“Back when quarantine and stuff first started, I was headed back from the store and came across a broken-down car. He had almost made it into the CVS parking lot, but the car gave out just outside of it. I pulled into the parking lot and asked if he wanted a push out of the road, he did. I pushed the car, and got it halfway up the little incline going into the parking lot, but couldn’t get it any further by myself. He had a bad leg and couldn’t help, plus he needed to be behind the wheel, but it was out of the street.
I asked him what happened, and he told me he had run out of gas. I asked if he had a gas can, and he pulled out a small gas can. I offered to run it down to the gas station and bring it back. On the way back from filling it up, I began to think to myself this little bit of gas wouldn’t get him very far, and as I had just gotten paid and had just pulled some cash from the bank, figured he could use a little help.
When I got to the guy, I gave him the gas can as well as forty dollars and I told him, ‘I’m not sure how far you need to go, but that little bit of gas isn’t gonna get you very far, I hope this helps you out some.’
He just looked at the money and back at me, like I had given him the keys to a new house or something.
He started telling me, ‘I get paid tomorrow, I can give you my address and I will pay you back.’
But I insisted I didn’t want anything in return.
He looked like he was on the verge of tears. He explained how he had just gotten out of jail a few months before and was trying really hard to stay on the right path, working an honest job and everything, but it was hard. He told me he would take my kindness as a sign he was on the right path and thanked me several times.
Had I known how much it meant to him, I would’ve given him more. I hope he’s doing well.”
