What’s a moment when a stranger completely restored your faith in people?
Well… it’s becoming quite rare when a stranger offers some help on the road.
But of course, one should be careful; not every stranger offers help out of kindness.
So, one day, about two years ago, we got onto the train to make a short visit to our new place, the very place where we live now.
We walked from the station to our B&B, hoping for a bit of rest and a good meal before going out to explore the city.
But less than an hour later, we left the B&B and booked another room in a hotel.
Why?
Simply, because the first one was terrible.
Tired as we were, we decided to walk because the weather was one of the best spring days.
It wasn’t until a steep hill, a long steep one, stood waiting for us that I decided it was time to call a taxi.
And what luck… non of us had a signal.
“Let’s have a little rest and walk again until we get a good signal,” my son suggested.
But there were no benches around, not even bus stops.
Our one and only option was to keep walking.
But then, a yell and a cry rang behind us.
Our feet stopped, and our heads turned back towards the sound.
A lady stood beside a small parked car, waving at us.
She called out, “Can I help you?”
We turned to one another and decided to cross the road to ask her for a taxi number.
She was all smiles as we drew near.
After thanking her and briefly explaining our dilemma, she said she wished she had a bigger car to give us a life to the hotel.
“Thank you, that’s so kind of you,’ I said and asked again if she knew a taxi number.
She did, and then, unexpectedly, she offered to drive me and my daughter to the hotel instead of waiting. “It’s on my way,” she said, smiling.
I was just about to accept the offer but then a dog started barking from inside the car.
I looked from the dog to the lady, feeling full of embarrassment.
There was no way my daughter or I could sit next to her dog.
We might smile at a small one on the road, say how cute it looks, but getting any closer especially to a big one is impossible.
The lady smiled, fully aware of our hidden terror.
“I’ll wait with you until your taxi comes,” she said.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the taxi arrived.
We hugged, and I thanked her from my heart.
As I waved to her from the taxi window, I felt as if we had met before.
For a moment, she reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite place.
“She looked like my friend’s mum,” my daughter said, and I nodded with a smile.
Could you believe that a stranger on the road might be that kind?
Sometimes kindness appears out of nowhere, just to restore your faith in people.
With faith-in-people thoughts,
Nahla
Pure and Simple 