Shattered Windscreen

I never knew it could be that bad. But that Saturday when my van had a broken windscreen, my heart also shattered.

We were on our way back from my in-law's house. It was late afternoon and was raining heavily. We were on a muddy and stony road, and I was driving slowly. A pick-up truck sped through. Dust and stones flew into the air. Before we realized what happened, we saw our van windscreen cracked slowly before our eyes.

We couldn’t see our way. So my wife and I had to remove the shattered windscreen. In the process of removing the glasses, we had quite a few cuts.

The rain water poured in and we were all soaking wet. The children were pale with fear and shuddered in cold. But none of them cried. I was very proud of them.

The rain was getting heavier. Lightning flashed once in a while and the thunders remained loud and deafening. I looked at my wife. We had a common understanding that we were to pray.

I drove the van slowly for an hour or so. There were few vehicles along the way. The winds were strong and blowing from all directions. I believed we got a few more cuts, hopefully not on the children. The whole van was soaking wet and we were all shivering uncontrollably.

We were smiling with joy and thankfulness when we reached our home by 5 pm. I told the children to take a quick bath and reminded my wife to make them a hot drink. Then I drove alone to the workshop.

I met the owner and requested to have a new windscreen fixed by the next day. For on Monday, I had to send the children to school and I myself had to go to work. The owner was a good friend of my family and was always ready with a reassuring smile. His immediately telephoned the supplier. It was a great favor from him since Sunday was his day of rest.

I met him the next morning. He was alone and his workshop was closed. But the new windscreen was lying there smiling at me. My friend carefully and slowly helped me to fix the new windscreen. I remembered he was in his late 50s, but still had good eyesight. It was perfectly done in no time and I was very happy about it. I thanked him for his willingness to help me on his rest day. And he just told me what were friends for... He refused to accept more from me and insisted that I paid him the minimal amount. I looked at him with gratitude and patted him on a shoulder before I left.

As I left the workshop, I realized the value of a true friend. Now I understood that real friends always stood by you, to accompany and to help in times of needs.

Oh yeah, that day I may have a shattered windscreen, but then the incident brings closer my family and my friend...

Everytime we saw or talked about broken windscreens, we would all shiver and tremble, but always with smile and laughter. We had a truly unforgettable experience.