A Big Mistake
What was happening to the poor man was beyond his comprehension. It had been just a day earlier that he had offered to carry a woman's groceries. He seemed to be in deep trouble now. It had been a mistake to cross the wrong people.
There was no way he could have known that his seemingly good deed would have such consequences. Despite his experience with poor treatment, nothing like this had ever happened before.
Readying Himself
He was dragged two blocks back to the grocery store where he had been the day before by a security guard. As he thought about what he had apparently done, he formulated a theory.
As soon as he entered the store, he recognized the old woman he had seen the previous day. A barrage of accusations was waiting to be hurled at him. He must have done something wrong this time. What was it? Nevertheless, her words shocked everyone.
Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover
The dirty, homeless man who was brought in front of the grocery store had a lot more to his story than meets the eye. He was harshly judged by everyone he usually crossed paths with.
The manager of the store was standing next to the old woman. It is likely that she complained shortly after he helped her the day before.
Doing It Out Of Kindness
As far as he was concerned, he was just helping out an elderly woman who needed it. In fact, he did not even ask for any money. His feelings toward her were fueled by a desire to help her without expecting anything in return.
There was more to it than that. There was much more to it than he could have imagined. When the woman called him back to where it all began, it all started.
Nothing Left
There was a time in Trevor Phelps' life when he wasn't homeless. Before Hurricane Harvey destroyed everything that was dear to him in his life, he was far from it.
Now 41, the man had nothing left. He was robbed of everything he had without warning. Sadly, the tragedy didn't end there.
Everything Was Gone
When Hurricane Harvey swept through the Texan's town, his house was destroyed. When the tragedy occurred, he was at work and had no idea what was happening. After returning home, he discovered that his house was gone.
In a flash, he realized that everything he'd worked for had been wiped out. However, that was not the most heartbreaking part of the story.
A Freak Accident
In losing his house, the most tragic aspect was that his wife was at home at the time. She was discovered underneath the rubble of the wreckage following a two-day search.
Although he wanted to blame someone, it was just a freak accident. It didn't take long for his life to spiral downward, and he was no longer able to turn things around.
You’re Fired
As if that weren't bad enough, his boss fired him just a few months after he had struggled to find a new apartment. It was because he had slowed down his work pace.
The loss of Trevor's house and wife would make any reasonable person understandably distracted at work. The situation only worsened from there.
An Adjustment
Trevor was unable to find a place to live because he didn't have a job to pay his rent. The fact that he had no family, home, or job meant that everything he had was gone. Homelessness would take some time to get used to.
As he wallowed in his despair for years, he consumed large quantities of alcohol and cursed the fate of his life. There would be an improvement, but it would take time.
A New Lease On Life
When Trevor was living in the gutter full of sadness for five years, he decided to turn his life around by embracing God. Despite being homeless, he had changed his attitude.
After a while, he began to see the bright side of life again, and he wanted to be kind to others. There was no way he would ask for charity from anyone else. He just wanted to help others in need, and that's where he met the elderly woman.
The Grocery Store
With the money he got from selling things people threw away, he would go to the local grocery store to pick up things that he desperately needed. He would put on his best clothes and clean up as best he could.
He would then pick out the essentials like bread and water before heading back to the corner where he normally stayed.
Elderly Lady
On this particular day of shopping, Trevor saw an older lady getting her essentials as well. She seemed to be getting enough for two bags full. This was quite a lot for an elderly woman to have loaded in her trolley.
By the end of his shopping and walking out of the grocery store, he saw the woman now carrying her groceries in her hands.
Struggling
He could see that the woman was clearly struggling. He would have offered help if he didn't think she was going to get to her car soon enough anyway. But something peculiar happened.
He watched the woman walk past the parking lot. She wasn't going to a car. She was walking home, but why would she do that? He knew that this was a chance to aid someone.
Lending A Hand
"Hello, ma'am. Can I help you with your groceries? I'd be happy to carry them for you." He asked. The woman looked at him with a curious expression and nodded her head. "Thank you, young man."
"I'm afraid I have no money to give you," she said. Trevor smiled, "Don't worry, you remind me of my mother. I would never make her pay."
Carrying Them Home
Trevor carried the groceries two blocks from the grocery store with a smile on his face. He made small talk with the old woman, who was good company. He hadn't properly spoken to someone in ages.
After arriving at her home, he dropped them off on her kitchen table. She offered a cup of coffee, but she kindly refused. He had no idea what consequences that would have.
Business As Usual
The rest of the day was business as usual. He walked to a spot he was staying at and got ready to pull out his essentials and eat. He was incredibly hungry but noticed something peculiar.
He looked into his shopping bag and noticed that it wasn't his at all. It was the elderly woman's. Their bags must have been mixed up, and he hadn't noticed at the time. He had to make things right, but he was so hungry.
Hunger He Couldn't Ignore
The problem was the hunger that he couldn't ignore. He was terribly hungry, and the only food was the bag that was the one that belonged to the woman. He saw small chocolate cakes that looked like they were for a special occasion.
He didn't have a choice. He was starving. He ate as little as possible while still satisfying his appetite. But he had no idea what would happen in the morning.
Rude Awakening
The next morning, Trevor was abruptly woken up. He felt someone watching him and had to make sure he knew what it was. He had to sleep lightly when on the streets.
When he looked around, he didn't initially notice anyone nearby, but just a few moments later, an imposing man appeared in the alleyway. "You need to come with me." He barked before grabbing his arm.
What Had He Done?
"What did I do? Who are you?" He shakily said to the man leading him away. "You were at the grocery store yesterday, weren't you?" The man said. Trevor nervously nodded his head.
He noticed a walkie-talkie and a uniform. The man looked like a security guard, one that worked at the grocery store. He immediately knew what this was about. He was ready to be branded a thief.
Getting To The Grocery Store
Just two blocks later, he was taken to the grocery store. The place wasn't empty. There he could see the old woman waiting for him. It must have been her that had asked for him to be brought there.
The security guard walked inside the store, and he was left to speak with the woman alone. He wasn’t ready for what she would say.
A Mistake
He knew it was just a mistake, but would they believe them? It didn't look good for him, offering to help an old lady and then her groceries disappearing.
He looked at the woman with a hurt expression. Did she really think he had done this on purpose? He knew homeless people weren't treated well, but this was absurd. He really did nothing wrong.
Confronting Him
"I have your groceries here. You must have gotten them mixed up with mine." The woman said. "I know, I realized last night, and I was so hungry. I'm sorry I ate some of your chocolate cakes!" He stuttered back at her.
Her expression changed as soon as she heard that he had eaten her groceries. She looked at him, and what came out of her mouth brought him to tears.
A Misunderstanding
"Oh, you poor thing! I hope you kept yourself fed. You remind me of my son, actually." She assured him. Tears welled up in his eyes. No one had shown him kindness in ages.
The comment about him looking like her son filled his heart with joy. "Where is your son? I hope he's okay," he told her. But the news would shock everybody.
His Past
"Don't you have family, dear?" she redirected the question to him. That's when he really cried. He told her about all of his woes. The loss of his wife, the loss of his house, and the loss of his job.
The woman put her hand to her mouth to cover her shock. He could tell that she sympathized with him greatly. But what about her son?
Her Son
"Now tell me, is your son okay?" He asked again. This time, she would have an answer for him. But it wasn't what he thought. "I'll introduce you to him. How's that?" She said before gesturing inside the store.
Trevor was met with confusion as he watched a man in uniform come out of the grocery store. Then he recognized the badge he had on.
The Security Officer
It was the security officer that had brought him to the place. "Sorry, I didn't explain a lot. I'm in the dark myself. What's going on, Mother?" The security officer said.
It was all starting to piece together, but the woman still hadn't given him a reason why he was standing there in front of her. It was her identity that he should have been worrying about.
Reasons
She finally started explaining everything to him. "Well, I brought you here because of your kindness yesterday, not because of the misunderstanding with the grocery bags."
"You helped a woman in need without knowing who she was. But now it's time I tell you who I really am." She prepared to say more, but Trevor would never be ready for what he was about to hear.
The Owner Of The Store
"My name is Marie, and I may not look like it, but I'm actually the owner of the grocery store." She revealed it to Trevor. His eyes went wide in shock, and he had nothing to say to her. He was just dumbfounded.
But that was only the start. Marie had more to tell Trevor, specifically why she had brought him back in the first place.
A Good Person
"You see, my son was home sick yesterday and couldn't help me carry my groceries home like he normally does. That's why I was so shocked when you decided to ask me for help without expecting anything in return."
"That's why I wanted to see you again. I have a proposition for you, and I expect it's one you'd really like to hear." She told him.
New Job, New Life
Marie didn't say anything else but showed him a red waistcoat she was hiding behind her back. It had the grocery store's logo on it. He looked at it and shook his head. What did this mean?
"I want to offer you a job helping the elderly and disabled with their shopping bags. I think you'd get a lot out of it, and you'd even have a place to stay," She said. Trevor couldn't believe it. She really was like his mother. No one had ever been this kind to him before.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.