angel mechanic

I don't get along very well with cars. I have nothing against them, and most have served me rather well, but there always seems to be something. Perhaps it's because all but one of the cars I've driven have 6 digits on the odometer.

Well last night it was the old ford pickup that Joe Staven bequethed to me right before they left for Honduras. He payed very little for it a while ago, and it's served him quite well. Yet it's got 190k on the dial, so I'm driving on borrowed time. I put 10 miles a day on it, just to work and back. He advised if anything goes wrong, just to ditch it. Well I was prepared to ditch it last night.

I stopped at Winn-Dixie to get a gallon of milk, and when I turned the key to go home, it wouldn't start. Sounded like it may have needed a jump start. So I got a ride from my neighbor (there's ALWAYS someone I know around the Dix, no matter when I'm there). Upon returning with Michelle and the Honda, I proceeded to try to jump start it. Well, the battery wasn't clearly labeled, and I STUPIDLY got my wires mixed up. I am very thankful that I (apparently) didn't screw anything up with the Honda. But I almost burned down the Ford, as there was smoke coming from the overheated (and cheap) jumper cables. Michelle thought we were gonna die.

Apparently the smoke signal did the trick. Out of the night steps our angel mechanic. A talkative, friendly guy with a slightly weathered look and somewhat bad teeth, Henry came to our rescue. He got the cables arranged properly and the truck started charging. But it didn't start. Made some funny noises. He said he could fix it, as he's a mechanic (and carpenter and who knows what else). But we had an urgent need to get to a store out by the mall, so after talking for a while, and somewhat verifying his story with the Winn-Dixie off-duty cop, I gave him the key. He said he was going to get his tools (he lives on 41st and Alabama) and have it running within an hour.

So returning from the mall, we went to his place to find him in the running truck. He fixed it! I gave him all the money in my wallet: $23. But there's a catch: it was just a temporary fix, and he could fix it right tomorrow for about $50 total. Still not too bad.

Now it's tomorrow. He says it'll be all ready this evening. He needed to buy the part new (he thought his friend had one used, but it didn't work apparently), so I gave him more money. And I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake. Will there be another "unexpected" expense?

Why did I trust this guy? I pretty much gave him the truck. He could have driven it away, and I'm sure I would have never seen him again. He could have been just another fast talker. As he was talking, I felt that he was being sincere, besides the fact that he raised one big red flag: I find it hard to believe anyone who tells me he "don't do drugs or anything like that." It really does seem like he enjoys helping people, and he clearly works for himself, doing odd jobs for cash. I think I can support that.

And I do believe that God sent him our way. He knows we don't have much money to fix this truck, and although it may be a vehicle more for convenience than anything else, it's what takes me to work and back. Henry has come through for us so far. He's only going to take home about $60 for all his trouble, so I feel like I'm getting a steal here. We'll see how it works out.