A Strange Man Stops a Woman and Her Child To Offer Unsolicited Help
Sometimes you can’t tell kindness from mischief.
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On a sunny, incredibly warm spring day, a woman walks the bustling streets handholding a tired and cranky three-year-old.
They stop on a bench and she takes out a sandwich from their backpack, holding it for the little one to have small bites.
Swaying their sore feet, they watch the cars passing by, sharing the sandwich and talking, without realizing they are being watched.
Out of the blue, a man pops in front of them and says something.
She looks up at him, not quite believing he’s talking to her, trying to make sense of his apparently shy smile and the words that seem to come out of his mouth.
Did he just say — at my place?
He stopped talking, waiting for an answer, while she was trying to replay the words.
Yes, he said, “You know, if you’re hungry, I have lots of food at my place.”
Hell no. Why on earth would this man think she would come to his place, with her son, for his… food?
She shook her head with a firm no, but he continued.
-Really, I have lots of excellent food.
-We’re fine, thank you. We don’t need anything.
-How about if I bring it to you? I live close by. Will you still be here in a couple of minutes?
-No, she said for the last time, turning her head away and hoping that was all.
He vanished and she was left there, trying to explain to her son what that man wanted.
She hurried the boy to finish the sandwich. While walking away from the bench, she handed him a small red apple.
Two bites and five steps later down the road, the child accidentally dropped his apple on the sidewalk and instantly started bawling, knowing he’ll have to give up on it.
The mother barely helped him calm down and resumed their walk, when that same man showed up in front of them from a side street.
This time, he was beaming, obviously happy he didn’t miss them.
