SERENDIPITY?
BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted September 15, 2005)
One of my new favorite words is serendipity. I used it the other day in my essay about Demetria's engagement.
I don't remember ever using the word "serendipity" in regular conversation, except back in the 1960s when I was a disc jockey and would occasionally introduce songs by the Serendipity Singers.
Actually, the only song I recall by the Serendipity Singers was "Don't Let The Rain Come Down". I don't think they had another hit.
The dictionary defines serendipity as: "the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident."
That's what happened to me late Tuesday night.
A brake light on my wife's minivan had burned out. I had noticed it earlier that day while following her on our way to lunch.
There's no telling how long it had been burned out, and I'm thankful it was me, not a police officer, who noticed it first.
I told her to be careful, and avoid getting in front of a police car, until I could fix it.
When I got home from work that night, I went to the carport and -- feigning the skill of a master mechanic -- removed the tail light housing.
I told Karen I would run to the grocery and find a replacement bulb, and it would be fixed in no time at all.
Of course, I quickly discovered they don't sell such bulbs at the grocery -- (but I did pick up some yogurt).
I then tried several of those combination gas station/markets. No luck there either.
(Whatever happened to real, honest-to-goodness, full service gas stations?)
Then I tried the big, 24-hour, Walmart on Charlotte Pike -- striking out again.
It was now about 11:45.
At that point, I figured I'd just go home, reassemble the tail light housing, and tell Karen to avoid getting in front of police cars for one more day.
Normally I would've taken the interstate home, but that night I chose to stay on Charlotte and take the surface streets to my house.
Suddenly -- like a beacon in the night -- I spotted an auto parts store, lit up, with the door wide open and cars parked outside. Wow!.... I had no idea they stayed open so late!
I walked in, telling the clerk how happy I was to find them open.
He quickly let me know they weren't open, and he couldn't sell me anything.
They had been robbed, and were waiting on police.
I apologized, hoping I'd not contaminated the crime scene in any way.
But the clerk was obviously a kind and perceptive man.
He could sense that I was playing the role of midnight mechanic, with a wife fully expecting me to fix something before morning.... and he asked what I was looking for.
I explained my need for a #3057 brake light.
He got me one..... I handed him $5 and told him to just ring it up the next day.
As I left, all I could think to say was, "thanks".... and, "sorry about your robbery".
I fixed the light.
And though she never actually said it out loud, I'm pretty sure Karen was impressed with my skill at handling such a major repair so late at night.
Serendipity is alive and well.
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