Teary-Eyed Stories from Strangers
The Man at the Market
When the supermarket clerk summed up my groceries, it was $12 over what I had on me. I began to remove items from the bags, when another shopper handed me a $20 bill. “Please don't put yourself out,” I told him.
“Let me tell you a story,” he said. “My mother is in hospital with cancer. I visit her every day and bring her flowers. I went this morning, and she got mad at me for spending my money on more flowers. She demanded that I do something else with that money. So, here, please accept this. It is my mother's flowers.”
A Family's Food Angel
Since my mother lost her job, our family troubled new worries: no income, the same bills, and no way to afford groceries. It was around this time that she started finding boxes of food outside our door every morning. This went on for months, until she was able to land a job. We never did find out who it was and who left the groceries for us, but they truly saved our lives.
Seven Miles For Me
Leaving a store, I returned to my car only to find that I'd locked my keys and cell phone inside. A teenager riding his bike saw me kick a tire and say a few choice words. “What's wrong?” he asked.
I explained my situation. “But even if I could call my wife,” I said, “she can't bring me her car key, since this is our only car.” He handed me his cell phone. “Call your wife and tell her I'm coming to get her key.”
“That's seven miles round trip.”
“Don't worry about it.”
An hour later, he returned with the key. I offered him some money, but he refused. “Let's just say I needed the exercise,” he said. Then, like a cowboy in the movies, he rode off into the sunset.
Breaking Bread
Last December, before work, I stopped at a deli (熟食店) and ordered an everything bagel with cream cheese. It was toasty warm, and I couldn't wait to dig in. But as I left the store, I noticed an older indigent gentleman sitting at the bus stop. Knowing it would probably be his only warm meal of the day, I gave him the bagel.
But all was not lost for me. Another customer from the deli offered me half of her bagel. I was so delighted because I realized that in one way or another, we are all looked after.
