Yesterday I Gave A Ride to a Random Pregnant Asian Med Student

I'm just sayin'.

I pulled into the gas station to fill up before heading to work (my fuel gauge is busted so I'm forced to enter into a maddening guessing game at times- how often did I run the air? Cruise control? Are the tires at optimal air pressure?) when I saw a small Asian woman wandering about the gas pumps looking at me inquisitively. In her hands she clutched a small manila envelope and a packet of white paper. Her outfit was distinctively medical- white pants and white overcoat.

Then she walked up and asked for help.

My first thought was she wanted my opinions for a survey. I hate surveys, so I was slightly gruff.

Then she told me that her friend's car had broken down, at which point she gestured toward the road. Sure enough, there were five or six people of Asian descent standing next to a car that was being tended to by a tow truck.

She had called a cab, but they had told her it would be 30 minutes. She had to be at the place on the directions (roughly 25 miles away) by 8:00 A.M. It was 7:27 A.M. Apparently she had an examination to gain her certification to practice medicine in the state of Mississippi. Due to this, she was noticeably upset and distressed.

Then and there I made a quick calculation- she is no threat to my person or my property. Either this was the greatest con job ever, and they were hellbent on stealing my $600 ride, or this was the real deal. Hell, if they went to all this trouble to get my car they can have it. I told her to get in (being somewhat sympathetic to exam takers) and bypassed getting gas, figuring I would make it. She mumbled something appreciative and ran off to grab something, quicky returning with a cooler that either contained, I surmise, a ham sandwich or a pancreas. It was that type of cooler.

So we get in and drive off, passing the other people who are standing by the car. I kinda half-heartedly wave, and realize that they're all crazy. Who lets a tiny Asian woman get in a car alone with a guy who could pass for a convict? (I'm currently sporting an antagonistic goatee and somewhat unruly hair.) She was quite lucky that she didn't pick the wrong car.

So we're driving, and she gets on her phone and starts talking. This is what I hear:

DOING DOW SHOW KAH BEEYOOONNNG DA DOW

For the next twenty-five minutes.

When this isn't happening, she conversates quite fluently with me in English. She offers to buy my gas but I turn her down, saying it was on the way- which wasn't quite true. Then she tells me she's pregnant and her husband is back in his home country.

The whole time I think to myself, "If we get in a car wreck and die, my wife is gonna think I'm having an affair with an Asian woman at 7:45 in the morning."

Brilliant.

Anyway, I drop her off and I'm quite sure I'll never see her again. But the experience reaffirmed the belief that life is what happens when you least expect it.