DEAR ABBY: I experienced a random act of kindness and want to share it with you.
I was driving alone from Atlanta to a small town near Greensboro, N.C. It was raining hard, and my car hydroplaned and slid off the road.
A woman returning to work after lunch saw my car, stopped, and asked me if I was OK. I assured her that I was fine, but felt a little panicky about being so far from home. She calmed me down, helped me out of my car, and invited me to sit with her in her car until help arrived.
While the police wrote up the report and the tow truck hauled my car back onto the highway, this caring lady stood next to me in the rain, keeping me dry with her umbrella. After the police were finished, she insisted that I come to her office to catch my breath and compose myself.
She telephoned some friends who worked near my final destination (which was five miles from the scene of my accident) so that I would have somewhere to go if I ran into more trouble on the road.
Then she escorted me to a nearby car repair service where a friend of hers works, and asked him to fix the minor damage to my car. He did it immediately without charging a penny –- and I was on my way within a half-hour.
Abby, I want to express the depth of my gratitude to this woman -– her name is Suzanna –- for her help and concern, and to her friend, Andrew, for fixing my car. They reminded me that good Samaritans still exist in this world. I will forever be ... GRATEFUL IN GEORGIA