A Stranger
She would not make eye contact with the cashier as he talked to her. The man had been through his fair share of difficult times and he could tell she was in trouble.
It was still early in the day and he didn’t have much money on him. He knew he wouldn’t have any left to buy himself lunch if he helped her, but he decided to anyway. He had no idea who he was giving money to.
Soaked In The Rain
When the woman walked into the diner from out of the pouring rain, her hair soaked, the man didn’t immediately consider stepping in.
The woman was crying and took a step back when the cashier spoke to her. The man watching decided that he had to step in, he couldn’t just sit back and watch.
A Rainy Day
The people of Lindsborg, Kansas, were used to these damp, rainy days. It soaked the town and muted the usual brilliant colors of the neighborhood.
There was a thin, fragile looking homeless man sitting outside the diner in his tattered clothes, trying to shelter from the rain. He was usually quiet and withdrawn, but that was about to change.
A Few Bucks
The freezing, wet conditions made life horrible for the homeless man. The air was freezing and the icy wind blew right through his meager clothing.
He had managed to scrape together three dollars over the past two days, which was his only lifeline. He could never have predicted who was going to walk into the diner - and his life - soon.
Close But Far
Sitting outside in the cold and wet, he watched the patrons inside of the warm diner and thought of the series of misfortunes that had brought him to this sad existence. He longed for the warmth and comfort those inside the diner enjoyed.
As his thoughts turned to the many lost jobs and family members who had become estranged, he wished he could go back in time and change things. All he could do now was hope that somebody would take pity on him and help him.
Meet Caleb
Caleb Hayes never could have imagined that he would end up homeless. Unfortunately, he had taken a severe financial blow during the pandemic and his huge debts landed him on the streets.
Nothing he tried to get back on his feet seemed to work, and he always ended up back there, on the pavement, having to beg for spare change.
She Appears
On that rainy, miserable day, Caleb was staring longingly into the diner, where warm, dry patrons were enjoying a hot meal.
Then he spotted her. She looked different from the other diners - her posture was slumped and she looked worried. He recognized the look immediately. It was an appearance that they shared.
Distraught
The woman was young, in her early twenties. She seemed distraught and Caleb felt sorry for her. He decided to investigate, but he could feel the burning judgment of the diner’s patrons on him.
He bravely pushed open the door and was met with hostile stares. Despite this, he continued on towards the woman, determined to help her.
A Helping Hand
Caleb was always willing to help others, and firmly believed that lending a helping hand doesn’t cost anything. It didn’t always have to be a grand gesture, it could be something as simple as helping somebody in the garden or making them a meal.
"Making people's day better, even by a single percentage, is better than leaving them to deal with their trouble alone", he said. He couldn’t have known that today’s good deed would cost him all he had.
Paying For Pizza
As he got closer to the counter, Caleb could hear that the conversation between the woman and the cashier was about her not being able to pay for her pizza.
The manager was growing impatient. He was an intimidating figure as he stood there, arms crossed. He did not want Caleb in his establishment and he made that clear.
He Pays
However, before the homeless man could comply, he reached into his cup and pulled out the three crumpled dollar bills. Ignorant of the woman's identity, he handed them to the cashier and said, "I'll cover her pizza."
The manager raised an eyebrow, taken aback by this unexpected act of kindness from someone society had largely forgotten. With a reluctant nod, he agreed to let the woman keep her pizza, and the homeless man retreated outside, his heart warmed by the small act of compassion he had just performed.
The Struggle Continues
His mind drifted away from the encounter, and he didn't even notice it when the woman walked out of the diner. His day continued on, with the rains still pelting the town.
Nightfall came, and Caleb collected his belongings and left his spot. Although he didn't have any cash for dinner, he was glad that the girl hadn't starved that day. If only he knew she'd already gone to the authorities to report his actions.
A Restless Sleep
That night, as Caleb settled under a bridge on the other side of town, far from the prying eyes of the diner's patrons, he drifted into a restless sleep. He'd barely had a good night's sleep since being evicted from his home three months ago.
Accosted by the harsh elements, constant danger from animals and people who were up to no good, and nightmares from his past mistakes, his sleeping experience was the worst. But tonight, it would be different.
Asleep
Caleb had just fallen asleep when his slumber was abruptly shattered by the harsh, unwelcome presence of two uniformed officers.
They looked at him like he was a lost dog, their eyes brimming with pity, and asked him to rise to his feet. One of the officers informed him that they needed to take him away, his voice firm. "Please come quietly, sir," he said.
A Law-Abiding Citizen
Being a law-abiding citizen, Caleb complied. His mind raced with confusion and anxiety. He hopped into the back of the officer's cruiser, his hands trembling as they drove off into the night.
Caleb had never had any runnings with the officers. Even when he was in debt, he tried his hardest to settle them before the loan companies involved the authorities. He feared them as much as he respected them.
His Story
The drive was long and quiet, peppered with little small talk. The officers wanted to know more about Caleb and why he ended up on the streets.
He told them an abridged version of the story. After the pandemic hit three years ago, his business as a food cart owner and chef fell. He fell into debt trying to revive it and lost everything. But that wasn't the worst part.
Misfortunes
Caleb's daughter, a twenty-three-year-old named Sasha, got infected with the virus and sadly passed away. All these misfortunes hit at the same time, and Caleb's wife, who, with Sasha, had been his everything, cut ties with him.
Caleb had been living from motel to motel for more than a year after that. But soon, he ran out of money to support that lifestyle and found himself on the streets without anything to his name. He still couldn't believe that he'd lost everything so quickly.
Attentive And Supportive
Caleb was surprised to find out how attentive and supportive the officers were. They offered words of comfort, asking him to keep his head up.
One of them, Officer Roddy, even offered his phone number, telling Caleb he had a few clothes he could give him. But although the officers were good to Caleb, it was evident that they were hiding something monumental.
An Eerie Air
There was an eerie air between the officers as if something awful was about to happen. They kept looking at Caleb through the rearview mirror, seemingly studying him.
Caleb had asked them severally where they were taking him. But none of them answered. They were vague with their responses, which only made everything more weird.
Something's Off
Caleb's heart started thumping as he realized he might have messed up. When they woke him up, he didn't ask to see their officer's badges and willingly entered their vehicle. For all he knew, they might have been dangerous people masquerading as the law.
The more Caleb entertained this idea, the more water it held. There was something odd at work here, and Caleb couldn't pinpoint it. But everything would make sense soon enough.
Back At The Diner
The drive didn't last long. Soon, they arrived back at the diner. Caleb froze in place as his eyes landed on the woman he'd helped before.
There, in the company of an older man, she stood quietly. She pointed directly at him even before he got out of the cruiser, her voice trembling with a mix of emotions. "Daddy, that's him," she said, her gaze fixed on Caleb.
Her Father
The older man, her father, looked at Caleb with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. His reaction caught Caleb by surprise. His mind had been racing with questions.
He was sure he was in trouble, even though he couldn't say what. The man before him wore a bespoke suit and stood under an expensive-looking umbrella. It didn't take long for Caleb to figure out who he was. His heart stopped beating immediately.
Ride With Us
The man stepped forward and extended a hand. "The rains are not yet done with the night," he said matter-of-factly and in a thick southern accent. "Ride with us."
Caleb looked around, trembling in the night's chill. The parking lot they stood in was empty, and the diner closed. He knew he didn't have any other choice here but to follow the man's instructions.
He Agrees
Shaking his hand, he agreed to his request. The man, in turn, thanked the officers for bringing Caleb to him. The officers tipped their caps and returned to their cruiser, driving off. It was then that the man spoke freely. He introduced himself as Robert, a businessman from town.
"Thank you for helping my daughter when she needed it most," he said sincerely. But Caleb, now aware of the woman's identity and her family's wealth, felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.
An Offer You Can't Refuse
He stammered out an explanation, sharing that even though he was going through something himself, he wouldn't let that bar him from doing what he knew was right. But helping the man’s daughter wasn’t a reason to ask him to step into his car.
But Robert would hear none of it. He insisted on offering Caleb a place to stay for the night, a warm meal, and an opportunity to change the course of his life. Over the next few weeks, they would come to know each other better, and Caleb would learn about the complexities of Robert's family.
Robert And Emily
Robert, a successful businessman, had a kind and compassionate heart, which Caleb learned was much like his daughter, Emily, who had just started her first year of college. She'd found herself in a tough situation that day, without any money or way to contact home.
Caleb's help had gone a long way in helping her, and she'd sworn to help him in any way possible. She'd told her dad about the encounter as soon as they talked, unaware of what he'd do.
Should He Say Yes?
Robert, who had several connections in town, pulled a few strings, securing Caleb an interview for a cooking position in one of the best restaurants in town. At first, Caleb was hesitant to accept this gift. It was too much. He had grown used to the hardships of life on the streets, where the only constants were uncertainty and solitude.
But as the days passed, he came to appreciate the gesture. He even opened up about losing his daughter and wife during the pandemic, which brought him closer to Robert's family. But this was only the start.
A New Home
Robert and his family offered Caleb a studio apartment on the city's outskirts, which was under their name. Although it wasn't big or posh, it was cozy and homey – a far cry from what Caleb had been used to in the streets.
They visited him constantly and invited him out whenever he wasn't working at his new cooking job. Caleb couldn't believe that all this had come from his decision to help someone in need.
Time Flies By
As weeks turned into months, Caleb became integral to Robert and Emily's lives. He found true friends in them and continued to grow professionally and as a person.
He talked to Robert about wanting to start his business again. He shared that for him, the endgame would be to own a restaurant where food was affordable as it was delicious. “I want it to be a place where people won’t be chased away because they cannot pay for their slice of pizza,” he said. He was left speechless by Robert's response.
Thank You For Having Faith In Me
Robert was on board with Caleb's idea, even asking to invest in it. It had been a year since they met, and Caleb had progressed in his cooking career, becoming a sous chef in the restaurant he'd started in.
He revealed that he'd saved cash from the job, enough to get him his own place and put him through culinary school. He hoped to show Robert that he and Emily didn't make a mistake having faith in him.