Just Keep the Good Going Along

"Go ahead, give her ago," said the heroic motorist who had stopped his own life for a moment to help Rog. Rog sat in the driver's seat and put the keys into the ignition once again. He was unaware that he was crossing his fingers as he did this. He turn the ignition. And...

Sure enough, the engine chugged hungrily into life and sound. Rog would have preferred a car with an engine that would"purr" into life, but he was grateful he even had his own wheels. Since the jumper cable idea had worked, he now found himself extremely generous. There was much to be thankful for on this twilighted evening. The warmth of something gone well melted away any cold certainty that he was doomed.

Keeping the car running (just in case), he climbed out of the driver seat and went around the raised hood. The man was already undoing the cables.

"Thanks, man. You are a total life saver," Rog's words were filled with sincerity.

"Glad I could help," he answered while putting the cables back into the trunk of his own car.

Rog watched and followed the man much like a happy puppy.

"Hey, I have a few dollars, let me pay you for your time," he said wondering if this was the correct etiquette for such situations. He had never been stranded and rescued before. Usually he was the one doing the rescuing or so it seemed to his young mind.

The man laughed, "No, son. Just keep the good going along." With that, he got into his car, carefully pulled back onto the street and drove out of Rog's life.

Just keep the good going along. That was different sort of statement, but Rog rather liked it. It seemed like "Pay it forward" or some such philosophy, but even more positive. Pay it forward could go in two different directions and one seemed like a very bumpy road. Joan would tell him this was all semantics, and he would again wonder how she could have some new age-like leanings and miss what seemed to be the crucial ones.

Again he sat in the driver's seat, closed the door and fastened his seat belt securely. As he thought thoughts about telling his mother why he was late, his little mishap with the car, and oh yeah, that he was about to enlist in the military, his body went through the motions of putting his vehicle in motion. The foot gently depressed the gas after his right hand put the car in drive. Why would he need to tell his mother about the car, he wondered. There was no harm done. Perhaps he would let this go unaccounted. His left hand flipped the turn signal and he checked the road. No on-coming cars. He was good to go. No, no need to tell his mother. The car glided forward onto the road.

And all was fine.

For a moment, he seemed to be back on track again. There was a faint rustling sound. Was that in his car? Checking the rear view mirror, he saw nothing out of the normal. There was the back window and all that lay beyond it. It was probably just an old fast food bag settling on the back floor.

He was not sure then if he heard something or caught the quick movement in the mirror first. Before he looked for sure though, he took a deep breath in in an attempt to keep himself and the car more steady. No need to do stupid things because one's mind had begun playing tricks. He looked again into the rear view mirror expecting to see window and past road. Instead, his eyes met two other eyes, and in that quick moment, his mind registered that there was a stranger sitting in his back seat. He was not alone. Frantically his mind tried to comprehend this. Did he know this person? He must, why else would someone else be in the back of his car.

Then he felt something shoved against the back of his head and he knew it was a gun. The warmth of generosity he had felt seconds earlier flooded coldly away.