Harry's Gang: Even nice guys are given the once-over in today's society

It’s not easy being a man in these enlightened times.

Recently, my family spent the day skiing at Spirit Mountain. I was in court, so I joined up with them later in the day. A mile before the Proctor exit I noticed a broken-down Jeep on the shoulder. A few seconds later I noticed a woman walking on the side of the highway, looking cold and hurried. I pulled off the exit and waited for her to reach me.

As I waited, another vehicle passed me and pulled over on the ramp. The driver, a woman, got out and met me just about the time the stranded driver did. I rolled down my window as the stranded driver thanked me for pulling over and said she had run out of gas.

The other woman looked at me and asked, “Do you know this woman?” I didn’t. I just stopped to help this stranded driver on the highway. So, she looked at the stranded driver and said, “Come with me. I’ll help you get some gas.” The two walked away and I went to meet my sisters and Tara at the ski hill.

I had to tell them the story; mostly because I wanted to brag about what a kind, good Samaritan I was by offering to help this stranded motorist. But rather than praise my generosity, my sisters had a different reaction. That second woman saw something strange (as I did) and pulled over to help (just like I did). But the second woman wasn’t helping a stranded motorist — she was rescuing a fellow woman. From me … maybe, abducting the stranded driver.

That thought had never occurred to me. To my sisters, it was obvious.

I admit, I was a little offended. But I suppose you can’t be too careful. A middle-aged, greying, pizza maker-publisher-lawyer male waiting in a car for a stranded woman on the side of the road could easily turn into an abduction scene, for all they knew.

It all made sense now. That second woman who stopped was a bit brisk with me. She wasn’t friendly, but she wasn’t rude either. She was direct. Firm. I recall she hurried to arrive at my car at the same time the stranded motorist did. She also stood at the door so it couldn’t be opened. And, after I said I didn’t know the woman, the second woman took the stranded one’s arm and walked to her truck. After thinking about it, this woman lives with a fear I have never considered: stranger abduction. After all, you rarely hear about men being abducted like this; it’s usually women.

Later at the ski hill, a woman saw me in the chalet and greeted me with a big, smiley and robust “Hi.” It was the stranded driver. She thanked me profusely for stopping, and gushed about how nice people are in Duluth (she was from the Twin Cities area, she told me) that two people stopped to help her when she foolishly ran out of gas. She explained she was staying in downtown Duluth for the weekend and had run back to her hotel, not even thinking about the gas gauge, and had been praying she would make it to the top of the hill before running out. Obviously, she didn’t. She said her prayers were answered in an unexpected way: that strangers were willing to stop and offer help. During our encounter at Spirit Mountain, this woman didn’t offer a hint that she had been worried about an abduction.

I’m still a little confused about all this. No harm was coming to the stranded motorist, but her guardian angel didn’t know that. I know this. Next time, I’ll still stop and offer some help. But I won’t be too surprised if it’s a female, that she chooses to decline my assistance.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News community newspaper and an attorney in Esko who hosts the cable access talk show Harry’s Gang on CAT-7. His opinions are his own. Contact him at [email protected].