Damsel Saved By Knights With Shiny Tires

Want to hear a story that proves chivalry is still alive? Not the "OK, fine, I won't go bar hopping with my buddies tonight if our anniversary is that big a deal to you" kind, but the real thing?

Granted, this happened in Charleston, South Carolina, the most courteous city in America, but I'm still optimistic that it could have happened anywhere else because good people are all around us.

It had been a tough day at work, where I managed to avert one crisis after another while covering for two people who were on vacation. At the end of the day, I just wanted to get out of there and go to pilates. However, fate would have nothing of that.

Just as I was about to get into my car, a man I work with noticed one of my tires was about to go flat. I drove it very slowly, very carefully, to Gerald's Tires in the West Ashley suburb of Charleston. I told them I needed my back left tire changed, and they quoted me at $112 for the new tire, sans labor. Then they told me my other tires didn't look so good either.

I went into the waiting room, thinking that of course I was going to get a recommendation that all four tires be changed for a grand total of $112 x 4, plus labor. I wasn't sure if anything was even wrong with my other three tires. That's big business for you, always "screw the little guy," even when the "little guy" is a damsel in distress.

In less than an hour, they came in and said my car was ready. Oh boy, here we go. I went to survey the damage and braced myself for the news. But they said good news, they only had to patch the one tire, and the other three were fine after they put some air in them!

Then I go to pay and they say, "Nah...you don't owe us anything. Just come back and see us again." I just about fell over! I announced very loudly to everyone in the store, "I MOST CERTAINLY WILL COME BACK AND SEE YOU AGAIN! YOU HAVE A CUSTOMER FOR LIFE IN ME!"

I was shocked and smiled for about 10 minutes, which is long by today's standards. Like I said, I usually hate big business, but I guess there are still places with some soul in corporate America.

I still can't believe they not only passed up a great chance to rip me off, but fixed up my four tires and didn't charge me a thing. That's just incredible. And I wasn't even wearing my cutest dress. Later that night, I did my pilates with out-of-this-world vigor, as a girl with a renewed sense of faith in the kindness of strangers.