Christine Desjardines-Fallica, ofMonatque,N.Y., gets a hug from Lester Balkie, of Barnegat Township,after she gave him her 1988 Mercedes to replace his car,which was destroyed in the pinelands forest fire last week.
Posted on 05/21/2007 8:38:31 AM PDT by Front 242
"Stranger goes extra mile to help fire victim: Mercedes-Benz gift is a dream come true — again — for Barnegat Township man"
By COURTNEY McCANN Staff Writer, (609) 272-7219
Published: Monday, May 21, 2007
BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP — Lester Balkie sat in a camp chair early Sunday afternoon with his son, Don, by his side. In front of him were the charred remains of his home in the Brighton at Barnegat adult community.
The wildfire that destroyed more than 17,000 acres of forest in Ocean and Burlington counties had burned his house to the ground.
But Balkie wasn't looking at the house. He was watching the caravan of cars cruising up the road, led by a gleaming Mercedes-Benz topped with a bright red bow.
The 85-year-old's face began to crumple and shake.
“It's unbelievable,” Balkie said simply as his son patted him on the back. A woman he had never met was giving him her car.
Balkie's 1990 Mercedes-Benz was his dream car. Silver smoke paint job, a spotless interior and only 196,000 miles on the odometer.
“That's not even broken in for a Mercedes,” Balkie said. “It was a good car. It would have lasted forever.”
It may have, if the fire hadn't reduced the Mercedes to a burnt shell of the former beauty that Balkie had lovingly washed, waxed and tinkered with for years.
“It was silver smoke,” Balkie said sadly. “Now it's smoke brown.”
Balkie tried to save his car when he was told to evacuate Tuesday. According to Balkie's daughter, Janice Murray, he even put some of his belongings in the car because he thought he was going to drive it away.
“There was just so much smoke,” Don Balkie said. “I guess they didn't want him to drive and lose his way. Plus the whole street was blocked with fire trucks.”
So Lester Balkie rode out with one of his neighbors. When he returned home Wednesday, he found his beloved car in ruins, along with his home and nearly every physical reminder of his wife, Catherine, who died in October.
***
Christine Desjardines-Fallica was rushing around her Orange County, N.Y., home early Friday morning trying to get out the door to her job as a high school security monitor. A rumbling stomach compelled her to stop in the kitchen to toast an English muffin and catch a few minutes of Fox News. Her TV screen flashed on and she saw Lester Balkie standing amid the rubble that was his home while a newscaster told his story, from the recent death of his wife to the loss of his treasured Mercedes.
“I stopped what I was doing when I saw him,” Desjardines-Fallica said. “I immediately knew what I had to do. I called my husband and said, ‘I'm giving away my car.'”
Her car was a refinished 1988 Mercedes 420 SEL. Everything had been fixed up, from the engine to the stereo. It was Desjardines-Fallica's dream car. But there was something about Balkie that made her willing to give up the dream.
She contacted the staff at Fox News, who then passed her contact information to Don Balkie. He couldn't believe that a stranger would be so generous.
“She said there was something about my dad that reminded her of her father,” Don Balkie said. “It's too much. But if someone wants to do something wonderful like this, how do you say no?”
Desjardines-Fallica knew that she had made the right decision the minute she pulled into the adult community Sunday afternoon.
“I was pulled over putting a bow on top of the car, and a woman asked, ‘Is that for Les?,'” Desjardines-Fallica said. “When I said yes, she made the sign of the cross and said, ‘Thank God.' I knew at that moment that if I had three cars, I would have given him three cars.”
Lester Balkie and Desjardines-Fallica stood wrapped in a warm and tearful embrace as family members and friends swarmed to take pictures of the car. At some prodding from onlookers, Balkie opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. His expression was akin to a child on Christmas morning, not sure where to look first. He ran his hands over the steering wheel, scanned the dashboard and then got out to inspect the trunk.
“It's just like my car,” Balkie said in disbelief.
Balkie will keep the car at his son's house in Tuckerton, where he is staying until he is able to rebuild his home. Don Balkie said he expects to see his father out cleaning and polishing his new car as soon as they get home.
“It's something normal,” Don Balkie said. “Something routine that will help my dad get back to normal.”
As Balkie prepared to take his new car for a test drive, he slid his hand lovingly, familiarly along the driver's side door.
“Silver smoke,” Balkie said, gazing at his new car. “I've been getting weary. But this fixes me.”
The wildfire was declared under control late Sunday after fire crews spent the day monitoring the fire and pumping water on smoldering areas along the control lines.
To e-mail Courtney McCann at The Press:
CMcCann@pressofac.com
If anyone here on Free Republic is able to post the picture accompanying this article from The Press of Atlantic City’s website, please do so as I am unable to post it due to difficulties in attempting to for this thread. Thanks everyone.
front 242
Ecxellent story
Christine Desjardines-Fallica, ofMonatque,N.Y., gets a hug from Lester Balkie, of Barnegat Township,after she gave him her 1988 Mercedes to replace his car,which was destroyed in the pinelands forest fire last week.
Awesome story!!!! So great to read stories like this instead of the usual bad news the media likes to push...
God truly has blessed this woman with a wonderful heart!
Hey there Agrace ... thanks for posting the picture that went along with this story. I sincerely appreciate it.
Front 242
Peace4EarthNow ...
I agree. Now if we could all just do unto our neighbors as we would want done unto ourselves (and do it with no strings attached), I would almost guarantee you that the world as we know it would change within 24 hrs.
If everyone were able to live up to what God Himself has imbued each of us with, with regard to our unique individual talents, I think that we would see a cure for cancer, poverty would be eliminated, wars around the globe would cease, the earth would no longer be poisoned by people, wildlife and nature would be regarded with great awe and respect, homelessness would end, etc. etc. etc.
I say, “Conduct random acts of kindness” and then tell the recipient to “pass the act of kindness along to someone else in need.” You’d be amazed at the looks of astonishment that I’ve seen on people’s faces ... it turns their view of the world and its tendency for self centeredness, on its head. I LOVE doing that. :)
Peace out to you,
Front 242
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