An unexpected and heartwarming experience

I recently celebrated my 88th birthday. After 70 years of driving I decided to surrender my driver’s licence and sell my car. I consulted with family and, after a brief financial discussion with the dealership manager I dealt with for 30 years, I said goodbye to my car and walked out the door with a cheque and two licence plates to return to a Service Ontario office.

A friend who came to drive me home took me directly to the Service Ontario office.

He parked near the door so I left my walker and just used my cane. I was stunned when I walked in to face a lineup of 15 people. I collapsed into a chair near the door. A lady in the line suggested her husband stand in line for me. Before he could move, a deep male voice at the end of the line said, “Let her go to the front of the line.” Then another voice said, “Let her go to the front of the line.” Within a minute, everyone in the line smiled at me and echoed, “Let her go to the front of the line.” The lady at the front told me to stay sitting until the clerk was ready, but they all laughed when I said it would take me that long to get there. Within 10 minutes, I was served by a pleasant clerk and signed off my car ownership. As I walked out, I turned to thank the whole lineup. They all waved and smiled.

What a wonderful group of thoughtful strangers. They turned my melancholy day into a heartwarming experience, and I’d like to thank them for their extreme kindness.

Mary Pappert

Kitchener