triple eyyyy!

i ran into this old guy who had a flat tire today, and stopped to call triple a. as we were waiting, it was interesting to see just how many people would turn their heads as they slowed down while passing by. i always wonder if they're just interested to see if there was an accident ("omg did that guy just hit a biker?") or if they're wondering if we needed help. i tend to think they're just curious because really, if i passed a stopped car and glanced, i'm doing nothing more than looking for signs of a crash.

anyway, this guy was a real old timer. i really wanted to ask him about world war ii. he was born may 30, 1926, and as we were sitting around waiting for the AAA service van, i wanted to ask him about his life and all the interesting history that he must have experienced. i did that once, for a school project, interviewing an old lady about her husband's experiences in world war ii. for a generation that is so hooked on wwii shooter games like call of duty, why is nobody taking advantage of the opportunity to ACTUALLY experience it through someone who was alive during the time?

you know when people do something good, others will either say "you're a good samaritan" and that person will either reply "it's the right thing to do" or "it makes me feel good". but deep down, everyone does nice things because they either 1) want recognition for it in this life or 2) want recognition for it in the next life. I am both, but i can honestly say it did feel good when edward omalley shook my hand.

however, this whole episode reminded me of another story. the guy who is first in line in buying an iPhone is apparently a n obsessive linesitter. that got me thinking, are there obsessive do-gooders? like, people who get in line are there because they WANT that item, and WANT bragging rights for being first to get it. but this linesitter may or may not even want the item or the bragging rights, but just wants to BE FIRST. all of this is leading me to imagine a short fiction story about an obsessive good samaritan, who does things not because he wants good karma, or gratitude, but because he needs to help others. i mean, people do that...they need to help others so they'll feel good about themselves. but i mean take this to another level, like someone who would put others into situations where he can help them.

if i were a good writer and had a longer attention span and better imagination, i could see this as becoming either an award winning satire or dark fiction, or a widely circulated children's book that teaches you morals.