What’s the kindest thing someone has ever done for you?

Daily Writing Prompt – 2870

It is an absolute miracle that we, as a species, have not completely wiped each other out yet. The fact that humans still manage to coexist without daily bloodshed is a mystery, though I will be honest, my own patience is running dangerously thin.

I really cannot stand people sometimes.

They leave litter everywhere. Calling some of them pigs is a direct insult to those delightful, pink animals. The trash can is literally one meter away, but no, throwing things into it would clearly require too much brainpower. And we are expected to tolerate this behavior for a lifetime. People love to toss around that cliché, life is short. Really? What else, pray tell, do we do that is longer? It is literally the longest thing anyone ever does.

So there I was, walking home from the parking lot, thoroughly enjoying my inner, grumpy monologue, when a car suddenly pulled up beside me.

The driver rolled down his window and, with a bright, enthusiastic smile, shouted, excuse me, can I ask you a quick question?

No, you cannot. Leave me in peace, I screamed internally. But before I could even formulate a polite lie, he blurted out, how do I get to the park?

And then came the longest, most dramatic pause in human history. Pure silence. I just stared at him, wondering one thing, is this guy driving to the park strictly to litter?

Then, a miracle happened. Showing a sudden, brilliant flash of human intelligence, the driver glanced slightly to the right and noticed a giant road sign that literally said park. He gave me a grateful wave, hit the gas, and drove off.

It was, hands down, the single kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. I did not have to explain how to get to the nearest bookstore so he could buy a city map and figure life out. He saved me from three agonizing minutes of social interaction. A true hero.