The Helper

When the car lurched suddenly to the left Emily felt adrenalin surge through her body and her fingers tightened in a vice-like grip. Her husband’s voice echoed in her mind. “Don’t jerk the wheel! Hold the car steady with even pressure and above all, don’t panic!”

When she fell in love with Timothy and agreed to move to Montana, she knew it would be a dramatic change from her native Georgia, but nothing had prepared her for living under the “big sky.” It was fifteen miles to the nearest loaf of bread and the erratic weather sometimes cut them off from civilization for days. Driving long distances and predicting the weather were not pastimes here. They were survival skills. Tim had insisted she learn how to change a tire, patch a radiator hose and memorize the basic instructions for driving on ice. Now, as the car fishtailed and shuttered its way to a stop, she was grateful for his care.

The shaking and noise were suddenly replaced by an eerie stillness. Emily sat frozen as her pounding heart and sweating hands began to calm and the smell of burned rubber slowly filtered into the cabin. She heaved open the driver’s door and stood surveying the damage. Pieces of still smoking rubber and steel belts were twisted around a bent rim while remnants of her exploded tire lay scattered on the highway behind her.

Taking a deep breath, she released the last of the tension brought on by the accident and looked around. She was at least ten miles from Three Forks and twelve from Toston. The temperature had been in the low 40’s most of the afternoon, but once the sun dipped behind the mountain the cold would be bone chilling. Yet, Tim had taught her well and she was not overly concerned. She might get uncomfortable and ruin her manicure, but the situation wasn’t unmanageable.

Emily popped the trunk of the Pontiac, unscrewed the plug holding the panel concealing the wheel well and exposed the spare tire and jack. She pulled the small tire from its hiding place, tilted it against the back bumper then deftly spun the long screw holding the jack. She had just worked the heavy apparatus loose and was lifting it from the trunk when she saw a van approaching from the south.

“Please, God,” she silently prayed “either let it be someone I can trust, or blind them to the situation and let them pass on by. A flat tire I can handle. Anything else, I am not so sure.”

The white van already had its lights on as it moved to the side of the road and stopped twenty feel behind her. The driver sat for a long moment and seemed to be surveying the situation then a tall, muscular man opened the door and approached. “Could you use some help, little lady?”

“Thanks, but I’m quite capable of doing it myself,” she said holding the heavy jack by one end and moving toward the front of the car. The man’s clothing could have used a good laundering but his face was clean-shaven and he seemed nice enough. Still, something about being alone with him made her uneasy. He stood looking amused as she knelt down and pushed the jack into position under the axel then moved aside as she returned to the trunk to retrieve the bar that doubled as a jack handle and lug wrench.

She had told him she could do this on her own, but now she wondered if that was a mistake. He seemed to enjoy watching her and his eyes were hot against her skin. She thought of what she had looked like with her head and shoulders beneath the car while her legs and torso were open to full view and determined to avoid taking that position a second time.

“Perhaps I could use a little help,” she admitted. “Thanks for stopping.” Her voice was steady and she hoped the show of confidence would make her feel better. It didn’t.

Brushing over her fingers, the sandy haired man took the tool. “Thought you might come to your senses sooner or later.” He knelt and jammed the end of the bar into the jack rotating it until the left side of the car was angled high off the ground.

Emily longed for the security of a locked door, but the car’s tilted position made the vehicle unstable even if she had been able to lift the weight of the door. “No use standing here being useless,” she said keeping the uneasiness out of her voice. “I can at least get the spare for you.”

She retrieved the tire and rolled it into position. “I see you’re married,” remarked the man noticing the band on her left hand. “Must be nice coming home to a woman like you after a hard day’s work.” He broke loose the first lug nut then paused to let his eyes roam over her from feet to hair.

Emily flinched at the intimate remark and felt her stomach tighten. “Oh, God, no,” she prayed silently. “Get me out of this mess.”

The man with sandy hair tossed the loosened lug nut her direction and she instinctively caught it. “Hold these,” he demanded. The stubborn nuts came off one after another then he jerked the useless rim from the hub, moved the spare into position and held out his hand. Emily dropped a large hexagon nut into his palm. “We’ll tighten these babies up,” he grinned at her before finishing the statement. “After that, I guess we will just have to find something else to entertain us.”

Emily drew a deep breath trying to steady her nerves and decided that the moment the car was level enough for her to manage the weight of the door, she would jerk it open, jump in and hit the automatic lock behind her. The move would require precise timing and it depended on the assumption that the man crouched two feet from her would indeed lower the jack before attempting to grab her.

She watched as it lowered inch by inch. Then—just as she tensed to spring for the door—the blast of a horn caused her to jerk. Another car was coming from the South. Its lights were bright and surprisingly close. How had it gotten so near without her notice? The man with sandy hair let the car fall to the road with a thump then stood angrily staring as a pickup pulled over to join them.

Four oversized young men dressed in cowboy attire tumbled from both sides of the vehicle. Emily briefly wondered if she now had five assailants rather than one but when a young man with dark eyes pushed back his hat and drawled, “Can we be of any help, ma’am?” she saw kindness and strength in his face.

She let out her first breath in what felt like hours. “I believe we’re just finishing up, but if you could put the jack and old tire in the trunk, it would be appreciated.”

“Sure thing, Miss,” he touched the brim of his hat in what was almost a salute then stood directly between her and the man with sandy hair while his three friends moved quickly to remove all traces of the accident.

“Thank you for your help,” she said dismissing the sandy haired man back to his van as she retreated to the safety of her car. She hit a button locking all four doors and continued to speak to the others through a partly open window. “I will be fine now.”

“If you don’t mind,” said the leader of the group, “You seem to be headed toward Three Forks. We were going that way, too. I’d feel a lot better if you would let us follow in the truck.”

Emily was tempted to assure them that she was fine and they need not bother, but her hands were still shaking from the ordeal and she knew their presence in the rearview mirror would be comforting. “That would be nice,” she answered.

Once underway, the emotional impact of the last hour hit her full force. Tears of gratitude and relief flowed freely as she repeatedly glanced in the mirror at the friendly lights pacing a comfortable half a mile behind.

For the next ten miles she crept along at just over 30 mph while considering the events of the night. Emily had been a Christian for twenty years. She knew God did not always spare His children from tragedy, still she had heard stories of angels. She paused. Did angels know how to drive trucks? She glanced in the review mirror once more. They were gone! One mile from her destination and they had just vanished!

“Of course, they could have turned off at an exit,” the rational side of her mind argued. Emily shook her head and let the emotional side of her nature respond. “Perhaps they were beings from another realm. Perhaps not. But one thing was for sure; they certainly were my angels tonight!”

Be Encouraged Today:
Christians aren’t always shielded from life’s problems, yet no matter what happens, God is with us and has given angels to be our ministers.

*****

For information about Elizabeth's books and to read other stories visit her at: www.elizabethbakerbooks.com