{"id":913,"date":"2016-10-28T21:49:09","date_gmt":"2016-10-28T18:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=913"},"modified":"2017-10-28T21:50:33","modified_gmt":"2017-10-28T18:50:33","slug":"fender-bender-friendship-the-tale-of-an-unlikely-friendship-that-was-destined-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/fender-bender-friendship-the-tale-of-an-unlikely-friendship-that-was-destined-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Fender-Bender Friendship\u00a0The tale of an unlikely friendship that was destined to be"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Georgia Coats<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dented by Destiny<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It was a normal fall school day for my three kids.\u00a0 I was a little late picking them up, so I was in a rush to get to their classes, collect all their things and usher them to the car.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t thinking about making a new friend, finding grace in unfortunate circumstances, or modeling the virtue of honoring your parents on that chilly afternoon.\u00a0 I just wanted to get out of an over-crowded parking lot and home to feed my kids a snack after their long day at school.<\/p>\n

Relieved to be out of the parking lot, I accelerated down the side street to the stop sign.\u00a0 That was the moment I encountered Fatima.\u00a0 Fatima was a girl in her early 20s who picked her young cousins up from school on her way home from studying at the university library.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to say that I figuratively \u201cbumped\u201d into Fatima and struck up a conversation.\u00a0 But instead, I rather literally\u00a0bumped<\/strong>\u00a0into the rear end of her car with the front end of mine.<\/p>\n

Fatima reminded me a lot of myself in such situations\u2014she didn\u2019t remember the name of the street we were on.\u00a0 She was very apologetic for having been bumped into, and she was trusting of me and ready to take down my information and be on our way.<\/p>\n

As a teen learning to drive, I learned fender-bender protocol from my dad, who always warned me to be cautious because people take advantage of situations like that.\u00a0 This encounter felt different, and I think both Fatima and I felt it.\u00a0 But, like me, Fatima\u2019s father worried about his young, friendly, trusting-of-others daughter who had recently been taken advantage of in another fender-bender situation.\u00a0 So, it wasn\u2019t surprising that when she called for his advice, he was quick to say,\u00a0\u201cCall the police!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Honor Your Father and Mother<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Apologetically, Fatima asked me if I minded that she called the police.\u00a0 I was thinking about the price of a ticket, bit my lip and thought of my kids in the car watching my every move.\u00a0 She was honoring her father who only wanted to protect her.\u00a0 He had no idea what this situation was like.\u00a0 My dad would have counseled me the same.\u00a0 My husband would probably give our daughters that advice, too.\u00a0 I took a deep breath.\u00a0 I agreed that listening to her father\u2019s advice was the best move.\u00a0 I silently prayed that maybe I wouldn\u2019t get a ticket.<\/p>\n

That was the best hour I\u2019ve ever had waiting for an officer to arrive.\u00a0 Fatima and I discussed university life and libraries, I shared every snack in my purse with her cousins and my three kids, and all the kids ran races to the corner and back to pass the time.<\/p>\n

The cop arrived and issued my ticket.\u00a0 I felt the tears coming but tried not to make an emotional scene.\u00a0 I thanked him for doing his job and hugged Fatima good-bye.\u00a0 On the way home, my inquisitive oldest daughter wanted to know why Fatima had to call the police\u2014voicing my own silent complaint.\u00a0 It was a good teachable moment to highlight the important principle for children to\u00a0obey your parents, for this is right<\/em>.\u00a0 It was a good choice for Fatima to make, even though it was not what\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0wanted her to do.<\/p>\n

Since before the officer arrived, we had exchanged phone numbers, I texted my new acquaintance, telling her I was glad to have met her and that I hoped everyone was okay.\u00a0 I prayed for her and pondered at why God would have our paths collide in this universe and where it could possibly go from there.<\/p>\n

From Court to Coffee<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The officer on the scene advised me to \u201ccontest\u201d my ticket and wait for a court date.\u00a0 Since my run-ins with the justice system were thankfully pretty sparse, I had no idea that my new friend would be subpoenaed as well. \u00a0I also had no idea how to answer all her questions when she called me right after she got her subpoena in the mail, \u201cWhat do I wear to court?\u00a0 Where do I go?\u00a0 What do I say?\u201d<\/p>\n

On the Tuesday morning of my court date I managed to squeeze in substitute teaching for two Spanish classes at a local college before heading to court.\u00a0 As I was racing (at the speed limit, of course) from the college to the court, Fatima called frantically for directions.\u00a0\u00a0Directions from\u00a0me<\/strong>?\u00a0 Did she know that I get lost even at the mall?\u00a0 And that I celebrate every time I make it to Northville without a U-turn?<\/em>\u00a0 I fumbled my way through giving her directions and we both managed to find our way to the court\u2014PHEW!<\/p>\n

Fatima and I sat next to each other on a court bench as we awaited my turn before a magistrate.\u00a0 An hour later I paid my ticket.\u00a0 It happened to be the exact amount I earned subbing for the Spanish classes that morning.\u00a0 Then Fatima and I headed off to Starbucks where we lost track of time, sharing our lives for the next two hours.\u00a0 What an amazing moment.\u00a0 I told her I believed that ours was a strange but divine encounter God had arranged for us, and she agreed.\u00a0 We talked as if we were just old friends catching up.\u00a0 She said, \u201cIf I were older and wiser and Greek, I\u2019d be you!\u201d\u00a0 I agreed that even though our lives, cultures, religions and experiences were so different, there was something so similar about her personality and mine.\u00a0 We talked faith and love and friendship and hardship.\u00a0 I felt in that moment that God\u2019s kingdom had touched down in my little world.<\/p>\n

As I headed home, high on my divine moment, I no longer wondered why the fender-bender.\u00a0 I felt like this encounter was inevitable.\u00a0 I was glad that Fatima chose to honor her father that day we met\u2014otherwise we would have just exchanged information and been on our way.\u00a0 Waiting for the officer gave us time to get to know each other.\u00a0 Going to court gave us a reason to reunite.\u00a0 Three years later, we still get together for coffee and share life stories.\u00a0 From the beginning I was drawn to Fatima\u2019s kind and adventuresome spirit.\u00a0 By God\u2019s grace a friendship has flourished from our fender-bender.<\/p>\n

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