Fireman’s kindness was appreciated

Ed DiPolvere of West Windsor
    A few weeks ago, I had relatives visiting from Milan, Italy, here to celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary and our 50th. A few days before our party at the Nottingham Ballroom, I was driving them around the general area of West Windsor and Hamilton Square. I pointed out the Ballroom, which is connected to the firehouse. One of the engines was parked in front of the firehouse.
   My cousins asked if I would park so they could take a picture of the engine with one of them in front of it. A fireman was also outside (I never got his name). My cousin then asked me to see if I could get a T-shirt from the company to take back to a firefighter back home (American firefighters are held in particularly high esteem overseas).
   The fireman said that new ones were on order, but they would not be available for several weeks. After a few seconds, he remembered that he had a new shirt from New York that he gave them. The cousins were delighted; I offered to pay for it. He refused any payment. After another few moments, he also offered one of his used shirts from Nottingham. The cousins were ecstatic to get a shirt that was actually worn by an American firefighter. Again, I offered to pay for the shirt, but was told not to worry about it.
   We started to leave, when my cousin asked if I could ask the firefighter to pose with them in front of the engine for a picture. He was happy to comply. He put on his dress uniform and hat and I took their picture. I again thanked the good Samaritan and we left with the cousins expounding on what a wonderful experience it had been.
   Thanks, Nottingham Fire Company.
Ed DiPolvere
Cubberly Road
West Windsor