Just in Time
by Dan Clark

One night at 11:30, an older African-American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her - which was generally unheard of in the deep South during those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked him and then rode away.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his great surprise, a giant combination console color TV and stereo record player were delivered to his home. A special note was attached. And the note read:

Dear Mr. James:
Thank you for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain had drenched not only my clothes but my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bed side just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and for unselfishly serving others.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole

译文参考：

及时的帮忙
丹•克拉克

在一个晚上的十一点半，在亚拉巴马州一条高速公路旁，一个上了年纪的非洲裔美国妇女正站在急风暴雨里。她的车出故障了，她急需有人把她载走。全身湿透的这位妇女决定拦截下一辆车。一个年轻的白人男子停下来帮她——这在六十年代种族冲突肆虐的美国南方腹地是很难想像的。这位青年把妇女带到安全的地方，让她得到所需的帮助，并把她送上了出租车。那位妇女看起来非常匆忙，她留下男青年的地址，谢过他后就坐车离开了。

七天后，那位男青年家响起了敲门声。他惊喜地发现，有人给他送来了一个巨大的落地彩色电视机和立体声唱机，上面还附着一张纸条。纸条上写道：

亲爱的詹姆斯先生：
非常感谢那天晚上你在高速公路旁给予我的帮助。暴风雨不仅淋湿了我的衣服，也浸透了我的心。接着，你出现了。因为你的帮助，我能够在我丈夫去世之前赶到他的床前。你帮了我，而且无私地为他人服务，愿上帝保佑你。
真诚的，
纳特•金•科尔夫人