What's the nicest thing a stranger's ever done for you?

shesquint

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I call it Dammit.
This exact question was posted on Reddit and I'm totally ganking it. This is me being up front about stuff.

So! What's the nicest thing a stranger's ever done for you? I'll lead off with three nice things because I can't choose just one. In chronological order:

When I was 19, I missed a Holland-bound train connection in Germany. I banded together with two other travelers, a Dutchman and a Kiwi girl, who'd missed the same connection. Together we endured a long, cold, drizzly night of hardships. We finally found ourselves stuck in Bad Bentheim, Germany, about 2.5 hours' drive from the Dutchman's hometown, Gouda. He called his father, who drove out to pick us up. He arrived at about 3:00 a.m. with warm blankets and a big thermos of hot coffee, and delivered us to the Dutchman's house just before sunrise. The Dutchman let the Kiwi and me crash there, and before taking us to the train station so we could complete our journeys, he made us breakfast, took us on a walking tour of Gouda, and bought us lunch.

TL;DR: Train travel nightmare in Germany ended happily in Holland due to the kindness of some Dutchmen.

When I was about 22, a huge rainstorm struck while I was at work. On my way home I drove through a puddle that was much deeper than I thought it was. My engine got waterlogged and stalled on a blind curve on an on ramp about two miles later. I'd forgotten my cell phone at home, so I was well and truly stranded. Just as I was about to put a HELP sign in my rear windshield, a truck pulled up behind me. The driver was the owner of a towing company which dealt mostly with repossessions. He put out a call, found that one of his tow truck drivers was about 10 minutes away, and instructed the guy to come get me. The tow truck driver delivered me and my car to my apartment, then drove off without allowing me to pay or even tip him.

TL;DR: Car broke down in dangerous location, and I was rescued and towed for free thanks to a kind tow company owner.

When I was 24, I worked a particular metal band's show in Orlando. They invited me to go see them in Tampa the next night. I said I'd try to get there, but wasn't sure I wanted to risk the drive on my crappy tires. Their tour bus driver, a white-haired, middle-aged gentleman, reached into his pocket and said to me, "You know, life's been good to me. I'd hate to think of a nice little girl like you getting hurt just because she couldn't afford to replace the tires on her car." He slipped something into my hand, which I then slipped into my pocket. When I pulled it out after we'd parted company for the night, I discovered that he'd slipped me a $100 bill.

TL;DR: A tour bus driver gave me $100 to get new tires for my car.
 
That one is easy: accepted me as their host son for a year.

I went to Brazil on student exchange when I was 15 (turned 16 a month after arrival). I've stayed with the nonprofit NGO as a volunteer ever since and that experience has changed my life very significantly for the better. None of that would have been possible without their hospitality.
 
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Delivered my wallet with about $150 to lost and found, I was about 12.
 
Oh I got my wallet back after dropping it in a Florida car park for a super market, it had over 1,000USD and my drivers licence in it - handed to Customer Services - I was very impressed by the honesty, not a cent missing.

Errr...


Strangers tend to stay away from me. :|

*has no story*
I am strange and I like you, errrr.
 
I am strange and I like you, errrr.
Hahaha! :p

Same here. :lol:
I dunno what it is but when am not really doing or thinking of anything, the face I end up wi' makes me constantly look like am having a bad day. It's like a people repellent.
 
I dunno what it is but when am not really doing or thinking of anything, the face I end up wi' makes me constantly look like am having a bad day. It's like a people repellent.

Maybe that's my problem too. My brother use to say that unless I'm smiling, I always look angry. The thing is though, I rarely find myself in a position where I need help. I usually take care to avoid such situations.

In the end, the only thing I could think of is kinda pathetic really. When I was on my way home from work late one night, around 1am about 5-6 years ago, I drove into a drive-thru to get some dinner. I almost never carry cash, since I have a card, but this night it got declined. It had expired an hour earlier, at the stroke of midnight, so I didn't have any other way of paying for my meal. But the chick at the window gave me the food for free. So that was nice, but what would they have done with it anyway? It would have just gotten thrown in the trash. $5 bucks worth of free food, that's the best story I got. :lol:
 
My story is from a few years back when I was going through chemo.

I was just separated from my worthless ex, and was mentally and physically at the end of my rope. I was just exhausted, but had to drive myself to chemo and then back home for 2 months.

Then I had to get another round of "Roto-Rooter" as I called it. The scope thingie if you know what I mean. Afterwards I was still groggy, and in a lot of pain for various reasons, but I wobbled out to the car in the hospital parking lot with the help of my youngest son, Sean.

I had 3 prescriptions that I had to have filled right then, and one was for my painkillers. So I (somehow... Honestly, I shouldn't have been driving) drove down to the Krogers that I always go to. But, this was at 9:05pm...and their pharmacy had closed at 9, of course.

I got in the door looking like death warmed over, still sort of in a fog, and went to the pharmacy drop off window just as they turned off the lights. When I saw that I almost started to cry right there in the store. I didn't have the energy to drive anywhere else, and at that time of night, I knew nothing else would be open.

So I sort of sat in one of the waiting chairs there to collect myself, knowing that I just had to go home without my meds. And to be honest, I wasn't sure how I was going to make it at that point, because of the state I was in.

I was just sitting there trying not to break down in public when Sean, my son tapped on the glass to get the guys attention. He shook his head no and was headed out the door that leads into the store.

At this time, Sean was only 13 years old but he's a smart kid. I saw him walk away...and again I was just sitting there trying to focus when one of the employees walked up and asked me if I needed any help.

I sort of remember saying to her that I was going to get my meds filled but they had just closed and at that point I started to cry a bit. And I never do that, especially in public.

She said something to me but I cant remember what it was, and walked away.

All this time, I guess Sean had cornered the pharmacist and explained that I had just gotten out of the hospital after undergoing the scope procedure, and some of the other things I was going through. The pharmacist went to the store manager and they agreed to open the pharmacy again to fill my meds.

They had to call the tech that had already left back in, because one of the meds was a narcotic, and they had a 2 person rule or something, and then had to call the main office to explain why they were opening the safe again after hours, and all that.

I didn't know they were doing this, so I got up to head home. The employee that had spoken to me before, Ruth, walked up with a cup of coffee and told me to "Sit back down hun, we'll take care of you."

They re-opened the pharmacy, filled my meds for me and then I realized that I didn't have my purse. It was back at the hospital! But the tech looked up my records, found my insurance info, and told me to bring back my co-pay money the next day. (which I did)

They were awesome to help me when I really needed it. So to the Kroger store employees at Soldano Blvd in Columbus:

You guys rock. :D
 
Offered me a bite of her banana.




Sadly not a joke, I was on a packed bus and there was a car accident. So of course we didn't move anywhere for about 45 minutes, I was sat next to some random old woman.
For those interested, I didn't take a bite.
 
That one is easy: accepted me as their host son for a year.

I went to Brazil on student exchange when I was 15 (turned 16 a month after arrival). I've stayed with the nonprofit NGO as a volunteer ever since and that experience has changed my life very significantly for the better. None of that would have been possible without their hospitality.

Sounds familiar. :D

Twice now, I've had families here in Germany take me in for a few weeks/months so I could study. The first family I stayed with in Nuremberg and my family are now great friends and we've tried to visit one another as often as possible. I'll be visiting them again this month. Great people that didn't bat an eye to provide for me. Same with my current family, they're fantastic people.
 
A man once decided NOT to get his rifle and kill me when he learned that I was dating his daughter.

Well, at least she told me that this was his first instinct when she told him about me. :D
 
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