Waiting for my wife to finish up at the bank I ran into Sam. Now you have to understand that Sam is your classic third generation farmer, getting on in years, with only the most basic formal education, but the kind of observational smarts that one must develop when working the land for a living. In short Sam is a character with a lot of practical wisdom to share if you take the time to listen.
“So,” drawled Sam, “Didja hear about Joe?”
“Nope, what happened?”, I replied.
“Got hit by a teenager, totaled his car.”
I grimaced, Joe had a beautiful old Cadillac, his pride and joy. “Wow, that’s terrible, is he okay?
Sam paused, spat out some chaw and said “Well, he’s not hardly hurt none, but he’s in for some trouble.”
“Oh,” I said, “Why is that?”
“Well,” said Sam “with the economy and all he was feelin’ the pinch so he din’t have no car insurance anymore. Said money was too tight and he din’t see the point as he’d been drivin’ for fourty years without no accidents.”
I mulled this over for a minute. “But the teen hit him right? Shouldn’t the teenager’s insurance be paying for the car?”
Sam looked at me “The way I hear it the kid din’t have no insurance either. You know kids, they’s indestructible, nothin’ bad’s ever gonna actually happen to them”.
“Unfortunately”, I said, “I know a lot of people who think like that, not just kids.”
Sam chewed and spat, “Yup, it’s always been that folks don’t need no insurance, don’t need no water or food stocked up, don’t need to check the oil in the car…..until something goes bad”.
“Yeah”, I agreed, “and you just never know when things are going to go bad with no warning. Look at that couple downtown that got robbed last weekend. Beat up ‘cause the guy only had thirty dollars in his wallet”.
Sam squinted at me then looked down at the deposit envelope in his hand, then he patted his pocket knowingly “Guess they din’t have no insurance”.
“So,” drawled Sam, “Didja hear about Joe?”
“Nope, what happened?”, I replied.
“Got hit by a teenager, totaled his car.”
I grimaced, Joe had a beautiful old Cadillac, his pride and joy. “Wow, that’s terrible, is he okay?
Sam paused, spat out some chaw and said “Well, he’s not hardly hurt none, but he’s in for some trouble.”
“Oh,” I said, “Why is that?”
“Well,” said Sam “with the economy and all he was feelin’ the pinch so he din’t have no car insurance anymore. Said money was too tight and he din’t see the point as he’d been drivin’ for fourty years without no accidents.”
I mulled this over for a minute. “But the teen hit him right? Shouldn’t the teenager’s insurance be paying for the car?”
Sam looked at me “The way I hear it the kid din’t have no insurance either. You know kids, they’s indestructible, nothin’ bad’s ever gonna actually happen to them”.
“Unfortunately”, I said, “I know a lot of people who think like that, not just kids.”
Sam chewed and spat, “Yup, it’s always been that folks don’t need no insurance, don’t need no water or food stocked up, don’t need to check the oil in the car…..until something goes bad”.
“Yeah”, I agreed, “and you just never know when things are going to go bad with no warning. Look at that couple downtown that got robbed last weekend. Beat up ‘cause the guy only had thirty dollars in his wallet”.
Sam squinted at me then looked down at the deposit envelope in his hand, then he patted his pocket knowingly “Guess they din’t have no insurance”.