Faith in Humanity Restored!

I scraped a black Chevy Cavalier while parallel parking behind it.

This isn’t happening I thought. This isn’t happening.

But it was.

I parked and, with a heavy heart, went to examine the vehicle I’d just violated.

Always with the flaking paint. Why, Chevy
Cavalier? Why?

It was like every other Chevy Cavalier I’d encountered in the course of my life—old, not very well-made, with weirdly defective paint in various stages of flaking off. The only place where the paint looked good was the rear bumper. Of course, that was the place my car had scratched.

I bent for a closer look. No dents or dings to be seen, just a little white paint from my car. I spat in my hand and vigorously rubbed the bumper.

Don’t mind me, passersby. Just giving a spit bath to the bumper of a stranger’s car. Like you do.

The spit bath got off most of the paint, but “most” is not “all,” and I knew it. I would have to offer to pay for the damages.

Like I didn’t have enough problems in my life. Like I didn’t have enough people mad at me.

”It isn’t my fault!” I said, and while it was true that I hadn’t purposely set out to hurt anyone, it was also true that I had. I’d tried take care of someone I loved but instead I’d put them in a place where they no longer wanted to have anything to do with me. I’d tried to parallel park but instead I’d ruined somebody’s car. Everything I did was a disaster. Why did I even try?

I pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote a quick note.

Hey! I accidentally scraped the back of your car while trying to parallel park. I’m so sorry! Let me know if you need any touch-up paint or anything. 801-XXX-XXXX

I hesitated. Should I even make the offer of touch-up paint? Obviously, I owed the owner of the Cavalier something, but did making such an offer implicate me in some way that created legal loopholes for settlement? I knew my mom might think so. She was the one who had always advised me to take pictures of any damage I caused to another person’s car—just to make sure they didn’t damage it worse and then blame me to get extra repairs or money.

After a moment, I decided that even if the note could be used against me, leaving it was the right choice of action. I tucked it under the windshield wipers. I snapped a few shots of the car’s body with my camera phone, just in case, and then I went to class.

For hours, I kept checking my phone, waiting for the angry phone call or text. At worst, I’d get sworn at, threatened, asked to pay to repaint the whole bumper. At best, things would be professional and polite. In either scenario, I’d have to part with a sizable (to me) portion of my hard-earned money to correct my own mistakes. That was fair, of course, but it still weighed on me.

Or maybe the weight I felt was something else entirely—the many-weeks-long remembrance of the fact that there was someone who wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t respond to me, seemed to blame me for everything that was going wrong but wouldn’t allow me to try to fix things or change.

Whatever the reason, the pressure of this weight bore down on me until it was almost squeezing saltwater out of my eyes.

Finally, hours later, a text from an unknown number.

I stared at my phone screen for a while before opening it. Once it was opened, I stared even more.

Unknown Number: Hey my name is Chevy Cavalier Dude, I own the black cavalier you bumped into this morning. Just wanted to let you know it's no big deal. She's a tough car and I think she'll be ok haha I like how you let me know, I appreciate that. So thanks!

What the…no swearing? No threats? No asking for money?

Instead, kindness? Laughter? Thanks???

Cautiously, I wrote back.

Awkward Mormon Girl: Hey Chevy Cavalier Dude! My name is Awkward Mormon Girl. I'm glad your Cavalier is okay! I felt really bad about the whole thing.

Chevy Cavalier Dude: It's all good! That car has had a lot worse things done to it. I appreciate you telling me. That means a lot and you're a good person haha. So no worries!

At this point I wondered if I was actually awake. Strangely enough, I was.

Awkward Mormon Girl: Well, thanks! For my part, I think it says a lot about you that you aren't angry.

Chevy Cavalier Dude: Thank you. It was a mistake and I understand that!

I reread those texts several times. They were like soothing magic to my soul. And suddenly, all my problems were solved. Nobody was mad at me anymore. And I found a lot of money in my wallet. And my homework did itself. And the Fraggle Rock movie finally got made. And I could fly.

JK LOL. The only thing that happened from the soothing magic was that I was reminded that people can be really good to each other when they want to be. I'd almost forgotten.

Not much has changed. But that's okay. For now, remembering that kindness exists is enough.

So thank you, Chevy Cavalier Dude. Thank you, with all my heart.