When your car wouldn't start, who will you call?

After attending a social gathering one fine Friday afternoon, my friend Vanessa and I headed back to her car so she can drop me off at home. When we reached the car, Van noticed that the lights were left on. It didn't surprise her that the car wouldn't start.

A seemingly nice Arab guy whose car was parked in front of us noticed our distress. He offered to help. We told him the car wouldn't start and after checking, he said he needed cables because the battery got drained. We checked the trunk, no cables. He has no cables. So, Van and I started calling people we knew who lives around the area and might have cables. No luck. The guy couldn't help us anymore so he left.

Fortunately, Jane, our friend whom we visited, has the right cables. So, we got the cables and we were faced with the next problem...another car's battery. Van's car was parked facing the sidewalk and then it goes down to the street. We needed a 4x4 to get on to the pavement to get close to our car's nose. Jane's car was a Toyota Previa but the pavement was too high for her car. Van hailed a couple of taxis but they only drove away.

The blessing came in the form of a Honda CR-V. The Indian driver was willing to help us because it also meant he can take our parking space when we leave. Finally, problem solved and everybody was happy!

When I reached home, it dawned on me how few people I knew where I live. I live in Abu Shagara, Sharjah and I'm surrounded by a lot of residential buildings. I don't know my neighbors! The only two people I called were (1) a company driver, and (2) the GM of our F&B company. They were the only people that came to mind whom I know lives near and have a car. Yet, in the end, the person who helped us willingly was a total stranger! It's bittersweet to realize that we may have friends in great numbers but when they're too far, they cannot come to our aid during emergencies.

Therefore, it is always much better to have neighbors as our friends, too. After all, building good relationships help grow our world and that makes it a better place for us ;-)