Serendipity, Inspiration, Fellowship, AND Stephen King, Found at the Automotive Shop

I’ve been putting off going to the mechanic to have my rear passenger side tire looked at— the one I’ve been putting air in for the past month due to a slow leak. Undoubtedly, victim to a stray nail left behind in my garage or along the roadway somewhere.

My usual mechanic here in Fayetteville, North Carolina has been swamped this week. No luck on a quick fix there. So, I chose to wander further down Yadkin Road to a shop I’ve never visited before. Made an appointment to take it back in the next morning following my son’s usual school drop off time.

Honestly, the next day I woke with a stuffy head (from the new sea of Spring pollen flowing over North Carolina) dreading taking the car in because I had a thousand other things on my mind I wanted to accomplish. I put air in the tire {again} the day before and would have been fine a few more days. But, I sucked it up not wanting to find myself stranded along the highway due to my own procrastination and went on my not so merry way— I had not had my morning’s coffee quota.

When I walked through the door into the small, neatly kept waiting area, I was greeted again by the friendly woman I’d made an appointment with at the counter of the Meineke Car Center the day before. We exchanged the usual information and conversation you do at the car shop and she had the mechanic pull the car in to take a look. There were a few early birds who beat me there so it would be a hot minute before they could diagnose my tire problem which left the woman and I alone to chat to pass the time.

It is always a relief when you actually ENJOY talking with a person in a place out of your area of comfort. Someone whom you share things in common and they have a genuine desire to connect with you. Not some forced, awkward conversation. Fortunately, my experience was the latter.

Come to find out, Sherry Cochran, is the co-owner of the Meineke franchise alongside her husband and son (both mechanics for the business) and she does an impeccable job of running the office while providing excellent customer service. I watched as she answered calls and dealt with difficult customers with the ease of a saint. All this while carrying on real, meaningful conversation with me.

We found things in common such as she is the grandparent of an only child and only grandchild which is identical to my family. We philosophized the joys and hardships of parenting and grand parenting. She’d visited places dear to me along the Carolina Coast that we could agree were special. I even found out I had been following her daughter-in-law, a talented area photographer, on social media for some time now. Such a small world we live in at times.

The subject of books came up and I nonchalantly told her of my own children’s book I authored, Mommy’s Big, Red Monster Truck (www.alisonpaulklakowicz.com). I just happened to have a signed copy with me in my carryall I’d brought along and gave it to her to share with her five-year-old granddaughter whom she mentioned enjoyed reading books. She was kind and thanked me and studiously read the pages while speaking with customers on the phone and whispered over to me that she thought it was a very good book.

Throughout our conversation a mechanic (the one checking out my tire along with working on additional cars) would interrupt us to ask Sherry a question or provide an update on the status of a vehicle. The man was quirky and talkative, a playful and spirited jokester who acclaimed to be “nosy” and inquisitive.

I was wearing a tee-shirt with the lettering “Boston Strong” printed on the front. He inquired what I knew of Boston. I replied that I knew very little other than general knowledge and the shirt had been a souvenir brought to me by my husband following a work trip.

He then replied he had lifetime tickets to see the Boston Redsox. I asked how he came by this good fortune and this is where our paths were brought to quite a jolt. Before I knew it he sat down and began to tell me his bittersweet tale of Boston and how he received the favor of major league baseball tickets for life.

The serviceman whose name is Ken King lost his sixteen-year- old son, Jonah, years ago in a tragic skateboarding accident that resulted in a fatal traumatic brain injury because the youth was not wearing a helmet. Ken shushed me as I reacted in shock; wanting to tell him how sorry I was. His desire to not tread on his son’s death was as if to say, “I know, I know you are sorry. I’ve heard it a million times before. It’s okay. It can’t change time.”

He carried on to tell me his son was an organ donor and his lungs were donated to a young man up North which saved the life of the young boy whose father just happens to be the estate caretaker for none other than the most famous modern writer of horror fiction novels, Stephen King.

He said Mr. King heard of the transplant and donation of lungs that saved the boy’s life and wanted to do something special for Ken in his time of despair following his son’s death. So, THE Stephen King— a loyal and devoted Boston Redsox fan— gifted Ken with lifetime seats at Fenway Park.

How strange life is. The loss and lessons life teach us all. How we are all human and have undergone our own horror stories. And how odd that of all people, Stephen King would be there to provide this man with some thanks and comfort during what must have been a living nightmare.

But, I could see this situation had provided Ken with some faith in humanity and a reason to continue on living. To right a wrong and provide safety education and equipment to area youth, he established a non-profit organization called JKK Helmet Foundation:

http://www.jkkhelmetfoundation.com/

And there I was sitting in the automotive shop— the one I’d dreaded hours before completely enraptured in these knew relationships, inspirations and fellowship unfolding before me.

What Ken did not know was that my husband and son are HUGE skateboarding fanatics and frequent all of the local skateboarding parks… and drive me crazy from time to time for not always wearing helmets. The other thing Ken did not know about me is that for years, I worked directly with individuals who suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries through the counseling field. A subject that had a major impact on me and I had been an advocate for these individuals and their lives post-injury.

He enthusiastically provided me with information about JKK Helmet Foundation and encouraged me to spread the word. So, I told him I would make sure to write about his story and efforts on my blog site.

I am always amazed by the path of life and where God places me. I was glad he placed me at Meineke Car Center.

So, if you’d like excellent service on your vehicle and some inspiration, you should visit The Cochran’s family owned business and ask for Ken if you’d like to know more about his story and organization.

I know I will go back for sure!

–Alison Paul Klakowicz, BA, MS

Author of Mommy’s Big, Red Monster Truck

http://www.alisonpaulklakowicz.com

Hodge Podge Podcast/Blog: anchor.fm/jalisonpaulyahoocom

Instagram: @alisonklak

Twitter: @KlakowiczAlison

Author, Blogger, Podcaster, Artisan, Milspouse and Proud North Carolinian

Alison Paul Klakowicz is a North Carolina native, children’s book author, blogger, podcaster and creative writer. She is a military spouse who resides in Fayetteville, NC with her husband, Adam, and son, Mak.