A Helping Hand Reaps Rewards

I previously wrote about helping some campervan owners whose vehicle got stuck in mud. I helped push, was splattered with mud for my trouble, and half-jokingly said that that was the last time I’d ever help anyone!

Anyhow, I was down at Lulworth Cove in August where there were several motorcaravans in the car park, so I did my usual thing and put flyers about my book, Some People Prefer Hotels, on their windscreens. Or, if the owners were there, as well as a flyer gave them my sales pitch emphasizing that the book could be bought from my website, the Lulworth Heritage Centre or, for a reduced price, direct from myself.

I approached a couple of young ladies, who after showing an interest in the book asked if I knew anything about locks. They were campervan novices who’d hired a VW camper, but couldn’t lock the side door. The hire company had demonstrated how to operate everything, except the important matter of making the van secure. There were four keys, three of which looked very similar, but none of which would turn in the lock!

I was wary of forcing a key and damaging it, but didn’t want to lose face by giving up. After fiddling about for five minutes or so, I wondered if the door handle needed to be moved before the lock would engage, and much to our combined relief discovered that, once the handle had been twisted upwards through 90°, one of the keys turned and locked the door.

Whilst all this was going on, one of the ladies was impressed by the blurb on my flyer and said she’d buy a book. Then, much to my surprise and delight, her companion said she’d also buy one. I signed both copies and they allowed me to take a photo of them holding their books which they allowed me to use for publicity.

So, this time, my reward for helping fellow motorcaravanners was two book sales, which was far better than, when covered in mud, I declared “That’s the last time I help anyone!”