sure. Well, this guy ended up stealing my wallet from the middle console I had it in. then this morning racking up $1470+ dollars from my account. I also had a good amount of cash in my wallet, My VA Card, Driver's license, Ins. papers, etc. Frost bank whom I've been banking with forever actually gave me back my $1470.00 and put it in my account. You tell me, would your Bank do that for you. I had no insurance for that, but WOW! a bright shining light in the midst of this heart-wrenching dilemma of mine. I cannot get it out of my head, what a dark, f**ked-up morally, lowest of all that is low in human behavior. To steal from the one person that reached out to help you. He bought s**t at the auto parts store, Pawnshops, Sams, more auto parts from Oryly's. It makes a person quite jaded when something like this happens. I, however, will not stop helping those in need. I will be however much more guarded. Why should good people, needing a hand, pay for the actions of a Scumb Bag like I encountered at Whataburger? I have plenty of times in my life as a poor vagabond with my van broken down in the middle of Sh*tsville, have had people go out of their way to bring me and pay for a part I was needing. I cannot even entertain the idea of turning around a steeling from these people, I would do all I could to get their information so that When I got back on my feet, I could return the money they spent on me. Just helping a fellow human, giving them a hand up. There is no better feeling than that. *****Middle of Winter. Mid-West Nebraska, wind up to 45-50+ miles an hour coming from the South. I see four obviously illegals coming back from Chicago Illinois. The train they were on passed their turn by about 1200-1400 miles. They were on their way back South, walking against these high winds. NOBODY HAD PICKED THEM UP. Actually, Nebraskan's will help you QuickTime, if you need it. But I can understand if you are alone or with one other person, you have to make tough decisions as to your own safety. I'm driving a 4 door Chevy Chevette. A tiny little, but dependable can belonging to my Bride to be. I stopped, lets the guys in and the first thing turned up the heat and offered liquids. Potato chips, candy, whatever I had in the car. It was another couple of hundred miles to McCook Nebraska. I knew the trains there moved from East to West. Thir destination was Denver Colorado where they had kin there. I took them to a Quick Stop, sat them on a booth, told the attendant these were my guests, gave him a ten-dollar bill and said coffee all around, that I was on my way to Wal-Mart. Bout four pairs of those $1.00 brown gloves, 4 pair of knee-high thick socks, Wool stretchy hats, best I could afford, and made my way back to the stop and Go. They were treated well. I then took them to a food depot McCook had for those who needed help getting food. I/the food pantry gave them 6to 8 cans of various food, beans, corn, green beans, and the like. The pantry had a sheet of P- 38 and P 51 Can Openers. They had a spool of good nylon string and I made them each a necklace for their new life-saving tool. I gave them a map, showed them how to read the train track directions, and that was really all I could do for them. I spent $45-$50 bucks and gave these poor guys a fighting chance at reaching their destinations. This so they could get on with jobs nobody else will take and they will take that work and appreciate the job. EVERYONE COMES OUT A WINNER. They live in whatever is available, a trailer house, and old RV, A basement, An attic, They will repay anything they need to and fix whatever is broken. And they will never hurt you of steal from you. It is a moral code and you can tell which of them follow this code, and which of them are to be kept an eye on, normally, the others will keep him on the straight and narrow. What one of them does reflects on all the others. I guess the moral of the story is, you have to be on full guard when trying to help someone I guess.
