To the Editor:
On Monday, August 18, I was driving down Edgartown/Vineyard Haven Road when my tire went flat and I pulled over. It was 5:30 pm. I made the call to have someone come fix it and was told that they had a three-hour window to arrive.
My son and I waited. Many people stopped to help but no one could get the bolts loose. We had been waiting about two hours when a woman named Kate Harris stopped on her way to work. She told me that her husband, Matt, was a mechanic who worked at Cars Unlimited and maybe he could help. She called him.
When Matt showed up, he couldn’t undo the bolts either, but he went home and got a metal tube to put over the wrench handle to gain more leverage and came back. Soon he had the tire changed and by 8:20 pm we were on our way. No other help came. When I called and told them that their help was no longer needed they said, “We still have 10 minutes before the three hours is up.” Yeah, thanks a lot.
Matt works at Cars Unlimited.
Thank you so much Matt for helping us. We appreciate your kindness so much. Thank you to Officer Edwards who stopped to help us. Thank you to all of the people and the biker who stopped and tried to get that darn tire off.
William, my son, couldn’t believe all the help that was offered. “You know, this would never happen where I come from,” he said. “We are lucky to live here.” We are very blessed to live on this beautiful Island.
Betsy Burmeister
Vineyard Haven
