Good Samaritan

I just returned from a week long tramp around the UK for work.  I spent 4 days in London, then headed up North to Penrith, then down to Bootle and finally a quick stop at Gill's before heading home.

Everything went pretty much as planned until I woke up late on the morning I was headed down to Bootle, primarily because my customer insisted I try several sherry's, which is my own fault as I'd piped up and said what does Sherry taste like?  

It tastes a bit like port, and I found dry sherry nicer than sweet sherry.

So late and a bit fuzzy, I stumbled out into the car park to find my rental car, which had been left for me the day before.  Unfortunately, I couldn't go check it because I arrived in Penrith 5 minutes before my meeting with the customer.

I found it fairly quickly and soon realized that it was not an automatic, and it did not have GPS, both of which I had specifically requested.  I can drive a standard and do so in the US, but my left hand struggles to master a task that my right hand has been doing since I was 16. 

But in the end, I really didn't have much of a choice, so I went in and wrote down directions and headed south.  I made very good time and arrived in Bootle roughly 70 minutes before my meeting.  I used my directions, but none of the street names seemed to be labelled unless you were going the other direction; as if people only needed to know the streets if they were leaving Bootle.  

So I spent many a dangerous moment craning my head to look behind me to see what street I had past.  Finally, accepting I was lost, I pulled over and consulted the map feature on my blackberry, which did not seem to recognize the existence of Bootle.

But I did find the street I thought I was supposed to be on, and I headed in that direction, thinking I was generally going the right way.  As I was looking behind me, I saw that I had past my turn off, so I pulled into a neighborhood and tried to turn around.

It was at this point I should mention that Bootle has a fairly bad reputation and any time someone goes, there are comments about losing the wheels off your car.

I went to whip a u-turn in this fairly run down neighborhood, but didn't make it.  I tried to put the car in reverse,and it would not go.  I tried pushing down on the stick; I tried looking for buttons.  I tried everything.  

I called Gill and then I called the rental car company - who promptly put me on hold - while I was perpendicular on this road.  I pulled forward so cars could get past, and I considered trying to get it up on the curb.  

While I was on hold, a grizzled guy knock on my window - he had his dog with him - a tough little jack russell with a rope for a leash.  He asked if I needed help and I explained I was unable to get my car in reverse.  He said get out he will do it for me; he handed me his dog while he started shouting commands and then several people came out to 'help.'

There was much discussion on how to start these new fangled car, and eventually he was reversing the vehicle.  He had me get in the passenger side and showed me how to reverse the car. By now, there were half a dozen people in the road discussing and observing.  Since I had everyone's undivided attention, I asked for directions, which after consultation - I got turn-by-turn instructions.  

As I was getting in the car, everyone asked me if I was okay and I said yes.  My  good samaritan's final words were, Hon I think you might need a chauffeur.

I arrived 10 minutes before my meeting started; perfectly timed I say.