Never A Dull Moment

Tonight I had to go to Frisch in Paramus, New Jersey. So I took the train up to 181th street and went from there to the bus. In Israel there is no lineup for the bus. Everybody just gets on regardless of when they arrived. I was waiting for the bus and lo and behold he stopped RIGHT where I was standing. So I was about to get on. A fellow screamed at me and told me to get on line. Ohmigosh - He reacted as if I had just committed a major crime like asassinating the president or worse, cursing at a referee. So I rapidly apologized and went to the back of the line. I hope he was happy:-). Eventually, it was my turn, I paid the driver who asked me where I was going and I pleaded ignorance. "Paramus". "Where in Paramus?" "I don't know." But he wouldn't take "don't know" for an answer and insisted that I tell him. So I said, for lack of a better response - "The first stop in Paramus." That satisfied him and I looked for a seat. I was looking for a seat next to a] a male and b] one who looked like he never did time in prison. There were very few seats that fit both criteria but I found one. After an hour long journey and a discussion with the black man sitting next to me about his upbringing, I arrived in Paramus.

GREAT!

Well, as the followers of this blog know - with me it is often not so simple. I got off at the first stop in Paramus but didn't know where to go from there. So I am on this dark, cold road where everyone is driving a car except for me. I didn't see the school anywhere in sight so I decided to take things into my own hands. I called a taxi. I was told that it would take 20-25 minutes for him to arrive. Given the fact that I was already late, I decided to forgo the honor. So I just started talking to Him.

"HASHEEEM - HEEEELP ME!! HASHEEEM HEEELP MEEE!"

I am a shtickel Israeli - right [I have spent about 28 or my 41 years in Israel!]? Right! So I STUCK OUT MY FINGER to get a hitch ["tremp" in modern Hebrew]. Not surprisingly - nobody stopped. There I am, stuck on a cold night on a busy intersection not knowing from where my salvation will come.

Until - until a mini-van stopped and after a short discussion we determined where I need to go and that the driver was going in that direction. It would have been a long walk but was a short ride.

Here's the kicker. The driver told me that she stopped because she saw Hebrew writing on the plastic bag I was holding. "You know Hebrew?" I asked. "I'm Israeli", she answered. We switched to Hebrew and she told me that the average American wouldn't have stopped for me.

HASHEEEEEMMMMM!!! Thanks for sending me an angel [in pants yet....].

The way home was less adventuresome - a TZADDIK came and drove me home. [He also wore pants but would look funny in a skirt]. I don't have many good friends but the ones I have are the BEST!!!:-)

השם ישמור צאתך ובואך מעתה ועד עולם!!:-)