‘Take our car!’
In December of 1997 Elizabeth Clay was driving home from Boston University to spend the holiday break with her parents in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. An hour south of Boston, her old Toyota developed a flat tire. The 22-year old senior pulled off I-95 in the winter twilight and opened the trunk. There was no spare! In the meantime, a couple in another car had stopped to help. Paul and Diane Woodcock told Elizabeth to slowly follow them to a service station near their house. They arrived to see that the station had closed. “Follow us home,” Paul told Elizabeth. At their house, the couple called around to find a tire. They had no luck. “Here,” said Paul, handing Elizabeth a set of car keys, “take our Ford Escort. We won’t be using it over the holidays.” Elizabeth was dumbfounded. “But I am going all the way to South Carolina, and I will be gone for two weeks,” she reminded them. Paul replied, “We know. We will be here when you get back. Here is our phone number in case you need to contact us.” Incredulous, Elizabeth watched as the couple put her bags into the car and then sent her off. Two weeks later, she returned to find the old Toyota cleaned inside and out, with four new tires and the faulty radio fixed. “Thank you so much,” she said, “How much do I owe you for what you have done?” “Oh, no,” Paul replied, “we don’t want any money. It is our pleasure.” Elizabeth realized that while it may have been their pleasure, it was now her responsibility to pass on their “do unto others” spirit. (Published in the Readers’ Digest, November 1999)
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