Joseph pounded his fist against the stirring wheel. The car cost me a fortune. I cannot believe it broke down in the middle of nowhere.

He glared at the black screen on his phone. And my phone is dead.

From his periphery, he registered movement and looked out his side window. A man with matted hair, a camo jacket, and ripped cargo pants stuffed in old military boots limped toward the car from someplace below the nearby bridge.

What now? He is going to ask me for money. He is even carrying a cup.

The man bent close to the window and knocked. “Wanna a cup of coffee?” the man asked in a muffled voice through the window.

Joseph shook his head no, and he waved the man away from his shiny red Mustang before again glaring at his phone.

The man knocked on the window again. “It is going to get cold tonight. I can fix your car if you pop the lid.”

Joseph was already getting cold. He exhaled dramatically and could see his breath. Long moments passed. What choice do I have?

Joseph popped the hood and rolled down the window.

The man again offered the cup to Joseph, and he took it with both hands, enjoying the warmth. “Thanks.”

The man pulled tools from a bulging pocket of his jacket and disappeared under the hood as he bent over the engine.

After a shorter time than Joseph had anticipated, the man stepped from the front of the car. “Try it now,” he called out.

To Joseph’s surprise, the engine turned over.

Now, what do I do? Maybe he would take a bit of cash.

Joseph busied himself retrieving his wallet. By the time he looked up, the man was gone.