An expectant mother comes across a group of teens bullying a man in a park and rescues him. Years later, when she least expects it, he returns the favor.Diana was on top of the world. She was engaged to a wonderful man, and she was seven months pregnant. The happy family she had longed for all her life was finally within her reach…
Diana had gone shopping for baby clothes during her lunch break, and now she was taking a quiet stroll through a nearby park, enjoying an ice cream. Life was perfect, Diana thought, and that was when she heard a scream. Just ahead of her, through the trees, she glimpsed a group of people standing around a park bench. As she came closer, she noticed that four teens were standing around a man with a menacing attitude!
Diana heard their mocking voices: “Get lost, dirtbag! We don’t need trash like you hanging around this park!” “Yeah!” sneered another voice. “My baby sister plays around here! I don’t want dirty pervs like you hanging around!””Please,” said the man the teens were surrounding, showing them a brown paper package. “I’m not a perv! Look! See? I just come here to eat my lunch…”
Diana saw one of the teens step forward and shove the man. The paper packet spilled on the ground and out tumbled a sandwich and two apples. One of the teens immediately stomped on the sandwich to the man’s obvious distress. “That’s my food!” the man cried. “I worked hard for the money to buy it!”The teen grinned. “Too bad, dirtbag! You’ll go hungry today!” That was when Diana recognized the loudest and boldest of the teens. He was the son of her next-door neighbor!
She took a step forward and yelled, “Stop it, Tom!” Tom turned around to see Diana. His ugly sneer was immediately wiped away. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “Miss Lamb?” Diana inquired. “What do you think you’re doing, Tom?” “Leave this man alone!” Tom complained. “He’s a vagrant, and he SMELLS, and he’s right across from the playground!” the man exclaimed. “I work across the street at a construction site.”
I came here because of the dust…” “You’ve been persecuting this poor man because he’s ‘dirty,’ haven’t you?” Diana demanded angrily. “You boys should be ashamed of yourselves, and you, Tom, you can bet your mother will find out!” “Please, Miss Lamb,” Tom begged. “Please don’t tell my mother!” Diana exclaimed angrily. “Never let me catch you bullying anyone else!”
The four boys bolted, looking terrified. Diana knew they were cowards at heart, just like any bully. The man who had been picked on by the boys was on his knees, attempting to save his lunch. “Come on,” Diana invited. “I’ll buy you lunch.” “Thank you, miss,” the man politely replied. “But you don’t have to! You’ve already saved me a lot of trouble!”
“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Diana stated emphatically as she took the man’s arm and led him to a nearby takeaway where she bought him a massive burger and fries with all the trimmings. The man formally introduced himself. “I’m Paul,” he introduced himself. “My name is Paul Karte, and I’m from Seattle. I have a degree in business management, and I was hoping to find work down here.”
“I had some savings that were supposed to last me six months, but I was robbed, so now I work at construction and sleep in the shed,” he shrugged, tears welling up in his eyes. “The boys are correct, I do stink; my poor mother would be horrified if she could see me now,” Diana stated emphatically. “A lot of people would have given up and returned home with their tail between their legs, but you didn’t; your mother would be very proud of you!”
Paul’s face lit up with a broad grin. “Thank you,” he thanked Diana. “You have no idea how much that means to me! Your fiancé is in for a treat!” Diana exclaimed. “I’ll be sure to tell him,” she said. And she did that night, but her fiancé wasn’t impressed. “Do you talk to homeless people in the park?” he inquired. “That’s stupid!” Diana and her fiancé had a fight, which was unfortunately the first of many.
He wasn’t quite as nice as Diana had imagined him to be, and one day he simply walked out. Diana gave birth to her baby girl on her own three weeks later. She was fortunate to be a single mother. She had a good job and her own apartment, and she managed with a little help from her friends. Diana had to make sacrifices as Sarah grew. She wanted her daughter to attend the best schools, so she reduced her insurance coverage. She had no idea she’d require more than the basic policy…
Diana became very ill when Sarah was seven years old, and she was diagnosed with a severe kidney condition. Because she couldn’t afford a kidney transplant, dialysis was her only option. She received a phone call one day. “Diana,” said her nephrologist. “You have an angel!” Diana was perplexed. “What do you mean, an angel?”
“Someone is paying for your transplant!” exclaimed the doctor. “I’m booking you for the procedure as soon as possible!” The doctor kept her word, and Diana awoke a few days later in one of the hospital’s private rooms. A man in a suit with a big smile sat in a chair next to her bed. “Good morning, Diana,” he said. “Nice to see you!” “Don’t you remember me?” the man inquired. “Eight years ago, you rescued me in the park…”
“Rescue?” Diana asked, perplexed. “I’m sorry, but…OH! You’re Paul?” Paul exclaimed, his smile widening. “You have no idea what you did for me! You gave me the courage and inspiration to pursue my dream, and now I run this medical group.” “When I saw you here and learned you needed a transplant, I knew I finally had the chance to transform your life the way you transformed mine!” “