Thanks old fellow

I traveled to Smackover Tuesday for the regional softball finals. The Lady Bucks didn't disappoint, beating Bismarck 4-0 to win the championship. I was in a rush to get back to the office but as I drove out of the parking lot, at first I heard something funny then I felt the car riding rough.
Sure enough, I had a flat tire.
I haven't had to change a flat since I was in college. Apparently, technology has changed since then. I was loosening the lugnuts on the tire but, for some reason, they wouldn't come off even after they were loose.
An older gentleman sauntered up and offered to help. Ordinarily, I would say, "that's okay, I got it" but these lugnuts had me buffaloed. If this guy could help me, I wasn't going to turn him down.
At first, he couldn't figure it out either. We loosened and loosened but they wouldn't come off. He finally got one to pop off and discovered, the lugnuts come in two pieces.
What the?
I'm glad he stopped to help because I would've been there all night trying to figure that out. Anyway, the guy started talking about different things. Since he was practically changing my tire for me, I listened to every word as if he was the Pope or something.
As he was finishing, I asked him how much I owed him. He said nothing.
"This is what people are supposed to do," he said.
He then began to tell me another story, this time of how he used to pick up people who were stranded on the road.
"You can't do that anymore," said the man, who then started off on another story.
"I was in California around Malibu. I picked up this man who was hitch hiking," the man recalled. "Well, we drove for a little piece and the man looked over to me and said, 'I don't like niggers.'"
Oh, did I mention the guy was black? It's pertinent to the story.
"What did you say?" the man said he asked the hitch hiker, who re-stated, "I don't like niggers."
The man said he reached under his seat and pulled out a Smith & Wesson.
"I don't usually make people jump out of a moving car,' the man said he told the hitch hiker. "But, that's your best option."
The man laughed as he said, "the last thing I remember is him rolling on the highway."
That was a pretty good story and with a happy ending, too.
Anyway, I don't remember the man's name but his generosity certainly made my day. The next time I see somebody broken down on the highway, I won't stop to help, but I will think of the old guy who helped me.