Regrets..... I have a few......
He was standing in the pouring rain, wearing only a light hooded sweatshirt.
It was cold and rainy, and it was already very dark, as we drove of the 'Kohu Ra Tuarua,' which is the vehicle ferry servicing the Hokianga harbor.
We were heading to the RIGHT, towards Kohukohu, he was hitchhiking to the LEFT, towards Pangaru.
I knew when I suggested giving him a ride, that we would be possibly taking a LONG detour.......but I just could not let him stand there...... on that empty wet road.
I knew that this was the last ferry for the night, and that he may have to stand there in the pouring cold New Zealand rain..... Possibly for HOURS, before anyone would pass by...let alone would pick him up.....
So I put my hand on my husband's arm and said that we MUST go back...
Without a word, he turned the car around, and we met the teenage boy on the side of the road.
He was happy that we stopped, and he jumped into our back seat.
We asked him where is he heading to........ he said he would go as far as we are going...
I said that we are not going his way.....
We actually live in Kohukohu... In the opposite direction.......but we saw him standing in the rain, and decided to take him home.
I saw the puzzled look on his face,....... and my peripheral eye, caught a glance of my husband, who was now inwardly praying, that the boy does not live up Mitimiti way...which is a LONG drive to the beach, up an un paved road...
It took the boy a few moments....
He was not really believing that we'd turned around just to drive him home...
He found it hard to believe that we would drive so far out of our way, just to give him a ride...... He kept on asking us many questions....
Finally, when he was fully satisfied that we are for real,..... He relaxed in our back seat, and listened to the rain and the howling wind, mixing with the classical music in our car.
We asked him what is he doing hitchhiking so late, in the pouring rain....
He said that he just returned from a football (rugby) practice in Whangarei, (a larger town about two hours away by car)
He said he hitchhiked from there... Took him a few rides, but he made it to the last ferry alright...
He lives about forty minutes from the ferry....if you go by car...
We asked how did he plan to go home tonight....
He said he planned to walk home, or try to catch a ride... If he could get one....
He said he thought he would get home before midnight.... If he'd walked...
I asked why he did not call his parents, to pick him up...
He said his parents are busy...
His dad works very hard...
His mom has many little kids, his brothers and sisters, to care for....
He did not want to bother them...
After all..... He was indulging.... Playing football which he loves.... Not helping at home...and he did not want to burden his parents...
My heart went out to this boy...
I felt so much compassion towards him....
He was trying to get back home, in the dark and in the cold rain, from a healthy football practice, while many other boys his age, just sit around passing the crack pipe (or as it is nicknamed in New Zealand, The 'P")
We chatted and shared stories, as we drove towards his home.
The boy was SO GRATEFUL to us, that he tried to come up with ways, in which a teenage boy, can return a favor to us....
He asked if he can bring us a trailer load full of cut logs for our fireplace...he is skilled with the chainsaw, and he lives in the woods....
We said that we have an environmentally friendly Pellets Stove, which is run on milled sawdust, compacted into pellets... We do not burn wood in this stove.
He never heard of it, and was very curious as to how it works.... and why does it have a thin exhaust chimney, which never have to be cleaned....
He suggested that he will go to the river, catch some eels... Smoke them and bring them over to us.... We said we are vegetarians...
He suggested he'd smoke some fresh fish for us, which he will catch in the harbor for us... Or get some 'Paua' (An "Abelone" shell which is eaten and also used for its Mother Of Pearl beautiful blue shell)
Whatever idea he came up with.... Was mostly something we did not need.
We told him that he does not need to be so worried about returning the favor directly to US........, but instead......... if he ever gets a chance to do good for someone else, pass the favor on....... and do it for them....
He promised that he would...
As we drove up the slippery muddy-wooded hill, that led to his home, he almost had tears of gratitude in his eyes...
He hugged me and shook my husband's hand....
After we dropped him and made our way silently back to our town... I was thinking that I did the wrong thing.......
Now, that I am no longer a strict vegetarian... But eat fish on occasions, when we dine out, I should have allowed him to smoke for us a fish....
At the time, when I was a strict vegan, I could have gifted the smoked eel or fish to a friend.... And made the boy feel good about being gracious and kind in return....
Regrets.... Oh yes...I have a few....
It was cold and rainy, and it was already very dark, as we drove of the 'Kohu Ra Tuarua,' which is the vehicle ferry servicing the Hokianga harbor.
We were heading to the RIGHT, towards Kohukohu, he was hitchhiking to the LEFT, towards Pangaru.
I knew when I suggested giving him a ride, that we would be possibly taking a LONG detour.......but I just could not let him stand there...... on that empty wet road.
I knew that this was the last ferry for the night, and that he may have to stand there in the pouring cold New Zealand rain..... Possibly for HOURS, before anyone would pass by...let alone would pick him up.....
So I put my hand on my husband's arm and said that we MUST go back...
Without a word, he turned the car around, and we met the teenage boy on the side of the road.
He was happy that we stopped, and he jumped into our back seat.
We asked him where is he heading to........ he said he would go as far as we are going...
I said that we are not going his way.....
We actually live in Kohukohu... In the opposite direction.......but we saw him standing in the rain, and decided to take him home.
I saw the puzzled look on his face,....... and my peripheral eye, caught a glance of my husband, who was now inwardly praying, that the boy does not live up Mitimiti way...which is a LONG drive to the beach, up an un paved road...
It took the boy a few moments....
He was not really believing that we'd turned around just to drive him home...
He found it hard to believe that we would drive so far out of our way, just to give him a ride...... He kept on asking us many questions....
Finally, when he was fully satisfied that we are for real,..... He relaxed in our back seat, and listened to the rain and the howling wind, mixing with the classical music in our car.
We asked him what is he doing hitchhiking so late, in the pouring rain....
He said that he just returned from a football (rugby) practice in Whangarei, (a larger town about two hours away by car)
He said he hitchhiked from there... Took him a few rides, but he made it to the last ferry alright...
He lives about forty minutes from the ferry....if you go by car...
We asked how did he plan to go home tonight....
He said he planned to walk home, or try to catch a ride... If he could get one....
He said he thought he would get home before midnight.... If he'd walked...
I asked why he did not call his parents, to pick him up...
He said his parents are busy...
His dad works very hard...
His mom has many little kids, his brothers and sisters, to care for....
He did not want to bother them...
After all..... He was indulging.... Playing football which he loves.... Not helping at home...and he did not want to burden his parents...
My heart went out to this boy...
I felt so much compassion towards him....
He was trying to get back home, in the dark and in the cold rain, from a healthy football practice, while many other boys his age, just sit around passing the crack pipe (or as it is nicknamed in New Zealand, The 'P")
We chatted and shared stories, as we drove towards his home.
The boy was SO GRATEFUL to us, that he tried to come up with ways, in which a teenage boy, can return a favor to us....
He asked if he can bring us a trailer load full of cut logs for our fireplace...he is skilled with the chainsaw, and he lives in the woods....
We said that we have an environmentally friendly Pellets Stove, which is run on milled sawdust, compacted into pellets... We do not burn wood in this stove.
He never heard of it, and was very curious as to how it works.... and why does it have a thin exhaust chimney, which never have to be cleaned....
He suggested that he will go to the river, catch some eels... Smoke them and bring them over to us.... We said we are vegetarians...
He suggested he'd smoke some fresh fish for us, which he will catch in the harbor for us... Or get some 'Paua' (An "Abelone" shell which is eaten and also used for its Mother Of Pearl beautiful blue shell)
Whatever idea he came up with.... Was mostly something we did not need.
We told him that he does not need to be so worried about returning the favor directly to US........, but instead......... if he ever gets a chance to do good for someone else, pass the favor on....... and do it for them....
He promised that he would...
As we drove up the slippery muddy-wooded hill, that led to his home, he almost had tears of gratitude in his eyes...
He hugged me and shook my husband's hand....
After we dropped him and made our way silently back to our town... I was thinking that I did the wrong thing.......
Now, that I am no longer a strict vegetarian... But eat fish on occasions, when we dine out, I should have allowed him to smoke for us a fish....
At the time, when I was a strict vegan, I could have gifted the smoked eel or fish to a friend.... And made the boy feel good about being gracious and kind in return....
Regrets.... Oh yes...I have a few....
