My car has a coolant leak. Every Monday I fill up the radiator and hope for the best. Last week I was filling up before I went to work (at 6:45 AM) when I heard this guy ask if I needed any help. I looked up and saw a small man, he looked kind of dirty and disheveled I assumed he was a street person (there’s a homeless shelter about two blocks away) But the odd thing . . . things were that 1. Generally the homeless people don’t come to my street because the police station is one block away, and I guess they get harassed. 2. It was 6:45 AM and cold enough for there to be frost on my windows and 3. He was carrying a jack. Not just a little jack that might come in an emergency kit in the trunk of your car, it was a huge mechanic shop steel hydraulic jack. It must have weighed at least 50lbs, and it didn’t have a handle, so I’m not sure it would have even worked if I had needed it.

He asked if I needed any help, but I didn’t really, I was just filling the radiator. Then he asked if I had a few bucks he could have, so I checked and gave $2.00, my only cash. He said thanks, and was there anything he could do for me to earn the money. I was at a loss, but he suggested scraping the frost off the windows, so I said, “okay” and handed him the scraper.

While he scraped he told me about his bum knee, and how he was waiting to hear back from the VA hospital to get it fixed. I told him I hoped he got it taken care of soon then we both finished and he picked up his jack and left. I didn’t even see where he went.

Sometimes I encounter people and I am left to wonder if the encounter meant something more than what was on the surface and if I could ever figure it out on my own. Or is it normal for a little man with a big jack to wander Cooper Street in the early morning hours?