So Friday, my Knight in Shining in Armor, Randy the towing guy, came out with the battery. Unfortunately this Dodge Stratus, circa 1998, has the battery in the fender well and you have to pull the tire to get to it.

WHAT KIND OF DUMB SPIT IS THAT?

So he charged up my battery and, in the morning I was to drive into Brighton to his "yard" and he would install the battery.  I had no idea what it was going to cost, he told me not to worry about it.

Of course Saturday morning, when I tried to start the car, it 

just gave me the same old “click-click” noise, so I called 

Randy and he said he would be out in half an hour.

Randy came out at 10:30 to charge my battery and I followed him into Brighton, where he shares a repair shop with another guy.

He put my car up on the hoist and went all over the underside, checking the shocks, tie rods, struts, gas tank, muffler system and said everything was solid.

Then he pulled the tire to get at the battery. He had a 2018 battery from a car that was totaled and he wasn't going to charge me for. When he went to put it in, it wouldn't fit.

So he went in another room and I could hear him calling an auto parts store to get a brand new battery.

Now remember, he has never charged me one penny.

While we waited, he filled up all the fluid levels, checked the air cleaner, check the windshield wipers, air sprayed out all the leaves up by the windshield, even opened up the trunk lid, where my tree toads live in the summer, and cleaned out the "swamp" back there.

Told me I didn't need to get an oil change because my oil looked as clean as if it was just filled. That saved me $29.00.

By then the parts runner was there with the brand new battery and I saw Randy guy pull out of wad of bills and pay the kid. When Randy moved toward my car, I stepped over and ask the kid how much it was. $106.00.

Randy put in the new battery, put the tire back on, went around and sprayed WD-40 on all the door hinges, the hood catch and the trunk lock mechanism. Then, he aired up all the tires.

Then he noticed that my heater knob that was broken off and I use a pair of pliers to adjust the heat and said he could get me one of those and that he is still looking for a seat belt that will work.

In the meantime, while he was putting the battery in, I left the work area and went into an office to sit down and write him a check. I was bound and determined I was going to pay him at least for the brand new battery.

He didn't want to take any money. All the time he has spent running out here. The time he has spent working on my seat belt and now the battery--nope, he didn't want any money. The labor costs alone, for all he has done, would have been $270-300 dollars.

I told him he saved me $29.00 by not having to get an oil change, he practically winterized my whole car. I feel so safe to drive it now, and I shoved that check in his hand, hugged him and took off before he could protest anymore.

I didn't think nowadays, especially in this high rent district, that there would be people like him that would help and want nothing in return.

The strange thing is, I never should have met him. I just stopped in on a whim at my service guys place to see what to do about the seat belt, and the towing guy was just bringing a car in. My service guy said, let me talk to Randy--he has a lot of spare parts.

Hey--things like that aren't a coincidence. He was a God sent blessing to help me.

When I told Karen about it, she said she and Mark would pay for the battery.  Another God send.

I sure have been blessed this past week.  What relief I feel to know that my car, not only will start right up, but that it is safe to drive. 
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I am real worried about Ernestine at "My Journey to Mindfulness".  She hasn't posted in 3 weeks.  Has anyone heard from her?