A woman at a grocery store berates a stranger for his ragged attire and calls him “dirty.” The next day, she regrets her actions when her son is admitted to the hospital and she meets the stranger again.
37-year-old Noah Carter was a devoted family man. He had a lovely wife, Claire, and three darling children, Mia, John, and Harry. They had recently moved into their dream home, but there was still much work to be done to get it set up.
One afternoon, after arranging the furnishings and finishing up some house repairs, Noah decided to run a quick errand to the grocery store to fetch some veggies and snacks. The kids had been eating out for some time, but now that the kitchen was done, Claire decided to make something for them.
Noah had some paint stains and sawdust all over his clothes, but he was too tired to change, so he drove to the grocery without giving much thought to his appearance.
Once he was done shopping, he was standing in a queue in front of the cashier, waiting for his turn to clear his bill, when he heard a voice behind him. “Stay away from him, Jordan!” the voice said. “Can’t you see that man is dirty?”
When Noah turned around, he noticed a woman dressed in fancy clothes holding a child’s hand and giving him a sharp look. “Mom, please shut up! He’s looking at us now!” the kid said.
Noah wondered if she was blatantly berating him for real. “Excuse me, were you…umm…saying something about ME?” he asked, bewildered.
The woman didn’t hesitate for even a second before openly lashing out at him. “Who else in this line do you think looks like a beggar? You may not know it, but this grocery store is where all the rich in this neighborhood shop. Beggars like you are not welcome here! I was just warning my son to stay away from a filthy man like you!”
“Wow! You can’t be serious!” Noah told her and turned away from her. But then he turned to face her again and said, “Watch what you say, ma’am. Life is never the same! You never know what will happen in the next second.”
The woman kept muttering horrible things about Noah, but he ignored her. He paid his bill and left the store.
The day after this incident, Jordan met with a terrible accident and was rushed to the hospital. His condition was critical, and he needed immediate surgery.
Sometimes our moments of pain and grief teach us to be humble to those around us.
The rude woman, Molly, was bawling her eyes out at the hospital. “Contact the best doctor! If anything bad happens to my son, I’m going to sue this hospital!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Just then, Molly spotted Noah walking toward her and an unconscious Jordan. “What on earth is he doing here?” she thought.
Noah ran up to Jordan’s stretcher and examined his condition. “Take him to the OR right now!” he exclaimed, then turned to the orderly. “Who’s the patient’s guardian?”
The orderly pointed toward Molly and Noah recognized her immediately. But putting their previous encounter aside, he comforted her saying, “Don’t worry, ma’am. Your son will be fine. He’s in capable hands. Just pray for him, alright?”
“So, are you the best doctor here?” she asked, her voice cracking. Noah wasn’t wearing his doctor’s coat and had just arrived at the hospital, so she had no idea he was the best surgeon there. “Will my son be okay?” she sobbed.
Noah smiled and assured her that nothing wrong would happen to her son. “I assure you he will be fine. Believe me! I’ll do everything in my power to save him!”
Molly nodded. “Thank you! Please help him!”
Noah gave her a comforting smile and hurried to the OR. The surgery lasted over two hours and was successful. Jordan would have to stay in the hospital for some time under observation, but if he was expected to recover quickly.
Molly burst into tears when Noah told her the good news. Jordan’s father was away on a business trip and would be arriving that night because he could only get a seat on the late evening flight.
“Doctor, I’m so sorry for my previous outburst…” Molly told Noah apologetically. “I’m very embarrassed. Regardless of how I treated you, you helped us…”
“It’s fine, ma’am,” Noah assured her. “While saving lives is my work, I would have helped a stranger even if I wasn’t a doctor. We must help one another in times of need and do our part.
“Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s just forget what happened in the past. You can go see Jordan in a while! And yes, let’s try not to jump to conclusions too quickly. My clothes were a mess that day because we just moved into a new house and I was busy with some repairs and furnishings.”
“Oh, I’m sorry again. And thank you….” Molly replied before heading to Jordan’s room.
Noah, who had received a promotion the previous month, had relocated to Molly’s neighborhood because of work. He was glad that Molly had a change of heart and realized her error.
After Jordan recovered, Molly and her husband paid a visit to Noah and his family to express their gratitude for helping Jordan. Since then, the two families have grown close, and Jordan now frequently visits Noah’s home to spend time with Mia, John, and Harry.
To date, though, Molly feels terrible for lashing out at Noah. Whenever their families get together for dinners, Noah brings it up for fun, making Molly’s cheeks flush crimson with embarrassment and making everyone join forces to tease her.
What can we learn from this story?
Man proposes, God disposes. Molly would have never imagined that the person she was insulting for his untidy clothes would turn out to be her son’s savior. Thankfully, she realized her error and apologized to Noah.
Sometimes our moments of pain and grief teach us to be humble to those around us. It wasn’t until Jordan was in a terrible accident and required Noah’s help that Molly realized she’d done something terrible by mocking Noah.
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