--- Part One - Rain ---
This kind of thing never happens in real life, not to me anyway.
An unexpected storm, an unplanned meeting away from work, and a split second decision to perform an act of kindness led to a friendship, and that friendship led to something more. I'm an idiot for even considering writing about it, but I can't seem to stop reliving the details in my mind. So, here it goes.
As part of my job, I routinely have meetings that require me to leave my office on the base and drive to other locations on San Antonio's south side. If you are familiar with most bases around our country, you'll know that people don't build million dollar homes and fancy neighborhoods just outside the base. Instead, you have a lot of industrial places, run down neighborhoods and very often, the poorest of people. It is sad really, and to be honest, where I work is one of those places that, once off the base, you probably don't want to go at night if you don't belong there.
Over the years, I have had cause to drive up and down most of the streets on the south side. From driving to junk yards looking for parts when I used to work on cars with my father in-law, to wasting a Saturday drinking beer in shady bars with my brother-in-law. I don't fear the south side like a lot of my co-workers do, but there are few places I'd park my truck and leave the doors unlocked.
To say that the most folks living there are at or below the poverty line is an understatement. San Antonio has a lot of really rich areas, and as far as a city of minorities making it, it's true. It is a multicultural city where in the newer, middle and upper middle class areas, you can have just as many Hispanics and blacks as whites on a given street. I'm not sure why I point it out, but I guess I don't want anyone reading this to get the idea that San Antonio is some slum. Yes, there are pockets of run-down areas, and the area I am talking about is one of those, but we aren't talking ghetto, just a little seedy.
We are in a constant state of drought in south-central Texas, so anytime it rains, I'm pretty damn happy. When I left my office and walked to my truck, I could see the sky was looking a little crazy, and all I could think was, bring it on. I drove off the base and down the road where, almost like a light-switch you make the connection you have just crossed into a different area. I drove through an area with a few convenience stores, tire shops, houses with makeshift repair shops operating out of the garages, and an equal number of Mexican restaurants and hole-in-the-wall bars, one right after another every few streets until I was back out on the the small stretch of road leading into Port San Antonio, an industrial complex where I had an unplanned meeting to urgently discuss a work related issue.
Just as I was leaving my meeting and climbing into my truck, the sky just opened up and beautiful rain came pounding down on my windshield. Of course, this meant I'd have to walk back into the office and get wet. Even with the umbrella I always keep in the truck, my slacks end up soaked.
I drove again toward the little path through the "barrio" as everyone who takes the shortcut around the base calls it, and the rain was doing one of those things where it is really coming down, then just lets up for 10 seconds, then starts coming down again. Just as I was coming around the curve, I noticed a figure up ahead walking up on the curb (there are no sidewalks) and some asshole hit a small puddle and splashed the person. I have to admit, I laughed at first, but then saw that it was a lady carrying a baby. The puddle wasn't that big, and the splash wasn't that bad, but still, jerk move.
For some reason, when I saw that there was a baby involved, I guess my fatherly instincts kicked in and even though there is no shoulder, I put on my flashers and stopped the truck when I got to the young lady. I rolled the window down just as the rain let up for another few seconds and semi-yelled, "Are you okay?"
The young lady looked up at me, caught off guard of course, and just shook her head. I looked in my rear view mirror, worried someone would rear-end me and then pulled out my security badge and showed it to her. "I work at the base, I'm not a serial killer." And then I chuckled.
She looked at me and smiled and said, "No, we're okay. It isn't far."
I reached down in the side door pocket and grabbed my umbrella and said, "Here. At least take this, I don't need it." Just then a huge lightning bolt and accompanying thunder cracked down and without another word she opened the truck door, handed me her child and jumped in.
She put on her seat belt, then grabbed the little girl and held her in her lap. I turned off the flashers and drove ahead, hoping we weren't going far. The last thing I needed was a ticket for having a kid without a car seat. "Thank you, sir. That lightning scared the shit out of me!" she said, then started to laugh.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
She pointed straight ahead and said, "We're just on the other side of Military." (the name of the road).
It was actually another mile or two up the street, and I was thinking to myself, why doesn't this lady have a car? It continued to storm and when I pulled into the gravel driveway of the house, I could see that it was really three houses on one property, and each of the houses had been divided into apartments. She said hers was number 3A, which equated to the house in the back, first apartment.
I drove up to the building and said, "I don't mind waiting if you want to sit here until this rain lets up."
She smiled again and thanked me for being so kind to her. In the few minutes that it took for the rain to let up, we introduced ourselves, her name was Veronica, and her daughter was Emma. I asked about the father, and she said he (Jonah) was at work with their only car. She said he would be pissed to find out that she had walked so far with the baby in the rain, but she had decided to meet a friend of hers for a late breakfast. The friend had picked her up, but a sudden phone call while they ate caused "the stupid bitch" to leave her stuck with the bill and having to walk home 2 and a half miles - in the rain.
"I'm just glad you rescued us. Thank you, sir." She put out her hand and we shook hands, and then she told Emma to tell me thank you, and Emma offered a little baby-talk version.
I pulled out one of my business cards and handed it to her and said, "Look, I can't promise I can leave at a moments notice, but if you find yourself in trouble, please don't hesitate to call me. I'm just up the road on the base."
As they climbed out of the truck, Veronica grabbed her baby bag then apologized for getting the seat all wet. "Don't worry about it - it's a truck." I said, and I watched her open the door and walk inside, waving goodbye.
