The Laughing Wolf

Faith Restored

The chronicles of moving are nearing the current end, and they do end on a high note. For, amidst the chaos and problems, there were people who restored some of my admittedly limited faith in humanity. These were people who showed the good that can be.

First, let me say that the people at the Penske depot in Nashville were all courteous, and some were truly wonderful people. There was one older driver there who showed Southern manners and hospitality at its best. Would that all of my dealings have been with this group.

No MommaBear, the Wolf was not laughing nearly as much as he should have. Yet, I did laugh a good bit at some of it, either after the fact or because it was a choice between laughing or crying. In the latter case, I almost always choose to laugh. Thank you also to VW, Jan, Tammi, Teresa, Kathy, and Catfish for their kind thoughts as well. The comments you made, along with some that came in from people other ways, helped make things better.

What finished restoring good humor and hope for mankind were two people. Without them, it would have been a long day and a cold night.

The first is a college student who gave me a hand unloading. I had seen him and asked for some assistance with the wine cellar, to be sure that I did not lean it over too far nor get too fast on the ramp. The new truck eliminated my plan to back in towards the patio door, so the cellar had to be taken down, bumped up over a curb, then onto the patio, then inside. Things went okay until the patio, when it got partly away from me and I went down hard on my left knee. I caught the cellar/dolly combo pretty much with one hand, and was amazed the knee did not hurt more for being slammed into concrete under the combined weight of myself and the cellar.

At this point, the young man jumped in and made sure I was okay, then moved me aside and pulled the cellar up onto the patio and then inside. I think this was also when he made the decision to not let me go it alone, and pitched in to help unload the truck. The net result was that we had it unloaded in about two hours, and he maneuvered to keep me from doing/lifting certain things. I was both touch by his concern, and a little miffed with some of it, but had to laugh when the latter came up. He refused any money, stating that this was just what neighbors do for each other. I was amazed, and delighted that someone that age understood so well the precepts of being neighborly.

While he did not accept any money, I did reward him in other ways. One of which was laughter, on his part and on mine when I discovered he had me pegged on some things. A neighbor needed to leave, so I moved the truck so they were no longer blocked. Doing this meant putting up the ramp. I unhooked it, lifted it up, and began sliding it in. In the process, I found out that it caught a few feet in for some reason, with the net result that I have an interesting bruise across the front of my body. I warned my new neighbor about this in case he did it for some reason, and saw him smile. He then said “You were going at full speed, too, weren’t you.” Well, yes, I was.

The second person who made the day and the journey for me was one of the maintenance men for the apartment complex. Somewhere towards 2100 hours, I discovered that the furnace would not come on. I had cut it down while the doors were open for the move, and did not think to cut it on again until much later. No joy, so I called the emergency numbers for after-hours service. I explained the problem, that I had checked the breaker and everything obvious, and that help would be appreciated.

He was there in five minutes, and then spent an hour or two replacing parts, checking, and re-checking the repairs. During this time, we talked and he gave me a number of suggestions for the area and things to do, places to eat, and some other help that resulted in my sleeping warmly in my own bed after a warm shower. Otherwise, it would have been another night in a hotel, not something I wanted. He was cheerful, friendly, and more, and he put the finishing glow on a day, and on a trip that was fraught with problems and peril at the start. How nice to end the journey in such a way, and to be reminded once again of all the good people in the world.

My thanks to them, and to everyone who commented, called, and wrote. You helped make it good, very good, and that made all that came before worthwhile.

LW