An angel in disguise in Piermont
Wednesday, Sept. 9 started out normal enough. I was here from Florida visiting friends in Franklin, N.H., and I decided to visit my sister in West Topsham, Vt. I stopped for a quick break at the Four Corners General Store in Piermont and when I went to leave, the van I was driving would not start. I popped the hood and waited for my friend to come to my rescue with a potential tow truck.
A gentleman in a black pickup truck pulled up alongside me. He stepped out with the assistance of a cane and asked if I needed help. I showed him the issue, which was a loose battery terminal. He said he would be right back. Within five minutes, he returned with a bed full of tools. Come to find out it was more than a loose terminal, but somehow he managed to make a roadside repair and the van started. He checked to make sure the battery was taking a charge and said I was good to go.
By now, the owner had showed up and we asked him who he was. Turns out, he was a long-time resident of Piermont, Ernie Hartley (not the former police officer, that was his dad). I told him I remembered his dad and introduced myself. Turns out Ernie wouldn’t take anything for the work he did, just told me to pay it forward.
Ernie Hartley is a prime example of what people are like in the Upper Valley, people helping people. It is funny how God hears our prayers and sends us an angel in disguise when we need them the most.