It was better than 90 degrees that day and the humidity was just as high. The asphalt in the parking lot radiated heat in waves. She had two small children in tow as she made her way to her van. Her shopping cart was full, even the rack under the cart was packed. Carefully she got the kids into the van. The smaller of the two children began to cry, so she stopped and gave him the needed motherly attention. Once they were both settled, she continued loading the bags into her van. It was obvious that she was warm and tired.

As she backed out, she accidentally swiped the car next to hers. From where I was sitting in my car, I could see clearly, and if there was any damage it was going to be minor, since she barely touched the other car.

She pulled back into her space and got out of her van. The look on her face clearly demonstrated that she was frustrated. The damage was indeed minimal. No dents, just a small paint scuff on the other car. She rubbed at it with her finger and most of it came off. Stepping out from between the two vehicles, she looked in both directions. That was when I became curious.

I wondered what she would do. The damage was minimal, so minimal that she was able to wipe most of it off with her finger. There was no one around, except for me, and she did not see me. It would have been very easy to just get back in her van, back out at a slightly different angle, and go. She did get back in the van, but the van did not start up as I had expected.


Instead, she got back out of the van with a pen and paper in her hand. The younger of the two children had begun to cry again, so she did what she could to settle him. Walking to the back of her van she appeared to be jotting down her license number. She wrote for a time, folded the paper, then stuck it under the windshield wiper of the car she had hit. Then and only then, she got back in her van and drove off.

Being somewhat nosey, I got out of my car and walked over to see if there was in fact any real damage. As I had suspected the damage was less than minimal. I then asked myself if I had been her, would I have taken the time to leave my name and contact information. I'd like to think that I would have. As I started to walk back to my car, the owner of the car that had been hit approached.

He obviously had seen me looking at this car. I thought I owed him an explanation, so I told him what had happened. After he loaded his bags into the trunk of his car, he retrieved the note from under the windshield wiper of his car.

He opened the note and read it. His smile quickly developed into a laugh. Shaking his head he said, "This is great!" He looked at me and said, "Listen to this." Then he read the note. "As I was backing out, I hit your car by accident. I'm sorry. I looked to see if you were coming out of the store so I could tell you in person, but you were not. I have two small children and needed to get them home, or I would have waited for you to come out of the store. If you need to contact me, I have included my cell and home phone numbers below and the license number from my van. I recently got hit in a parking lot by someone who just drove off. My insurance had to pay for the damages, so I know what a bother this can be. Again, I am sorry!"

At that point he broke into a full laugh, as he folded the note and put it in his pocket. "This is a keeper." Looking at me he smiled and said, "I'm her insurance agent!" We both had a good laugh.

I can't speak for him, but this incident was a strong reminder that most people are keenly aware of the difference between right and wrong. I was also reminded that the basic desire to do what's right, even when no one is looking, is alive and well. Unfortunately, the two little ones in her van were not old enough to realize the fine example she had set for them. Fortunately, they are being raised by someone who will undoubtedly find other opportunities to set similar examples, when they are old enough to appreciate and learn from them.

This young lady would certainly have had ample reason to brush off her responsibility to leave her contact information and go on about her business as though nothing had happened. After all, she had recently been on the other end of a similar situation, she had two children to tend to, and as tired and hot as she appeared to be, who would have blamed her. The damage was so minimal it certainly would have been more expedient to just go on as though nothing had happened.

Nonetheless, she took the high road. She had a choice, and she decided to do what she knew to be right.

Small damage in a parking lot, too much money back in change, being credited at work for something you didn't actually do, are all small and seemingly insignificant situations that could easily be ignored. And there are people who would do just that; ignore them and see them as unforeseen breaks or maybe just a little luck. But then there are those, like the young woman in the parking lot, whose sense of right and wrong is as strong as it is consistent. To these folks, there is seldom if ever a question in the conflict between right and wrong. When given the choice, they do what's right. They are right people!
