Event Restores Faith in People

* The following incident so impressed me that I want to share it with you.

Last week a woman stopped her 1984 Ford, suddenly, at a traffic light that had just turned from green to yellow.

In 44 years of driving, this was the first time anyone in front of me treated a warning signal as though it was a red light. I stopped in time to feel, simply, a light tap, but got out of my car to make sure both the woman and our autos were OK.

She was fine, but my bumper had stuck under her (plastic) bumper. I instructed her to pull into a parking lot around the corner, and as she did so, the cars separated. As it turned out there was no damage to my car and only a 2-inch tear in the soft plastic “skirt” at the bottom of her bumper.

I suggested that she get two estimates and I would pay her with a check, which she readily agreed to, to avoid reporting the accident to our insurance companies, thereby raising our rates.

Two estimates arrived, and to my dismay, both reported the necessity to replace the entire bumper; one said $507--the other, $420.30. After verifying the accuracy of these estimates I called “Doris” to say, “I’m sending a check to you today for $420.30.” Her response was, “Oh, no you’re not!” “Why?” I said, “That’s what you agreed to,” while thinking, uh oh, she’s claiming injury or worse.

“Doris” said, “Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve got an old car and it’s just a little tear in the soft plastic, and I can live with that.”

After the initial shock, a few seconds later, and I was able to work my lower jaw, I said, “Diogenes is looking for you!” and “I’d like to send you something!”

“Absolutely not!” she said. After expressing my pleasure at having met her (with disbelief and surprise still in my voice), we said goodbye. My wife and I decided to send her a basket of goodies. My faith in people is refreshingly renewed.

LEONARD WAGNER

Oxnard