Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Many years ago while waiting in a long queue at a busy check in counter in an airport I passed out. I had rushed to the airport on an empty stomach. I have never forgotten the kindness of two strangers who picked me up stayed with me until I regained consciousness and gave me a hot drink that they had bought from the cafeteria. Having made sure I was OK they rushed off because their fight was already boarding.

Yesterday I had some way of paying it forward. I went with some colleagues from my office for a dinner to a local very popular restaurant. It was peak business time and the restaurant was packed. We finally found a table in a corner for three of us. It was so crowded that the cleaning boy was just clearing our table as we were sitting down, while the waitress apologized for all the delay.

As soon as we sat down we heard a crash with the cleaning boy crashing to the floor with all the plates he was carrying. There was stunned silence and no one was saying or doing anything.
In a flash I remembered my experience may years ago. I ran to the young man’s side, He looked barely in his teens. Turned him on his back put his head on my lap and screamed for someone to bring some hot drink for the kid to drink. My colleagues who were with me were standing dumbstruck to see me on the floor with this kid. Soon people started asking if I was a doctor, I said I was not , but I was experienced at blacking out.

The kid soon opened his eyes and started saying that he didn’t know what happened. I comforted him by saying it is OK; I too have had similar experience. He had not eaten and just about to get off his shift. I held the warm drink to his mouth till he finished it and sat with him on the floor till he said he felt OK. By then the manager had arrived and I requested her to let the kid lie down at the back of the restaurant for a little while until he was steady on this feet, and to give him something to eat and I offered to pay for it.

The manager was kind enough to refuse the payment and agreed to make sure the kid ate before he went home. By the time all this commotion was over it was getting late for my colleagues. We had not ordered our food yet so they decided to go home. We went out to the busy street and I waited until they got a taxi and bid goodbye.

I slowly walked home not hungry any more and my heart grateful for the opportunity of paying forward for the kindness I had received many years ago.