Russel Gonzalez was stranded on the wrong side of a five-lane Houston freeway back in 1997 when, suddenly, an aging brown Honda Accord pulled out behind him. The man inside spoke a few words in a heavy Nigerian accent, delivered Gonzalez safely to a gas station, and drove off. This month the man reappeared, once again to help a stranded Gonzalez.
At first Gonzalez worried he might have climbed into the car of a serial killer, but the large man in the opposite seat 14 years ago carried a Bible on the dashboard — Houston has a large Nigerian Christian population — and showed only a quiet will to aid his fellow man.
Last Sunday Gonzalez again found himself on the side of a freeway, this time in a different part of town trying to replace the tire on his mother's car. And again a brown Honda Accord and a quiet Nigerian man suddenly appeared behind him, though both the car and the man showed signs of aging.
"He seriously just walked up to the trunk, nodded, lifted the little carpet thing and pulled the spare out," Gonzalez told The Houston Press. "He didn't say anything, like 'Hey, you need some help?' or 'Let's get you out of here quick.' No questions. Nothing. I was just like, 'Ho-kaaay, I guess he's here to help again."
After replacing the tire the mysterious freeway angel reluctantly accepted $20 for his work, said "God Bless" and drove off, probably to help another stranded Houstonian. Sound too good to be true? Just read some of the story's comments.
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