one good deed

Driving home from work tonight, I'm eastbound on I-94 from Oconomowoc toward State Fair Park. I see a disabled vehicle on the shoulder with the hood up and the driver behind it, thumb out. I pull over and get the guy's attention. We head back to my car to get out of the wind and call for a tow truck. State Patrol dispatches a wrecker and we wait. The man's truck has lost the water pump.

I find out the man's name is Marciel and I ask him where he is headed. In a thick Spanish accent, he tells me he's headed to Chicago. I had noticed the Minnesota plates on his truck. He tells me there's no work for carpenter's in Minneapolis so he's going to Chicago to see if there's work. I ask if he has any contacts in Chicago and he says he's got some family there. Marciel asks me how much farther it is to Chicago. I tell him another couple hours.

Tow truck shows up and we get out of the car to talk to the tow truck driver. He can take Marciel's truck west an exit or two to a garage for repairs, then asks how Marciel he wants to pay for the tow. Marciel doesn't have a credit card, or cash on hand. The driver says that they can include the bill for the tow in with the repair. At this point, I shake Marciel's hand, wish him luck in getting to Chicago and get back into my car.

No one else looked like they were going to stop to help Marciel. I did what I could, but I don't feel like it was enough. I certainly can't afford to pay for the repair to his truck, and I'm wondering how he'll make it to Chicago. I prayed for him as I drove away, hoping that he will complete his journey, as well as trying to placate myself a bit. I don't know what else I could have done.