She Left Me At The Station

 She Left Me At The Station
By Paul McCann

I met a man one evening at a conference and we got talking about who we were and what we did and then he shared with me a story I've never forgotten . He showed me the  photograph  of a very attractive lady and  said ,

"She left me at the railway station and I looked at her as she drove away. I gave her a wave but she never returned it . She never bothered to ask me my name of where I was going . Regardless I still placed that envelope with thousands of dollars for her as a gift for picking me up on the freeway . She asked me where I was going and I replied the nearest railway station and that’s all we said ."

“So how did you meet her ?”

I asked and he replied .

“My car had broken down the night before and I had walked all night not knowing where the nest town was . In the morning light I stood there with my thumb out and she was the only one who had stopped . I could have been anyone and she didn’t have to stop but she did and I wanted to give her something in return . She was not to know I was a very wealthy business man and yet I would have appreciated a smile or a friendly conversation with her “

I was intrigued and sat back and smiled while he told me the rest of the story 

" Anyway my car had broken down the night before and I had walked all night not knowing where the nest town was . In the morning light I stood there with my thumb out and she was the only one who had stopped . I could have been anyone and she didn’t have to stop but she did and I wanted to give her something in return . She was not to know I was a very wealthy man and yet I would have appreciated a smile or a friendly conversation with her So there was I on some lonely railway station the middle of nowhere with a large amount of money in my overnight bag . I had all already informed the board of directors that I would not be able to attend the AGM and that’s when I had this crazy idea of going on my own goodwill Christmas adventure . The money in my bag was to be handed out as the board members bonus however I could always replace that on my return  . Having a broken-down car and having no mobile phoner service made me feel like insecure and a bit like a tramp walking along the side of a freeway . For the first time in my life, I was vulnerable and it started me thinking about others who might also be alone and doing it tough , that’s when I decided to go on this wild adventure , It made me want to cry as car after car just passed by without stopping . The lady who eventually stopped had no idea how much I appreciated what she did . Now I bought a ticket at the station with an emptiness in my heart that I needed to fill in my own mind that emptiness could only be filled by trying to help others in need . I never knew where I was going but it excited me a little to think I had a secret mission to achieve . A man was sitting there at the station with a bucket of roses . I spoke with him and he told me his life story in a few minutes . He had recently lost his wife in a car accident and in the three years they were together he never once never bought her a rose and now that she was done, he wanted to make selling roses his everyday job.. I bought every rose he had and gave him a large donation that would help him promote his business . The look on his face was  enough for me ,l he didn’t have to say a word .There’s no better feeling that getting an instant satisfaction from someone you’ve helped . The train arrived and I went into the carriage handing out roses to all there . The reaction was just amazing . Just a simple little rose brought tears to some faces . I thought to myself this kind of feeling could easily become addictive . I got off the train at the next station . It seemed to be a busier spot so I decided to get oof the train and have a look around . There was a beggar there who looked as if he hadn’t had a decent meal for a while . I spoke to the stationmaster and mentioned that the beggar was an old school friend of mine and I wanted to give him a gift for Christmas but didn’t want to embarrass him so I wanted to remain anonymous  . .I asked the station master for two envelopes and placed some cash in both . One for the stationmaster and the other for the beggar who actually in reality wasn’t my old school friend at all . Then from a distance I watched the station master hand the beggar the envelope I have given . When he opened the envelope, the beggar started to cry and he fell down on his knees and started thanking God for his good fortune . The feeling I had was one of the most beautiful experiences I had ever had . Making a difference is what its all about . I never realised before how beneficial it was to give to others in need . Another train arrived and I got on board to another place . The further we went the more built up the towns were becoming . At the next stop there were some life savers from the local surf club selling caps . I always admire people who are genuinely out to save lives wherever and by whatever means possible . After speaking to them about what their fund raising was all about, they mentioned that they were trying to build a new clubhouse and had reached halfway to their target of five hundred thousand . I handed over my overnight bag to them and told them not to worry about continuing with their fund raising as now they had more than enough to build their clubhouse .The look on their faces was something I’ll never forget and suddenly out of the blue  there she was , the lady who had given me a life earlier that morning .

“It’s you, the man I gave a lift to this morning “

She said .

I smiled and said ,

“Yes “

She replied ,

“You left an envelope in the back seat of my car with a message of thanks “

“It’s my way of thanking you for being kind”.

She burst out in tears and said ,

“I’ve been soi stressed my son has a health condition and requires surgery and I haven’t the money for that . Your gift will enable my son to have the surgery that could save his life . I don’t know how I can ever thank you “

I had goosebumps all over .

“Well, if you’re not too busy are you able to bring me home as I need to arrange for my broken-down car to be towed and fixed “

She gave me a lift and, on the way, home I discovered she had lost her husband in an accident some  years ago and was now a single parent doing her best to raise her only child .

That feeling I had been getting by helping others was the richest thing in life I had ever known and there was something about that woman . To cut a long story short e were married and even still we talk about how we met to all our friends . I love sharing this story . Hope I never bored you ":.

  The End