OKAY YOU GUYS, I APPRECIATE HELP BUT ENOUGH ALREADY!

Some people have guardian angels looking after them...Me, I have strange guys in parking lots.

It is rather a long story that is difficult to rationalize. I'll try to explain.

Two weeks ago I pulled my 2012 Hyundai Elantra into a parking spot at the entrance to our local Tim Hortons. On the sidewalk in front of me were two middle-aged men and a woman engaged in a conversation.  As I slowly drew to a halt I noticed one man pointing down at the front of my car..."Oh my God," I thought..."What's wrong?"

I turned off the motor and was positioning my arthritic body to make a typically uncomfortable exit when the man doing the motioning hustled around the car to meet me at my partially opened door.   "Did you know your motor is making a bad ticking sound?" he asked with a gruff, yet concerned voice.

The oil was OK.

"Yes I do," I responded, not knowing how to fully accept his query.

"How long has it been doing that?" was his next question.

"About two weeks," I said, still taken aback by the unexpected confrontation.

"What year is the car and how many miles have you got on it? he asked, to which I replied "it's a 2012, with a only a little more than forty thousand clicks on it".

"Might still be under warranty," he offered. "Shouldn't be doing that...It's just not right. Start it up again and pop the hood," I was instructed as he disappeared from my vantage point behind the steering wheel.

"Don't worry," the woman interjected..."He knows a lot about cars!

After about 20 seconds with his head under the hood, my out-of-the-blue mechanic headed back into the coffee shop only to emerge momentarily with the remnants of a paper towel in his hand.  Back under the hood, he lifted the oil dipstick from the engine and gave it a swipe before inserting it once again.  "Well, the oil's okay, so it's not that" he announced after a second dip of the stick."

"You can shut off the engine now," was my final instruction.

But he wasn't finished yet...

"That is just not right," he repeated emphatically.  You've got an engine problem and you'd better get this car into the Hyundai dealership right away.  It will only get worse...They have to make it right for you. I'm serious."

Thanks a lot for that!" I said, still in a partial state of shock.  "I'll take it in first thing next week.

The trio departed, still talking about the noise my motor was making.

After ordering two coffees to go and two Timbits for Lucy, I couldn't help but sit down for a few minutes before leaving to contemplate the almost surreal incident in the parking lot just minutes before.  I rolled up the rim on one of the coffees only to see the customary "Please play again!" and thought to myself "All is not lost...at least I got a free engine diagnostic out of the experience."

Four days later I was standing in front of an Owen Sound Hyundai service rep as he broke the news to me: "The bearings in the engine of your car are wearing prematurely.  Bottom line, we'll have to replace the whole thing for you.  Your warranty has just expired, but we'll go to bat for you with the manufacturer."

The replacement engine parts had to be ordered and I am still waiting for word on how Hyundai is going to handle the cost. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Meantime, I can't stop thinking about the guy who took the time and interest in Tim Hortons parking lot to alert me to the pending motor problem. Most unusual...Ultimately appreciated.

Oddly enough, however, this story does not end there.

"Could fly off and behead someone."

Chapter Two: Out of obvious necessity, I'm driving my pickup truck these days. Late yesterday I was walking out of our local supermarket with a cart full of groceries and as I approached the truck I noticed a portion of the plastic wind deflector on the hood had broken off and was laying on the pavement. Someone must have somehow clipped it as they walked or drove past.

I picked up the detached reflector piece and put it back into place, thinking that I could later secure it with a screw or two and some good contact glue. That's when I saw a guy literally running toward me from a car he had been sitting in, about 75 yards away.

Catching up to me, he said "better not do that...You could be driving and that piece could fly off and catch somebody..." drawing his hand across his throat as if suggesting decapitation. "I recommend you just take it off,"

"Whatever you say," was my rather sarcastic response, taking the piece and tossing it in the back of the truck.

As I loaded my groceries, the guy (by appearance, he could have been an off-duty cop) returned to say "It's not apt to happen, but you never know." I nodded agreement.

Back in the truck and about to pull out of the parking space, I saw the guy jump out of his vehicle once again and hurry toward me.  "Oh no...What now?" I thought.

The (not too) soft front tire.

"Your left front tire is soft," he announced as I rolled down my window.

"I know, but thanks for looking after me," I responded.

"You're welcome!" he said, doing an about-turn and heading back to his car.

I sat with my truck idling for a few minutes as I watched the guy pull his rather dirty Ford Focus out of the parking lot and speed into the distance on Highway 21.

Once again I was left wondering what had just happened.  Was the guy being overly officious or was he intentionally trying to be helpful...I simply cannot make up my mind, but will give him the benefit of doubt.

One lingering question remains: Is there something about me that invites this type of uninvited attention?...Quite frankly, however well-intended, I'm starting to develop a complex and it is slightly annoying.