Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A friend called and said that his truck had stalled and asked if I could come and jump-start his battery. I stopped what I was doing and I arrived where he was stranded in about five minutes.  We started his truck and I followed him to the nearest mechanic. He offered me money or something to eat for compensation but I declined and said, "No thanks, that's what friends are for." He called me later on and stated that the mechanic could not fix his truck at the time and asked him to bring the truck back the next day.

My friend said he would need a ride to work and asked if  I would be able to take him at 6:30 am. I told him that I get off work at 5 am and I am usually so tired that I go right to sleep. He stated that he had taken off work due to illness a few times the week before and his job would not accept another absence. I did not want him to lose his job so I agreed to take him knowing that the 1 hour and 20 minute drive would be very difficult for me right after work. I had already budgeted my gas for the week but he offered to compensate me $20.  I refused $20 thinking it was too much but I agreed to accept $10 instead. When we arrived at his place of work I noticed a bus stop right in front of the building. I said, "Wow there's a bus that comes here?" He said he knew that, but didn't know where the bus came from.  I was somewhat dissappointed because I thought he would  have taken the time to find out where this bus originated to be sure this was not an option for him. Maybe he realized that if he got on any  bus other than the express bus that he would have spent way more time riding which may have jeopardized arriving at work on time.  As he got out of the car, he thanked me again and said not to worry about picking him up because he would find another way home. When he got home later that day he called and told me that he took the bus from work and he got home in 2 1/2 hours. That being said we both knew that he could have rode the bus to work if he had left home by 4:30 am.  But that was not the point. He needed me to be there for him as a friend and the only thing that really mattered was that he got to work, he got home, he still had a job and he got the repairs completed on his truck.   That's what friends are for.