Little did Bogalusa’s William Darden realize when he set out to visit his son in Birmingham on June 22 that an angel was watching over him.

Darden’s vehicle had a flat tire on Interstate 59 near Laurel, Miss. Darden got out to inspect the damage when his angel appeared.

“Nobody else was stopping and roaring on by,” Darden said shortly after returning to Bogalusa. “A black man and his wife rode up in a pickup truck with watermelons in the back and starting changing the tire before I knew it. God sent a man like that to help me. I just want people to know that we’ve got a lot of good people in this world. He got me back on the road in about 30 minutes.”

Darden didn’t get the man’s name, but learned he was associated with a church. Darden had $30 on him, including a $10 and $20.

”He said he was selling watermelons in the back of his truck for his church and any donation would be nice,” Darden said. “I gave him that $10 bill. I guess I should have given him that $20 instead of the $10. He really didn’t want to take either one, but I was well pleased with what he had done for me.”

Daren said the Good Samaritan was up in age as well.

“That goes to show you that God works in mysterious ways,” Darden said. “We not only have good people in Bogalusa, but good people everywhere. There are things that happen in life that you do appreciate. This was one of them.”

Darden, who turned 82 since the flat, said he intends to pay it forward when the opportunity presents itself.

“If I ever run into somebody that needs help, I’m going to do the best I can to help and get them back on the road again,” Darden said.