THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 14, 1996 TAG: 9609140245
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Anne Saita
LENGTH: 58 lines
With an assignment in Hertford at 7:30 a.m., and another four hours later in Edenton, I wondered how I'd fill the time in between. I figured I could sate my thirst in a Hertford cafe or stroll through historic Edenton.
The wondering was wasted.
My plans changed about 7:20 that morning along an isolated stretch of U.S. 17 near Winfall when my car's right rear tire exploded.
I managed to regain control of my car and my composure and searched for a place to pull over on the shoulderless highway. A gas station loomed on the horizon, but the place turned out to be abandoned.
I parked there anyway and immediately called Brenda Lassiter, the Perquimans County Schools public relations director whom I was scheduled to meet in 10 minutes.
She knew the place and was there almost immediately, reassuring me I'd be taken care of as we headed to the county high school. I never doubted her word.
While I interviewed students and staff, I saw the schools' superintendent, Dr. Randall Henion, walking into a building with another man.
``They're trying to find some students to help you at least get your car to a service station, so you won't have to pay for a tow,'' Brenda told me.
I was treated to breakfast at the high school cafeteria and then taken back to my car, where high school students Bobby Stallings and Lee Dail showed up about 15 minutes later and quickly changed my tire.
The spare was in pretty bad shape, but it would at least get me to Edenton some 20 minutes away, they said.
I thanked them and Brenda, who had stood by my side the entire morning and kept me from succumbing to self-pity, which I'm prone to do. I then headed toward Chowan County.
At Colony Tire Auto Service Center, I explained my situation. The ordeal had swallowed up all but 40 minutes between assignments, and I didn't want to hold up the group of women I was scheduled to meet.
The man at the tire center promised timely service and delivered it. I pulled into a downtown Edenton parking lot about 30 minutes later.
Ordinarily, these kinds of mornings do not bode well for my behavior the rest of the day.
I'll walk around in a deep funk, convinced there's some conspiracy that keeps me in small towns instead of the cities I prefer.
I'll resurrect old gripes - about road conditions, water quality and the occasional slow service at a fast food restaurant. I'll snap at the slightest provocation.
But this day was different. The help and kindness I received after my misfortune had left me feeling upbeat, rather than upset.
I ended up with 10 minutes to spare before my next interview and took a seat on a wooden park bench, shaded by crape myrtle.
I gazed around the shores of Edenton Bay, watching a family fish off a bridge and another turn their boat toward the town's famed cannons on the Courthouse Green.
And I smiled, then and the whole day through, reflecting on how pleasant this part of the state can be and how lucky I am to live and work where I do. by CNB