A certain man living by the highway found himself prostrate on the concrete underpass near the intersection. Whether he had been accosted by a group of ruffians or fainted on his own accord he could not recall. He was simply lying semiconscious on the ground.
By chance an SUV pulled up to the intersection a short time later and the driver glimpsed the man through his peripheral vision. As he pondered what to do, he thought to himself, “Someone should help this man, but I’ve got to go vote.” He then adjusted the elephant pin on his jacket lapel, got out his phone and tweeted, “Man in need of assistance at corner of Northside and Frontage. Another example of crime run amok! #Freedom.” Thus confirming his conservatism.
As the light turned, he changed lanes and motored away.
Shortly thereafter a Tesla pulled up to the same intersection. As the driver waited at the light and straightened the donkey pin on her smart blue dress, she too glimpsed the man out of the corner of her eye. She thought to herself, “Someone should help this man, but I’ve got to get to the polling precinct to make sure nothing funny is going on.” She then rolled down the window, snapped a picture of the man with her phone, and uploaded it with the following tweet: “Another example of systemic injustice! #DemocracyAtRisk. #InspireChange.” Thus signaling her virtue.
As the light turned, she changed lanes and drove silently away.
A few minutes later a rather non-descript vehicle approached the intersection. As the driver waited at the light he saw and took note of the man on the underpass. (Since he had no lapel pin to adjust, he was not looking at himself in the mirror.) When the light turned, the driver eased off to the median and got out of his car. (Since he had no social media account, he had nothing to post.)
As he approached the prostrate man the driver knelt and touched him gently on the shoulder. “Hey, can you hear me? Are you ok?” The man on the ground groaned and opened his eyes but said nothing.
“I was driving by, and it looked like you might need some help. What happened?”
The man on the ground replied softly, “Um, I’m not sure. I don’t remember.” He sat up slowly, groaned again, and whispered “I’m thirsty.”
The driver observed that the man had some dried blood crusted by his ear. “What’s your name?”
“What?”
“Your name. What’s your name?”
“John,” he replied.
“Well, John, I’m Sam,” the driver replied. “There’s a TrustCare not far from here. Why don’t you let me take you there? That’s my car,” he said, turning and pointing to his vehicle.
A bit uncomprehending, the man looked at the stranger and said, “You would take me?”
“Yes.”
The man shrugged, allowed the driver to help him to the car, and the two of them drove together to TrustCare where the driver helped the man into a chair in the waiting area and went to speak to the receptionist. A couple of minutes later the receptionist brought the man some water.
The man must have dozed after that, because the next thing he knew a nurse was tapping him on the knee to get up and follow her to exam room 3. The doctor examining the man determined his main issue was dehydration and administered a bag of saline solution. He also bandaged the cut behind his ear and told him he may have had a mild concussion. The doctor then discharged him.
As the man made his way back to the front of the clinic and headed out the door the receptionist called over his shoulder, “John, just a minute. Would you come here please?”
The man slowly turned toward the receptionist’s desk and stammered, quietly, “Umm, I’m not sure how I’m going to pay for this.”
“Don’t worry about it,” the receptionist replied, “your friend has already taken care of it.”
“My friend?” The man tried to remember but couldn’t.
“Yes, the gentleman who brought you in. He said he was your neighbor. And he left you this.” At which point the receptionist handed the man an envelope with “For John” written across the front. Expecting to find a payment demand or bill of some sort inside, the man shuffled out the door before opening the envelope. When he did, he stared down to see not one bill but two, each with a picture of Andrew Jackson on it.
Kelley Williams is a Northsider.
