To the Editor:
With so much fear and mistrust and anger all around us, I wanted to share a pleasant incident that happened to me this past Sunday.
I was driving toward ShopRite with a large bag of recyclable cans and plastic bottles when I noticed a familiar elderly man walking towards me, carrying an empty bag. From previous encounters, I knew that this man regularly walks to Price Chopper to redeem his cans and bottles. I also knew I had about $15 worth of recyclables in my car. My plan was to drive him to Price Chopper, allow him to collect the return money, and then drive him home. I made a U-turn and headed toward him.
Just as I was about to pull over, another driver stopped and allowed the man in. I started flashing my lights, beeping my horn, and yelling out the window, “Stop! I have cans!” (Yes, I really said this.) Finally catching the other driver’s attention and getting him to pull onto a side road, I opened my back hatch to reveal the large bag of cans. (Now that I’m writing this, it does sound funny!)
“I love you, lady!” the man shouted, once he realized what I was trying to do. He said he thought I was a crazy woman at first (I can’t blame him!) but seeing that I was what he called “a cute blond girl,” he decided to pull over. We laughed as we made the bag exchange, pushing my large bag into his tiny car. I told him my name was Peggy. He said his name was Donny. The elderly man asked if he could have a smoke as we did this. Donny and I agreed that we were creating quite a curious spectacle on the street. Then Donny drove the man to the store to redeem my bottles and cans.
I don’t know who Donny is, where he lives, or who he voted for in the last election. I didn’t feel offended in any way when he referred to me as a cute blond girl (thank you for the complement!) It was simply a quirky encounter between two strangers trying to help someone in need. What a wonderful way to start the day.
Peggy Gavan
Warwick