Rallying 'round one another

Brian and I leave class together on this chilly Monday night, along with Matthew, who bounces down the stairs. Outside, I notice that Justin's truck is still there--and Kevin's truck is pulled up to it, front bumper to front bumper.

Uh oh. Not a good sign.

I'd hoped Justin was home by now; he's not feeling well and I'd urged him to go home and go to bed.

I wander over to see what's going on. I'm greeted by a sweet image I tried to capture on my camera but it was too dark: four men peering into the engine of the truck, all with concerned looks on their faces.

Apparently the battery's completely dead.

Justin looks glum. Still, he's surrounded by supportive, competent TKD friends.

"Can I give you a ride home?" I ask Justin. No. His dad expects the truck home. Can't just leave it.

"We'll have to go out and get another battery," says Brian A. "Do you have tools in there?" Brian rattles off the tools they need; Justin doesn't have them. "OK. AFter we get the battery, we can just go back to my house and get my tools," says Brian. There's no question at all about this even thought it's late, it's cold, and Brian lives about 10 miles away.

Once this is settled, the rest of us head off after a word of encouragement, confident that Justin's well taken care of.

Is there something about that in the Student Oath? "I will watch out for my TKD colleagues, comforting them in sickness and helping them in times of need" ? Maybe it's just implied.