If you live in an area without public transportation, chances are that you depend on a car to get around. But, vehicles require maintenance and they always seem to break down at the worst possible moment.
Having your car break down when you don’t have a phone or the money to fix it right away can be devastating and frightening. A young woman named Tawny Nelson found this out when her old truck left her stranded on a rainy night.
Tawny contacted Frank Somerville, anchor for KTVU News, to share a story of inspiration. What started out as a terrible night had a happy ending, thanks to the kindness of a stranger.
Tawny was a recently single mom, struggling after her ex left her to care for her young children alone. At the time, her girls were 9, 5, 2, and 6 weeks old.
She did have an old unreliable truck in bad need of repairs. Though she tried not to drive it, she had to make a trip to the store one rainy evening to buy some food to feed her daughters.
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When they come out of the store, she discovered that her truck was dead.
“One of my girls accidentally left a light on. My battery was dead. My phone was also disconnected. I have no family to speak of and was on my own,” Tawny said.
She asked a few passersby for help, but her pleas were ignored.
“They all ignored me. Not even a no. Just acted like I didn’t exist,” Tawny said.
As she cried in her truck along with her young daughters, she heard a knock at her window. She opened the door to find an older man with a plate of hot food and water bottles from the store.
“Feed those babies and yourself, young lady,” he said. “I have a tow truck on the way and my wife will be here shortly to take y’all home.”
A guardian angel
The family went home, and the next day the man showed up at her house, this time with a mechanic to help repair her truck. Tawny asked if she could make payments to the mechanic but her offer was refused.
The man asked for nothing in return for his kind actions, only that Tawny “never give up and keep being an amazing mom.”
Tawny couldn’t help but bawl over the kindness that she was shown that night and the following day: “I’ve never cried so hard in my life.”
“And without knowing us or our situation this kind man helped us in ways he will never know,” Nelson stated. “What he did revived my faith when I was falling apart. But he wouldn’t even take a hug.”
An inspiration
Somerville shared Tawny’s story and was even inspired, himself. He hopes to do something generous like this for someone else.
Tawny’s story has inspired many people and given them hope. It’s a reminder that there truly are good people in the world. Please like and share and spread the kindness!
