A Holy Mechanic

A very short, meaningful post

On Friday mornings, I write a little essay in honor of Shashorts.

I shared the story below last week, so some of you may have seen it already. But I wanted to put it out into the world again, this time here on Days of Rest, because I think it’s both important and moving. I don’t want anyone to miss it.

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My car wouldn’t start when I was ready to leave for the gym last Monday morning. I called AAA at 8:50 am. For about ten minutes, I listened to a mélange of recorded music and a message about high call volume on repeat.

Finally, a rep came on the line. “We are exceptionally busy today, but I’ll have someone out there to help you by 2:09 pm,” which struck me as both an awfully long time to wait and a pretty specific calculation.

I held back any kvetching. I knew I was blessed to have such problems. Plus, I was stuck at home, not in a parking lot somewhere.

By noonish, as luck would have it, the mechanic rang my cell to tell me he was in route and would text me from our driveway. He arrived not long after.

After a bit of mechanic-y checking, he pronounced the battery not dead. “It’s the alternator. It disconnected from the battery,” he said, offering a MacGyverish solution. “It will recharge and be fine. It's better for you if you don't have to replace it.”

Once he packed up, he pointed to the posters of the Bibas boys in our front window. I thought, “Oh no,” wondering which way the conversation was about to go. I am, without a doubt, more on guard these days. How could I not be?

“Those are the hostages, right?” the AAA guy asked.

“Yes, two of them.” Then I pointed to the #115 on my sweater. “And this is how many days they’ve been in captivity.”

“I’m so sorry about that, ma’am. I really am. My whole church is praying for the Jewish people and for Israel. The Bible tells us to, but we also do it out of love.”

I thanked him and told him that we really appreciate the support. That we don’t take it for granted. And since it was a bitter cold morning, I asked him if he’d like a cup of coffee to go.

“I can’t drink coffee right now. I’m also vegan.”

“Have you been vegan for a long time? Do you want tea instead? It’s freezing.”

“No, ma’am. But thank you. Our church is on a modified diet for three weeks. No caffeine. And a vegan diet.”

"Oh, why?"

“The world is in a terrible place. So we’re trying to do what we can to change it.”

Amen, I said. Amen.

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Thanks for reading and sharing.

<3

Merri