My Melons Went Flying and a Band of Kind Older Women Came to the Aid
One weekend morning, I joined my mother to the nearby market for our regular fruit and veg shopping. My mother continued browsing when I volunteered to take the groceries back to the vehicle, which was stuffed into a little red trolley. It resembled a magical bag – quite a small thing, but it was surprising how much you could load it up. That's what we believed.
With the trolley straining under the load of an packed load of groceries, my mum placed a box of sweet melons on top. She cautioned me to be cautious taking it back to the car.
All was proceeding smoothly as I made my way through the crowds of people and out of the market. But as I was crossing the chaotically busy main intersection into the market, the trolley got stuck on the traffic island in the middle of the road, and the box of melons fell to the ground. They went flying, dramatically rolling out towards passersby and waiting cars.
As the pedestrian signal switched from green to red, I was shocked, speechless, trying to process how I was going to collect the melons shooting in multiple directions.
Suddenly, a band of several older women sprang to my rescue. Silver-haired, scarves and one with a cane – they appeared as if they had emerged of the same nesting doll. They didn't hesitate by the cars creeping their way towards us. Utterly fearless, they just held up their hands to halt the traffic, in both directions. They collected all the melons for me, retrieving a single one, as I repaired the box to hold them.
I thanked them and they remained silent, just smiled and gestured me goodbye. I never consumed the melons – I was never a real fan of honeydew – but I share this story frequently because I love it so much.
What is the Kindest Thing a Unknown Person Has Done for You?
Whether it brightened your day to transforming your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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