“Please, Sir, please help me!” cried an old lady as we passed her by while we look for a parking spot near the supermarket earlier today. She was standing in the middle of the parking lot with a pushcart and a bag of groceries inside it. My husband stopped the car and she came nearer.
“Please, can you bring me to my house? I live at **** street. Please!” she begged us. Hubby and I looked at each other before I stepped out of the car. Hubby asked her if she’s with anyone and the old lady said she lives alone and the bus hasn’t come by in the past hour. Because it’s a Sunday, bus schedules do tend to be erratic on weekends when there aren’t students and a lot of workers needing a ride.
Without being prompted, she hurriedly took the passenger seat I vacated. Probably because she was afraid we’d change our minds. I told hubby I’d go ahead and buy the groceries while he brings the old lady home.
“Mag-ingat ka ha!” (Take care of yourself!) I said in Tagalog, a bit apprehensive at the thought that there’s a possibility of scamming and that our vehicle might end up being carjacked or something. In my defense, it’s hard to trust people nowadays given all the bad elements being reported in the news daily!
Anyhow, off they went as I entered the grocery store. Every now and then, I'd check hubby’s location in Google Maps while praying he’s okay. Long story short, he arrived just as I finished paying at the cash register.
On our way home, he told me what he and the old lady talked about during the ride. He found out that she’s a widow and is renting a small room.
“Are you Filipino?” she wanted to know. “Yes,” said my hubby.
“Oh, I know other Filipinos. They’re very nice, too!”
The old lady then inquired if he has drinking water in the car because she’s already dehydrated and was afraid she might pass out while waiting for the bus. Unfortunately, we’ve already drank all the beverages we brought earlier.
Asked about her kids, she said they live a few cities away and she only gets to see them when she asks if she can visit her grandkids. When they invite her over, she takes the bus to go there. They don’t fetch her with their cars.
“Why don’t you just live with them so they can take care of you?” asked hubby.
“Oh no, no! They have their own lives now. And I’m fine where I am,” she replied.
I felt really sad upon hearing that part because she definitely wasn’t fine when we met her and it seems like her kids do not even check up on her often enough to make sure she’s doing all right.
I am thankful though that we were able to help her get home safely. I pray that if she experiences the same thing in the future, she’ll encounter other people whose desire to help would also win over any apprehensions.
With so many bad things happening all around us, it’s so easy to say NO to a stranger’s request for personal safety’s sake. But, I hope that after reading this, you may also be led to listen to that inner voice telling you to go ahead and let God take care of the rest.
