axbom’s avataraxbom’s Twitter Archive—№ 25,572

  1. 1/ Eight years ago today my motorcycle got a flat tire on the highway. While pushing my bike to the off-ramp in hot weather, sweating like a mule, a taxi van for wheelchairs pulled up in front of me, a guy jumped out, opened the back doors, and said "come on, I'll help you".
    1. …in reply to @axbom
      2/ Together we pushed the motorcyle into his van. He told me he had a friend with a garage close-by. He drove me to the immigrant-populous suburbs of Stockholm (Rinkeby) and down into a dimly-lit garage below ground. Three big dudes helped me unload the bike and park it.
      1. …in reply to @axbom
        3/ The guy who seemed to own the garage said he could help me get the bike to my motorcycle dealer for a new tire the day after. So I took the bus home, leaving my bike and with only a hand-written cell phone number on a torn piece of paper.
        1. …in reply to @axbom
          4/ I came back the next morning, we loaded the bike onto his trailer and he drove me the 30 minutes to my dealer. I thanked him immensely, forced money on him and waved goodbye.
          1. …in reply to @axbom
            5/ These guys did not expect anything from me, they were only human beings helping out another human being in need. It was utterly moving and, for some reason, so hard for me to completely take in at the time.
            1. …in reply to @axbom
              6/ Need I say there were lots of things going on in my head as events unrolled? Fears, doubts... And yet today I'm immensely thankful I chose to accept help. And their acts of kindness will always inspire me to pass it forward.
              1. …in reply to @axbom
                7/ I wish I had taken more pictures, but here is the motorcycle inside the van, inside the garage, and on the trailer.
                oh my god twitter doesn’t include alt text from images in their APIoh my god twitter doesn’t include alt text from images in their APIoh my god twitter doesn’t include alt text from images in their API