<strong>Spectrum</strong>Mar07.qxd 4/26/2007 4:50 PM Page 30 S NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING Judy Buchan, Contributing Writer THE SPECTRUM thankful that he was home and thankful that the lessons he’d been taught since childhood about caring and helping other people had made their mark on his character. That memory came to mind today as I stood in line at Orchard Supply Hardware. While waiting to buy a pink geranium and hanging pot (spring weather brings out the planting instinct), I saw an elderly man trying to carry a shovel and rake to the checkout stand. Actually, he was dragging the tools and staggering a bit as he tried to keep his balance. <strong>The</strong> other folks in line with me insisted that he go ahead of us, and he gratefully obliged. Those of us who reached our teenage years back in the days before cell phones knew that we had to find a phone and call if we were out and going to be late coming home. In our house, just considering the consequences of not following that directive was enough to keep us on the straight and narrow. So, it was a bit surprising one night when my brother, Bill, didn’t come home for dinner at the usual hour and failed to call home. Granted, he was a full-time student at CSM in the late 1960s and working part-time as a chicken delivery guy, but he usually would let someone in the family know if he was running late. Besides, we assumed he would not want to face Mom with an implausible explanation for his tardiness. As the dinner hour came and went that evening, Mom’s concern for him started to grow into those imagined consequences that none of us wanted to consider. When he finally arrived, all in one piece, Mom let him know that she was worried and darned annoyed that he had not called. After letting Mom have her say, Bill explained in quite a calm fashion that he was driving home on 101 when he saw a woman (“elderly, about your age, Mom” — THAT went over real well) pulled over on the side of the freeway, trying to change a flat tire. He stopped, changed the tire and helped her to get back on the freeway in busy oncoming traffic. Bill’s unspoken assumption was that helping the stranded motorist was something that he would be expected to do. Another checkout stand opened, and I was summoned by the cashier. I paid for my pink geranium and headed for the exit. As I walked by the checkout stand where the elderly man had finished his transaction, something told me not to assume he could get his tools to his car by himself. I asked him if he needed help, but he assured me that he was just fine. I went on my way. And that something that told me to check on the elderly man at Orchard? I have no doubt it was my little brother, Bill, who lost a seven-month battle with melanoma on February 28. He gently reminded me that the pre–cell phone generation in <strong>Redwood</strong> City was raised to care and help other people. Just because our hair is thin and gray, and we have to take our glasses off to read, doesn’t mean we should assume that our help isn’t needed, that there’s always another day to lend a hand, that we shouldn’t care. What strikes me most about Bill’s passing is simply that I always thought he, my sisters and I were invincible. I assumed that we’d have so much time to grow old together, share the joys of family and let each other and our community know how much we care. So do yourself a big favor — never assume anything. Never think for one minute that responsibility belongs to someone else; never step back from showing that you care. And never assume there’s plenty of time. 30 <strong>The</strong>n he apologized for not calling. Quite humbled, Mom fixed dinner for him, <strong>The</strong> Diving Pelican Cafe 650 Bair Island Road . <strong>Redwood</strong> City .(650) 368-3668 . From 101 take Whipple Avenue East Hours: Tues-Sun 8 AM - 3 pm www.divingpelicancafe.com Join us for outdoor dining on our sun-kissed deck. Enjoy a peaceful waterfront view and our home-cooked dishes made from only the freshest ingre-dients! We serve breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, espresso, beer & wine. We have plenty of free parking only 5 minutes from Downtown <strong>Redwood</strong> City! Meal Club Memberships Available Now! Purchase 10 Meals, excluding Sunday's, and recieve your next, 11th meal FREE! Minimum purchase $8.00 - Maximum free meal value $10.00 WWW.SPECTRUMMAGAZINE.NET
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