A Night of Kindness: Two Strangers Who Restored My Faith in Humanity
It was the middle of the night, and I was driving back from the ER in San Antonio, Texas, with my toddler son in the car. We were exhausted, but then disaster struck—I got a flat tire. I pulled over, but the area was desolate, dark, and eerily quiet. Back then, I didn’t know how to change a tire, and this was before the days of cell phones. I had no choice but to start walking, carrying my heavily medicated son, who was fast asleep in my arms.
I hadn’t made it more than 100 feet when a big rig truck pulled up behind me. The driver, a kind stranger, told me to sit in his cab to stay warm—it was winter, and San Antonio wasn’t prepared for the sudden drop in temperature that night. He then said he’d change my tire. I hesitated, but desperation set in. The thought of walking in the cold with my sick child was unbearable, so I trusted him. To my relief, he quickly changed the tire. When I tried to thank him, he simply smiled and said, “I just hope someone would do the same for my mother or sister.”
This act of kindness left an impression on me, but it wasn’t the first time I had encountered unexpected generosity. I was only 15 when I got pregnant with my son, and I quickly learned how harshly people could judge me. But one day, an elderly woman approached me with a folded $20 bill, saying, “Here, honey. Diapers get expensive.” I thanked her, but when I got home, I found a small note tucked inside the bill that read: You’re stronger than you think.
Years later, I noticed something faint on the back of the note—my name. I had never met this woman before, so I was curious. Then, while visiting my mom, I mentioned the note. She paused, smiled, and said, “She was a neighbor I once helped when no one else would. Looks like she remembered.”
