{"id":7226,"date":"2025-01-21T07:49:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/?p=7226"},"modified":"2025-01-21T07:49:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:49:20","slug":"i-bought-shawarma-and-coffee-for-a-homeless-man-he-gave-me-a-note-that-changed-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/archives\/7226","title":{"rendered":"I Bought Shawarma and Coffee for a Homeless Man \u2014 He Gave Me a Note That Changed Everything\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n

I bought a homeless man and his dog a shawarma on a bitter winter evening. It seemed like a simple act of kindness at the time. But when he slipped me a note hinting at a past I\u2019d completely forgotten, I knew this was no ordinary encounter.\u201d\n

\n
I worked at a sporting goods store in a mall downtown. After 17 years of marriage, two teenagers, and countless late shifts, I thought nothing could surprise me. But life is funny that way.\n
\n
\n
$\"Woman$ \n\n
Woman in her late 30s working in a sporting goods store while wearing winter clothes\n\n
That day had been particularly rough because holiday shoppers demanded refunds for items they\u2019d clearly worn. Also, a register kept jamming, and my daughter, Amy, had texted me about failing another math test. We\u2019d definitely had to think about hiring a tutor.\n
All these things were on my mind when my shift ended. Even worse, the temperature had dropped to bone-chilling levels. The thermometer outside the store showed 26.6\u00b0F.\n
The wind howled between buildings, whipping loose papers across the sidewalk as I walked outside. I pulled my coat tighter, dreaming of the warm bath I was going to set up at home.\n
\n
\n
\n
$\"Woman$ \n\n
Woman in her late 30s tightening her winter coat on the street\n\n
On my way to the bus, I saw the shawarma stand that had been there almost as long as I\u2019d worked in the store. It was between a closed flower shop and a dim convenience store.\n
Steam rose from the grill\u2019s metal surface into the warm air. The scent of roasted meat and spices almost made me stop for one. But I didn\u2019t particularly like the vendor. He was a stocky man with permanent frown lines.\n
The food was good, and you could get your shawarma in two seconds, but I wasn\u2019t in the mood for any grumpiness today.\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A shawarma stand with a vendor working on a cold snowy windy day\n\n
But I still stopped when I saw who walked up to the stand. A homeless man, somewhere around 55 years old, and his dog, both of whom looked cold and definitely hungry as they stared at the rotating meat.\n
The man was in a thin coat, and the poor puppy didn\u2019t have much fur. My heart broke for them.\n
\u201cYou gonna order something or just stand there?\u201d the vendor\u2019s sharp voice startled me.\n
I watched the homeless man gather his courage. \u201cSir, please. Just some hot water?\u201d he asked, his shoulders hunched.\n
\n
\n
$\"Homeless$ \n\n
Homeless man with a dog in front of a shawarma stand on a snowy day\n\n
Sadly, I knew what the vendor\u2019s response would be before he even said it. \u201cGET OUT OF HERE! This ain\u2019t no charity!\u201d he barked.\n
\n
The dog pressed closer to its owner, and I saw the man\u2019s shoulders slump. That\u2019s when my grandmother\u2019s face flashed in my mind.\n
She\u2019d raised me on stories about her harsh childhood and told me that a single act of kindness had saved her family from starvation. I\u2019d never forgotten that lesson, and although I couldn\u2019t always help, her words came to mind:\n
\u201cKindness costs nothing but can change everything.\u201d\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A grandmother on a rocking chair, smiling in front of a fireplace in a cozy home\n\n
I spoke up before I knew it. \u201cTwo coffees and two shawarmas.\u201d\n
The vendor nodded and worked at lightning speed. \u201c$18,\u201d he said flatly as he placed my order on the counter.\n
\n
I handed over the money, grabbed the to-go bag and a tray, and rushed to catch up with the homeless man.\n
When I gave him the food, his hands shook.\n
\u201cGod bless you, child,\u201d he whispered.\n
I nodded awkwardly, ready to hurry to head home and away from this cold weather. But his raspy voice stopped me.\n
\n
\n
$\"Woman$ \n\n
Woman in her late 30s holding a to-go bag and smiling on a snowy street\n\n
\u201cWait.\u201d I turned and watched as he took out a pen and paper and scribbled something quickly, then held it to me. \u201cRead it at home,\u201d he said with a strange smile.\n
I nodded, stuffing the note into my pocket. My mind was already elsewhere, wondering if there would be any seats on the bus and what I would make for dinner.\n
At home that night, life went on as usual. My son, Derek, needed help with his science project. Amy complained about her math teacher. My husband, Tom, talked about a new client at his law firm.\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A mother helping her son with homework | Source: Midjourney\n\n
The note stayed forgotten in my coat pocket until I started gathering clothes for the laundry the next evening.\n
I opened the crumpled paper and read the message:\n
\u201cThank you for saving my life. You don\u2019t know this, but you\u2019ve already saved it once before.\u201d\n
Below the message was a date from three years ago and the name \u201cLucy\u2019s Caf\u00e9.\u201d\n
\n
The clothes I was holding nearly slipped from my hands. Lucy\u2019s had been my regular lunch spot before it closed.\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A cozy caf\u00e9 | Source: Midjourney\n\n
And suddenly, I remembered that day clearly. There was a thunderstorm, and many people came into the caf\u00e9 looking for shelter.\n
A man had stumbled in. His clothes were soaked, and a look in his eye told me he was desperate, not just for food. For something else.\n
No one even looked at him except for me. The waitress almost turned him away, but just like the other day, I\u2019d heard my grandmother\u2019s voice.\n
So, I bought him coffee and a croissant.\n
\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A woman holding a to-go coffee cup and a to-go brown bag | Source: Midjourney\n\n
I told him to have a nice day and shared my brightest smile. It was nothing special\u2026 or so I thought.\n
It was that same man, and my heart broke again. His life clearly hadn\u2019t gotten any better, and yet he remembered my kindness. But was food once every few years enough?\n
I couldn\u2019t sleep that night with the thought racing through my mind.\n
The next day, I left work early.\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A woman in her late 30s smiling on a snowy street in the day\n\n
\n
Luckily, he was close to the shawarma stand, just huddled in a corner, hugging his dog. The adorable pup wagged his tail when he saw me.\n
\u201cHey, there,\u201d I smiled. \u201cI read the note. I can\u2019t believe you remembered that time.\u201d\n
The man looked up, surprised to see me, and gave me a brittle smile. \u201cYou\u2019re a bright spot in a harsh world, child, and you\u2019ve saved me twice now.\u201d\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A homeless man hugging a dog tightly while sitting in front of a building and looking up\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d I shook my head. \u201cThat was just some food and basic human decency. I want to do more. Will you let me help you, for real?\u201d\n
\u201cWhy would you do that?\u201d\n
\u201cBecause everyone deserves a second chance, a real one.\u201d\n
\n
He nodded, and I told him to follow me.\n
There was a lot to do to help him get back on his feet, and with my husband being a lawyer, I knew we could help him. But first, I wanted to get to know him, so I invited him to a caf\u00e9, introduced myself properly, and learned his name was Victor.\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A homeless man hugging a dog inside a caf\u00e9 and smiling\n\n
Over two cups of coffee and a shared berry pie, plus a pup treat for his dog, Lucky, Victor shared how he\u2019d lost everything. He\u2019d been a truck driver with a wife and a daughter.\n
One rainy night, a car swerved into his lane. The accident left him with a shattered leg and crushing medical debt. When he couldn\u2019t find another job, his wife took their daughter and left.\n
\n
Despite his injuries, his company refused to pay disability benefits. And eventually, depression swallowed him whole.\n
\n
\n
$\"A$ \n\n
A man kneeling on the rainy street looking sad and hopeless\n\n
\u201cThat day at Lucy\u2019s,\u201d he confessed, wrapping his hands around his coffee cup, \u201cI was planning to end it all. But you smiled at me. Treated me like a human being. It gave me one more day. Then another. Then another. Eventually, I found Lucky abandoned, and I kept going. I didn\u2019t feel so alone.\u201d\n
Tears rolled down his cheeks. \u201cAnd now here you are again,\u201d he finished. \u201cJust when this rough weather had me wondering if I should let someone adopt my dog.\u201d\n
I shook my head as tears welled up in my eyes. \u201cNo, you don\u2019t have to do that. I\u2019m here. Lucky is not going anywhere without you.\u201d\n
\n
***\n
That same night, I contacted a local shelter and secured a spot for Victor and his dog.\n
\n
\n
$\"Woman$ \n\n
Woman in her late 30s holding a phone at home\n\n
\n
I also started a GoFundMe for new clothes and essentials. My children helped create the social media posts. Additionally, one of Tom\u2019s colleagues specialized in disability benefits litigation and was eager to take on Victor\u2019s case pro bono.\n\n
\n
Once that was settled, we helped Victor replace his identification and important documents, which had been stolen while he was sleeping on a park bench.\n
It only took us another month to find him a proper room to rent near the shelter. With a new address, he secured a job at a factory warehouse, where his supervisor allowed Lucky inside; the dog quickly became the unofficial mascot of the morning shift.\n
\n
\n
\n
$\"Man$ \n\n
\n\n
On my birthday the following year, my doorbell rang. Victor stood there, holding a chocolate cake from the local bakery.\n
He looked clean-shaven and well-dressed, and the smile on his face radiated a confidence he didn\u2019t have before. Even Lucky sported a new red collar.\n
His eyes shone with gratitude as he said, \u201cYou\u2019ve saved my life three times now\u2014at the caf\u00e9, at the shawarma stand, and with everything you\u2019ve done since. I\u2019ll never forget it. I wanted to bring you this cake, but it\u2019s really the least I could do for the hero who was born on this day.\u201d\n
\n
\n
$\"Man$ \n\n\n
\n
I smiled, refusing to start crying again, and invited him inside.\n
As my family shared cake and conversation with our friend, I thought about how close I\u2019d come to walking past him that cold evening, too busy with my own problems to notice someone else\u2019s pain.\n
How many other Victors were out there, waiting for someone to see them?\n
That\u2019s why I often repeated my grandmother\u2019s words to Amy and Derek, reminding them to always be kind and to take every opportunity to make the world a little less harsh.\n
\n
\n
$\"Woman$ \n\n
\n\n
You never know if it\u2019ll be a lifeline for someone.\n
Here\u2019s\u00a0another story:\u00a0A heavily pregnant taxi driver offers a homeless and injured stranger a free ride to the hospital on a rainy night. The next morning, she wakes up to a parade of SUVs outside her house. Suited men knock on her door with a truth that alters her life forever.\n
\n
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.\n
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided \u201cas is,\u201d and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I bought a homeless man and his dog a shawarma on a bitter winter evening. It seemed like a simple act of kindness at the time. But when he slipped me a note hinting at a past I\u2019d completely forgotten, I knew this was no ordinary encounter.\u201d I worked at a sporting goods store in […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7226"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7229,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7226\/revisions\/7229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}