#Tuestimony
Getting hit by a car while riding a Friend's Cousin's bike led to me getting a car.
The year 2003. I was 19. I didnt have a car. So I walked to and from work every day... a lil over a mile from home. I walked, no matter the the weather.... blazing sun, pouring rain, snow, you name it. If we were open and I was scheduled to work, I walked to/from work. Sometimes, but not often, a friend would be avail to get me.
One of my Homies had a bike that his cousin gave to him. My Homie used it himself for a bit, but eventually got into a position where he didnt need it anymore, and told me I could borrow it to ride to/from work. One beautiful, lovely, sunny day... Im riding the bike to work as I normally do; on the side of the street where traffic flows in the opposite direction -- you know... cars heading west while I was heading east. BUT, I was on the sidewalk, so it wasnt like I was actually in the street. Okay. So.... I was approaching an intersection ahead of me and a car was stopped at the "STOP" sign, waiting for an opening to turn RIGHT onto the street I was comin up. I admit I did see the car. I also admit I noticed the Lady looking to her LEFT down the street to see when she could make her RIGHT turn. In my mind as I got closer, I said "I know she's gonna look to her right before she pulls off and makes that turn." Well.... of course there was an opening exactly when I got within hit-me range and of course she didnt turn her head back before pulling off.
Right when I touched the street from the sidewalk, she mashed the gas pedal -- I assume to make the turn onto the street fast enough so that the oncoming traffic wouldnt catch up to her. Well, I was there. Haha. When she hit me, I jumped off the bike and fell onto the hood of her car (back first) and rolled maybe halfway up her windshield before she slammed on the brakes... which then propelled me forward at jet speed. So I rolled back down her windshield and flew off hood and somehow I managed to catch my balance and landed on my feet. By "somehow", I mean that Im a stealth ninja.... and that's how I was able to do all that. The Lady ran completely over my bike tho... because it was not a stealth ninja.
Lady got out the car crying, covering her mouth, looking so scared and worried, and ran to me saying so much and speaking so fast it was hard to hear it all "OMG Im so sorry! Are you alright? I didnt see you. OMG please be okay! Are you OK? Where are hurt? Im call an ambulance!... etc." I was just like "Hey Lady. Calm down. Im OKAY. But you're gonna give yourself a heart attack." We went back & forth about calling the ambulance or police and I rejected both, saying I didnt need it and I just wanted to get to work so I could open the store. We dragged the bike from under the car and it was totally destroyed. I asked her for $100 so I could get another cheap bike from like Walmart or somewhere. (The bike I was riding was very old & beat-up bike... not like a vintage-type or anything that could sell at a pawn shop or any other shop... not even for parts). I was willing to let her write me a check and I would have walked the bike the rest of the way to work and it would have been over.
But Lady didnt want to do that. She called her insurance company, and they spoke with me asking the value of the bike... to which I said "maybe $100 after years of use and wear-down." Insurance Person asked the original value of the bike. I was like "Idk". Insurance Person said "How about $1500?" I was like "Probably not that much. Maybe $500? It's an old bike."" Insurance Person said "Well... we will send you $1500 just to be sure. Okay?" And I gave them my info. The Lady ended up putting the bike in her car and driving me to my job.
Days later when the check came, I felt bad for trying to keep all the $ because it wasnt even my bike. So I called my Homie and told him what had happened. And offered to by him/his cousin a new bike. He told me forget about it. His cousin had given it to him and wasnt looking for it back. And he was gonna end up trashing the bike or giving it away anyhow. So he told me to keep all the money. So with that money, and other $ I had saved, I was finally able to buy a get-me-from-A-to-B car. It was a used white 1990 Honda Accord sedan that I named "Maxine". <SIDEBAR: I now drive a black 2014 Honda Accord sedan named "Maxon".> That car lasted for years and was well worth the buy.
So... I praise God that I wasnt hurt in the incident. And Idk if I was cheating myself or not by asking for so little money... but I would have felt dishonest if I asked for a huge sum. So I praise God that they offered wayyy more than what I asked, which was enough to buy a car. Im thankful that the settlement check didnt take any kind of overwhelming, never-ending, exhaustive process; no police reports, no claims person coming to check things out... just a few pics of the bike and that's all. Shortly after getting a car, I was promoted to Store Director/Manager (@ Hollywood Video)... bcuz transportation was needed in order to take store deposits to the bank. *At 19, I was the 2nd youngest person in the country to be a Store Director/Manager. I praise God for having the work ethic to walk every day, regardless of weather, and having someone in Corporate taking notice and waiting for me to get a car in order to promote me. I believe God was watching me the whole time.
#WontHeDoIt
**SIDEBAR: If you follow all my #Tuestimony pieces... one of them was a story about a Friend driving me to summer school every day at 7am and asking for nothing in return. This was the same Friend who gave me his bike.