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I am certain that no one will argue with me when I say, Matt is a very friendly guy. It is not out of the ordinary to say that about someone, but I want to make sure you fully understand exactly how friendly he really is, because I sometimes struggle to understand it. We have this conversation in the car often…

Kaleena: Did you just wave?

Matt: Yep

Kaleena: Who was it?

Matt: I don’t know

Kaleena: Did they wave at you?

Matt: No

It doesn’t bug me that he is friendly or that he waves, I just can’t quite understand it. I am also a friendly person but there are only a few select circumstances when I find myself waving out a car window. 1- I know the person 2 – they wave at me first or 3- they let me merge or stop to wait for me to back out. It baffles me that someone can initiate a wave to complete stranger for no reason other than just to be friendly. But maybe growing up in a big city has made me just a little out of place in rural Nebraska when it comes to friendly gestures.

Being friendly here is an expectation that extends beyond waving at passing cars and it still, after 10 years , catches me off guard. For reasons that will probably be fairly obvious I spent lots of time in and around the automobile service industry this week. I have had to interact with individuals, that for good reason, my dad taught me to be wary of in the big city. “They are just trying to sell you something” he would say.

I trusted fully the gentlemen that I did business with this week and my dad would have too…

The guys at Graham Tire remembered my name, when I had been in before and were gracious enough to offer me a ride when I dropped my car off. One even chatted with me about my last name and the ties that his family has to mine. That doesn’t happen in the big city.

Russ at Sealey Body Shop recognized my address and we chatted about how one of his friends was the previous owner. He remembered I had been in before and worked with me to squeeze my car in the schedule while I will be out of town. The guys from the Auto Glass Center were easy to work with and they even came to pick up my car so that I could stay at work.

Finally, Joel at Kershner’s Auto Corner is the nicest used car salesman I have ever met. He worked with me to get out of a tight transportation situation for work. He was flexible and gracious and when my car, new bumper, new windshield, new tires and all needs to be replaced, I will be giving him a call.

The guys that I worked with this week are friendly just like Matt. They wanted to help and went out of their way to make sure that I got the service that I was taught to expect. They exceeded my expectations and instead of being weary of their bills I was pleased to know that my money was going into the pockets of locals who will most likely wave at you the next time you pass them on street just because they are friendly.

About the author: Kaleena & Matt Fong

Kaleena and Matt are twenty-somethings navigating their way through the lessons of adulthood. They are both transplants to Hastings via Hastings College and are enjoying their time as a DINK (double income no kids). Follow the Fongs as they learn the ins and outs of home ownership, a new marriage, community involvement and life in Hastings.