To you, it was just five minutes out of your day. All you did was loosen the bolts or whatever they are called on my battery, disconnect it and then reconnect it. To me, it was so much more.

I was on my way home from work and had Harrison in the back. We were singing along to Justin Beiber when my car cut out just before a really, really busy junction. It’s done it before, and I know that if I loosen the bolts on the battery and tighten them again using the spanner thingy in the glovebox, it will get going again. I stayed calm, put on my hazard lights and jumped it as close to the kerb as I could. I popped open the bonnet and went to loosen the battery. This time I couldn’t. It was too tight and I couldn’t get the bolts off.

Whilst I was trying to work out what to do, it occurred to me that not one single person stopped to ask me if I was ok or needed any help. I’m not one to play the ‘poor little weak lady’ card, but there I was – a lone woman with a young child obviously broken down, and not one person stopped. I was partly blocking the road on a bend, so I had hoped someone might at least offer to help push the car over to a safer place. Nope. In fact, I had someone beep at me. Clearly I should have pushed and steered a big people carrier onto the kerb by myself. A police car passed me. Nothing from them either.

This made me really sad. I know when Graham  spots anyone who has broken down he will always check if they are ok, help push the car into a safer and more convenient place and help if he can. Clearly, he is in the minority. What kind of world do we live in when people are too scared, too busy or just can’t be bothered to help someone who needs it?

Then you stopped and wound down your window, asking me if I was ok. When I said no, I couldn’t get my car to start, you pulled over and got out. I explained what was wrong, and you immediately sorted it for me. It took you less than five minutes. You were on your way home from a long day at work, and probably wanted nothing more than to have a cup of tea and chill out but you still stopped to help. You stopped two under the weather toddlers from being woken up and dragged out to rescue me,  made sure Harrison and I were safe, and in that small gesture,  restored my faith in humanity just a little bit.

Thankyou.

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