This article was published in “THE KHALEEJ TIMES” - OPENSPACE on July 30, 2011

I stepped on race…… 50, 60 km per hour but the view did not change.  I opened the door and realized my car was stuck in a sand pit.  Stuck deep in the sand at 6:30 in the morning……  I was being smart, trying a short cut to beat the Sharjah – Dubai traffic but the luck had beaten me.

I got out of the car and looked around for help but the cars passed by with an urgency to reach their destination.  And then appeared a bulldozer from a construction site and the driver frantically waved at me, maybe he was trying to say that he would help me.  He stepped down and said, buy the rope from a nearby petrol station and I will help you get out…for a fee of AED 30.00.

I bought the rope and walked towards my car and I could see another car stuck and a four wheel driver helping him to get out of the sand pit.  Just then, the four wheel driver turned towards me, do you need help?  I said NO, I have one, pointing to the bulldozer.  Somehow the four wheel driver was not convinced and engaged in helping me out and at the same time engaged the bulldozer driver in conversation in native Arabic.

Thank you – I said to the four wheel driver because within the next 20 minutes I was out of the pit.  I tried paying the bulldozer driver but he refused and I realized the four wheel driver had cautioned him not to demand a fee for helping people out.

Thanking him profusely I exchanged cards and contemplated… would I do the same for others; stop by and pull someone out?  May be or well may be not because it takes courage and empathy to come forward and help others.  I stepped on the race.

Enjoy Reading and commenting…..

One Response to “May be not”