Two teens start bothering an old lady on the bus until a poor man steps in and stops them. This changes his whole life.
Molly had a hard time getting on the bus because of the steps. She was thankful when she felt a strong hand under her elbow help her up.
She smiled and said “thank you,” but then she felt sick. The hand that was on her elbow belonged to a tall, thin guy who looked like a scarecrow. He was obviously homeless and not very clean.
She pulled her arm away from the man and said, “Thank you,” in a stiff voice.
The man gave a sad smile. It was normal for people to look down on him and reject him.
No matter what, Tom was still himself. He watched as Molly sat down, taking up two places with her size.
Several things about her made him think of his mother.
He knows that his mother would have been sick to see him like this.
Tom went to the back of the bus to sit by himself. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.
He couldn’t stop thinking about how Daisy, his little girl, had clung to him.
Two years ago, he found out that his wife Valery had stage 4 cancer. When she died, their lives fell apart. To help Valery get better, Tom spent all of their funds and even borrowed money against their house for 18 months. But it didn’t help.
Tom and Valery died, and they had to sell their house to pay off their bills. His boss got tired of him being absent all the time because he was taking care of Valery and fired him. Tom lost his house and his job all in one day. Now that Valery was dead, all he had left was his daughter Daisy.
Tom and Daisy had to move to a one-bedroom apartment in a run-down building in the city after the house was sold. The walls were covered in graffiti, and the halls smelled like human waste.
Don’t judge people based on how they look. When Child Services called, they did what they had to do: they took Daisy away from Tom. He could only see her at the group home by appointment.
Soon, Tom was living on the streets. The only nice thing he had was a bus ticket to see Daisy.
When Tom heard a loud voice, he woke up from his dream. A drunk teenager yelled, “Look at this driver!” Tom knew right away that the teen was drunk.
“This woman has to pay for TWO tickets!” The teen stood in front of Molly and smiled and swayed. His friend, who was also young and drunk, walked over.
He laughed and said, “That’s right.” “You have to PAY MORE for the extra seat!” When Molly screamed and grabbed her bag, everyone else in the car studiously turned their heads away.
She knew that none of them would do anything to protect a fat old woman from these drunk teens, not even if they tried to rob her.
The first teen touched her on the chest and leaned over. He told her, “You need to MOVE!” “Those seats are mine and my friend’s.” Molly put her chin up.
“Young man, there are lots of empty seats!” The second teen came forward.
“Yes, but we want those seats, and you’re going to give them to us!”
She could smell the booze on the teen’s breath when he reached out to touch her.
A strong voice stopped him just as he was about to grab her.
“Friend, take your hands off that woman, or I’ll dance with you!”
The kid jumped back and turned around as soon as he heard that voice.
The homeless man who helped Molly get on the bus shocked her when he walked toward the kids.
He held his head high and looked a lot bigger. He said carefully, “You two boys can leave now, or I can help you get off. You’re leaving the bus.”
When the teens looked at him, Molly could see fear in their eyes. Picking on an old woman who couldn’t defend herself was one thing, but getting into a fight with the tall, wiry guy in front of them was quite another.
Tom’s clothes were dirty and old, but he moved like he took care of himself.
That’s when the bus stopped, and the two teens ran down the steps while looking back over their shoulders in fear at Tom.
“Ma’am, did those boys hurt you?” Tom asked Molly in a soft voice. Do you need help?” She had tears in her eyes as she looked at Tom. She said, “I’m fine.”
“Thank you.” Please, would you come with me? Help me get home!” Tom said yes. “Of course, ma’am.” I can do anything.
When they got to Molly’s stop, Tom helped her get off the bus and walked her to her apartment building.
Molly told Tom he had to take a break and have a coffee and apple pie.
Molly frowned as she heard Tom’s story over the pie and coffee. She took out her cell phone and said, “I wonder.”
She started talking to someone and asked if a certain job was still open. When she was done, she smiled triumphantly at Tom.
“The man who works for my son on his farm upstate just quit.” He wants a man who works hard and
I believe you could be it!”Tom was shocked! “But I don’t know anything about farming!”
She told her son, “That’s what I told you. I also told him you were strong and determined and that you could learn anything.”
“And you have a very strong reason to make it.” “Am I wrong?” Tom shook his head and cried.
She also said, “The job comes with a cute little cottage, a good salary, insurance, and everything else.”
“I sense that you’ll have your Daisy back in a few months!” Everything turned out the way Molly said it would.
Their son, Tom and Molly’s, did well at work. Six months after he started, Child Services gave Daisy back to her dad, and the two of them began a new life.
How can we help each other? We help ourselves when we help others. Tom saved Molly’s life and got his daughter back in return.
Don’t judge people based on how they look. Molly didn’t like how rough Tom looked, but he saved her in the end.
This work is based on real people and events, but it has been made up for artistic reasons. To protect privacy and make the story better, names, characters, and circumstances have been changed. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, or real events is completely accidental and not on purpose by the author.
About the story: Amomama