Who said the age of chivalry is dead? I feel fine!

Today has been a most chivalrous one.

This morning I was in work (as usual) early so got everyone a drink while they were booting up their PC's which was nicely received. This was then followed by an e-mail from a branch manager or as they are more locally know - a demi god asking for my help on something - which I provided and within 5 minutes had a response from them thanking me profusely for what I had done and also sent an e-mail to my supervisor and my manager telling them how wonderful and helpful I was - cue Jimmy Carter 'colgate' smile.

Later this morning I was walking along with Rachel and I got to the door first and she waited for me to go through and we both stood there for a few seconds which felt like an hour in total stalemate until I said 'Come on Rach - ladies first!!' 'Why thank you' she beamed. 'Who said the age of chivalry is dead eh?' I said 'Shivery? Are you cold in those shorts??' No dear, CHIVALRY erm.... you know... er.... gentlemanly' 'Why didn't you just say gentlemanly?' 'Cos it's chivalry!!!' I said and grinned.

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully other than my NVQ assessor telling me how wonderful I am and will fly through my assessment.

But then comes the piece de resistance of my chivalrous acts today. Whilst driving home I was sitting in traffic on the dual carriageway and happened to glance onto the other carriageway where a girl in her mid twenties stood on the pavement next to a dead Corsa hazards slowly blinking and her frantically running her hands through her hair and punching numbers into her phone. The traffic moving in to town is, in minutes as thick as the traffic heading out of it caught behind her stricken car. My light change and I drive down the road glancing back and seeing her standing there still quite crest fallen and getting irate looks from motorists as they circumnavigate her car in the first lane. I get 200 yards down the road and swing the Cat into the next left yank round the wheel and am now going in the opposite direction I eventually find a place to park and lock up the Cat and stroll to where shes been standing for a good 15 minutes since I first saw her and in that time no-one has stopped or offered help. shes chewing on a nail and still clutching her phone and running her hand through her hair, shes shaking a little.

'Er are you stuck?' I say and smile she turns and her tense eyes immediately soften on seeing that someone has actually bothered to ask.
'It just died on me and I can't push it out of the way cos I'm 4 months pregnant! my boyfriends got his mobile off and my parents are still at work!' She's clearly a bit shaken and at her wits end and clearly the last thing she needs right now.
'I've got a powerpack in my car - may be able to get it going enough to move it?'
'Oh that would be wonderful - is your car far??' she asks is if questioning if this was really happening
'No just there, give me a minute'
I return with the powerpack and attach the leads to the battery on her little dead car and she jumps in and tries it but the poor little car just will not start.
'Jump in' I said 'You can't leave it where it is, they drive like nuts on this road and it's a sitting duck where it is.' So in the middle of the busiest road in town with trucks, buses and cars screaming inches past me I start to push the car. She starts by trying to help push but I insist she gets in and steers while I push. I shove the car to safety and she is thanking me profusely she's still thanking me when her boyfriend pulls up and he starts thanking me profusely as well.

I return to the Cat and we purr away with waves exchanged. As I drive away I reflect on what happened. Not one person in this metropolis stopped to help apart from me yet while I pushed Navy cadets walked passed and a police patrol car also passed as did various pedestrians. Not one person helped. Has the milk of human kindness really turned so sour?

I stopped not because as I'm sure some would suggest she was a twenty something blond, but because I've been in that situation. I've stood at the side of the road and watched and cursed the car which is essentially my life line, die. I've been the one that has been beeped and cursed through windows for adding another 2 minutes to someone else's journey. It's a lonely and scary feeling and I don't like feeling like that and I don't like to know others are feeling like that when I could have helped.

I once turned the car round as I noticed a man lying face down in the middle of a car park, I'm a first aider and for all I know he could have had a heart attack but no body seemed bothered - it turns out he was in fact blind drunk and thought that it was a good place to sleep but he thanked me for showing concern. I've stopped to see if can help at road accidents, I've called ambulances and given first aid to an old man who collapsed at a bus stop. I could not drive by and ignore someones distress call, yet sadly it appears these days more people do.

My grandfather didn't smoke but always carried a lighter in case someone asked him for a light in the street. My father who is also a first aider administered CPR to a dear family friend and stayed with him talking to him until the ambulance came following a heart attack - he was devastated to learn that as well as he seemed as he was taken into the ambulance he had another massive heart attack en route to the hospital and died.

We hear these days sadly of acts of compassion and heroism when an attack is made on a capital such as 9/11 and 7/7 yet some people face personal tragedies every day so I leave you with this thought if it was you wouldn't you want someone to help?