Editor:
It was our first time at the Sleepy Hollow Rod Run and Show and Shine in Sechelt and we had a terrific time.
The Coasters Car Club did a great job of organizing the show and the participation of the community during the parade was over the top.
On Sunday, we started driving home and heard a loud thump at the rear of the car. A shock stud bolt had sheared off and the frame dropped down onto the suspension. Luckily, we were able to pull over onto the narrow shoulder. We flagged down the next hot rod we saw, which was an orange Jeep driven by a young man named Eli. He was an angel in disguise. Not only did he live three driveways away, he had a floor jack, the tools and a bolt to temporarily fix the problem.
As the guys worked under the car, I stood on the side of the road acting as a safety cone as we were stopped on a blind corner. A highway maintenance truck passed by and turned around. A man appeared and placed two cones on the road to help alert the drivers. When I thanked him, he just smiled and left. I said, “I love this town!” When we were finished, we thanked Eli and tried to pay him for his trouble, which he refused.
We couldn’t find the part we needed; the stores weren’t open so we worked on drilling the broken part out of the shock mount.
The next day, we went to a parts store to find the stud bolt and they didn’t have it in stock. Next we went to SK Automotive where a mechanic had a look at the broken stud and said “wait right here.” He returned with two of the exact shock studs that we needed. They had been in his toolbox for years. When we offered payment, he refused.
We went to Rent-It! Canada to rent the tools we needed to do the repair. They had the floor-jack and lent us the other tools, the space and even a foamy to lie on. The repair took two and a half hours and when it was finished, they refused to take any money for their rental.
What could have been a cluster of pain turned into a series of generous acts of kindness from members of this special community.
We are so grateful to the helpers that brought kindness to our day with no expectation of any kind. What an amazing experience.
Theresa Brossard and Dan Walker, Comox
