Do I lead a more adventurous life than my readers?

No! I just write what happens to me and send the article into the newspapers. For some reason or other they have been printing them for the last ten and a half years.

Example:

Lorraine and I went to the movies last Saturday night. Taking one's wife to the "picture shows" is fun and reminiscent of your early dating. Anyhow, Lorraine dropped me off to buy the tickets and she decided to park the car. I waited on line and purchased two senior citizen tickets.

When Lorraine arrived she was a bearer of bad news. The tail-lights on the car would not turn off. I tried to extinguish the lights but no matter what I did the lights remained on. The movie was starting in five minutes and we had to make a "command decision."

I said, "Let's leave the lights on and see the movie. It would only be an hour and a half. It definitely won't affect the car's battery." We were in downtown Manhasset and the car would be safe.

We entered the theater, both thinking of our glowing car on Main Street, Manhasset. The movie was horrible, beyond horrible. Lorraine jumped up and left her seat after a half hour. I sat for a while longer. (I will answer all e-mails requesting the name of the horrible film.)

When we left the theater the lights were still glowing (welcoming us back to our ailing auto). On first turn of the ignition key we knew we had made the wrong decision. The rat-a-tat-tat of the starter did not ignite the engine.

We were stuck! What to do?

We decided to walk to the Manhasset Railroad Station and take a taxi home. We would leave the car and deal with it tomorrow, Sunday. We started walking arm-in-arm toward the station.

As we passed a diner four young men were just leaving. They were chatting in Spanish and seemed to be having a good time. Lorraine asked them if they could help us out of our seemingly hopeless predicament. Who can refuse beautiful Lorraine?

They surrounded our car and pushed it back into a more accessible position. They sent two guys to get their SUV. Luckily for us I always carry starter-cables in my trunk. When their car arrived they pounced on the two batteries and started working very hard. It did not happen right away. The cables kept slipping off the positive and negative terminals. It looked hopeless.

Just when we were about to give up, the engine turned over. We shouted hurray in English and they shouted hurray in Spanish. We thanked them profusely and gave them some money (not revealed).

We were all deliriously happy and I shook all four hands. Neighborliness and friendship was the answer.

Have you, my reader, ever had so wonderful an experience?