Rescued Today By a Man. Feeling very grateful

[NeverGoingToBeThinAgain]

I have a reliable little car (had for 7 years old) and it has never given me any trouble. A few weeks ago I thought it was taking longer to start than usual and thought I better take it into kwik fit to get checked but then it seemed to be starting fine again and I have to admit it slipped down my priority list.

Today the battery died on me while I was out with the dog and had a full shop in the boot (with frozen stuff). In the interest of cutting costs/saving money I cancelled my green flag membership a few years ago. Mainly because I only drive about in our local town and hardly ever do long journeys now and also because up to now I've never had a days bother with my car.

Obviously I was regretting that today. I was sitting in my car helplessly trying to start it for 5 mins and coming to the conclusion I was probably going to have to phone up the AA and get charged a huge fee to join and get jump started.

I then realised the man at the next car along was talking to the shop worker and asking if he had jump leads to try and help me. I was so touched to realise this complete stranger was taking it upon himself to help me when I hadn't even asked.

Anyway shop worker said they weren't allowed to give us jump leads due to insurance but they sold them in shop. Shit - I had no money with me as I had just popped down to collect shopping (done online all paid for). Stranger Man was on phone to his mum asking how much jump leads were in Tesco and they were £15. He then went into shop and bought jump leads and insisted I take them home with me. That was after he used them to start my car. He had already diagnosed the problem while we were waiting.

I came home and cried because I couldn't believe how kind this man had been (I'm in my fifties and overweight, so not some hot young thing).

So if you are married to a train driver from Fife who shops at Tesco (his wife was a train driver too he said) your husband was my hero today. I'm back home now and of course will be taking out an AA membership before driving anywhere and also going to kwik fit to get the battery changed asap.

The man was also with his two young children and so it was not convenient for him to help me as he had to look after them and he had just collected his own shop too.

We read on here bad things about people all the time and I have to say I never expect kindness from strangers. So for all those that have lost faith in men (or people) this is my story for you.

Meanwhile I pledge to play it forward and help out someone just for the sake of it.

So Mr Train Driver from Fife. At Tesco's today at 4pm - thank you very much.

Anyone else like to share a nice story about help from a stranger

What a great story OP, and such a lovely man. It’s so nice when you get these moments that show you that despite all the doom and gloom we constantly hear about, there really are genuinely good, nice people out there.

I’ve experienced a few small moments recently when out with my DC. I have a 2 year old and a baby, so am often out with a double buggy, as the 2 year old will only walk for a while before wanting to be carried. As I’ve discovered, double buggys can be such a pain in the backside! Getting them through shop doorways, down aisles, through car parks…can be a bloody nightmare! Also navigating pushing them when trying to hold shopping, or a coffee I’ve ordered in a cafe etc etc. I’ve had a number of strangers tell me to go and take a seat in a cafe and they’ll bring my drink over to me when it’s ready, which is always so appreciated, and people have held doors for me and helped me navigate the buggy through the really tight doorways.

I also went to Ikea cafe recently and the woman behind me in the queue saw me struggling trying to push the pram while holding a plate of food, a plate with a cake on and an empty cup for the self-serve coffee machine. She tapped me on the shoulder and asked if she could please help me, took the plate and cup off me, waited for me to pay, walked me over to a table, told me to sit down and asked me what I wanted from the self serve coffee machine, then proceeded to stand in a really long queue in order to get me a latte from the machine. I was so incredibly grateful, must have said thank you about 100 times. She just smiled and said she had grandkids so knows what it’s like trying to juggle everything, and said it was her good deed for the day. Really made my day, such a lovely lady.

How lovely!

My lovely brother in law went out the day after to fix it and brought it home.

We've recently had 2 parents come at my son's school come to us and say that he stood up for their child when faced with some bullying. They're in primary, so nothing physical, just reading name and calling.

I spoke to him about it and he said what the bullies were doing was wrong so did something. We are so proud of him for that

Yes. I just thought if you said one of their drivers helped you and he was based in Fife and his wife was also a driver it was enough info to identify him so you could thank him properly. Unless the male train drivers of Fife make a habit of helping people in supermarket car parks and marrying female train drivers in which case they might have to ask around to find out who it was.

Most men will help if asked, the problem is they’ve been told not to approach us in case we think they’re creepy.

Nicest thing a virtual stranger did for me was when I was crying outside work one day with a sudden terrible bout of cystitis, I was only 20. He was a manager (not mine, not even on my floor) so we vaguely recognised each other and he asked if I was ok. I ended up blurting out the problem and he took me to the nearest chemist, bought me some medicine, and sent me home. He phoned a few hours later to check I was ok. Apparently his wife suffered badly with it so he knew what to do. Forever grateful to you, Mr Carter!

I was running late for a meeting in a strange town and found a car park with a space but it only took coins and I didn’t have enough. A man paying for his parking at the next machine saw me and just gave me some coins to pay. Refused to give me his name, just said pass it on. A small kindness that I have indeed passed on several times. I’ve never forgotten how grateful I was.

Once after my husband and I had separated, I was driving my son to school or attempting to. The snow was very deep and driving was difficult. All of a sudden we slid through the snow into the ditch. It was impossible to get out. The car was well and truly stuck and too heavy for me to push through the build up of snow. A young man was carefully driving along past us in the other direction. He stopped, then came back and dug us out using his bare hands. Neither of us had a shovel in our cars ( I always carry one now). He drove off after making sure we were alright and on our way. I realised I had

OP could go to her nearest railway station but there are quite a few in Fife (which is a county).

I have had that happen and done it for other people loads of times. Pretty common I hope!

Cont…..
not thanked him. Years later, my second husband introduced me to a colleague of his at a work’s night out. He seemed very familiar to me and I didn’t know why. It was my, “Snow Man!” I was able to thank him after all. I had never forgotten his kindness.

There is a lovely poem by the fab Holly McNish that sums this up...Prince Charming is not Royal
www.instagram.com/reel/DTQku_iDFR_/?hl=en

I fear that many men these days would be wary to help a "hot young thing" for fear their kind actions might be misconstrued.

Similarly it seems some are quick to label women as Karen's when they're just trying to help.

So many people are kind. I'd hate to think we're creating an environment where you have to be brave to show it.

I'm loving the Fife Railway Station comment 🤣🤣

It's rural compared to some regions of Scotland but it has a few different train stations 🤣

My DH visits my late parents next door neighbor who I’ve known since o was a little kid and makes sure her boiler is topped up as it’s always seems to be loosing pressure

he did it just before we go on holiday and told her any problems to message him and he will get one of our boys pop down to check it for her

Years ago I got my car clamped and a group of young rugby type lads made it a mission to get the clamp off the car - they did - how I don’t know but I was forever grateful to them

HNFTFT but it strikes me that if you live in the perimeters of the UK, you can probably take being treated like a human as normal. In a major city, I doubt it. In my rural village, people run towards you to help out.

100% this

That's lovely OP. Well done that man!

Well this is a bit unusual but, I go to a very 'old school' bodybuilder's type gym.

Rusty equipment, back street in a dodgy town. But I adore the owner who's a salt of the earth all around lovely dude type. It's outing but he is something of a local celebrity and has been on TV and in various publications. Anyway, I go to this gym because he's lovely and it has all I need (I weight train).

Anyway if I am ever left there alone I ask the last man leaving to lock me in. I am the only woman who goes there. There's a padlock on the gate to the gym, and usually whoever leaves knows the lock the padlock to its chain, so nobody can get in but I can get my hand through to unlock the padlock with my key.

A few weeks ago I went to leave but the last person to leave had locked the padlock. To itself. And I couldn't get out. The gap wasn't wide enough, it was dark and I couldn't see what I were doing anyway to put the key in the hole as the padlock was just stiff to its hook.

Long story short, I saw a young man walking down the street nearby. I won't lie, I was aware of the risk I was taking. Dark. Dodgy town notorious for crime. (Bear in mind the weather!) he was wearing shorts and a T Shirt-this actually gave me a bit more confidence as I assumed he was nipping quickly from home to shop, rather than lurking about up to no good! Shouted him and explained my predicament and he straight away got the key in the lock and let me out.

Given what the town is like, I could have been up to no good too! I could have just broken into the place and got myself stuck. Or could be trying to entrap him to commit a crime involving a load of bodybuilders. But he trusted me and I trusted him and it worked out well and I got out. I did post on local pages to see if he read it, to thank him (even though once I were free I did say 'I don't know you, but have a hug!) but I don't think he saw. Young people don't tend to be facebookers nowadays.

So grateful. Especially given that really, it was my own daft fault for not specifying to the lad who left to put the key on the chain and not the padlock.

Aw, if they do I might have to move to Scotland and retrain......

A while ago my DD's car broke down on a roundabout on a country road, a couple of nice guys stopped and pushed her car back into a small parking area and stayed while she called home for help. We got help out to her, but really very nice of them to look after her. People are not all bad.

Another. In our local corner shop an old lady had her shopping rung through but found she didn't have enough money to pay for it all, she was trying to decide what to put back when this young lad back in the queue said don't worry about it I'll pay. So lovely.

Despite all the shit we all read on social media, I still fervently believe that more people are kind than not.

This is so lovely to hear @NeverGoingToBeThinAgain especially after the horrible thread about hating all men the other day. It was absolutely rancid and didn't fit with my experience of some lovely men in my life so it's good to see others have experienced lovely men too. I know my husband and son are those men as well.

What a lovely person!

Op that's so heart warming

Yes we here horrible stuff and people can be the devil himself but I'm had a disabled brother and my goodness the people helped us at various times !.carrying shopping ,pushing our car , helping getting him out loos and all sort

Thanks for sharing op !

@catipuss if I won the lottery id do what someone did ages ago and put wads of cash into the shopping baskets of the elderly who look like they are struggling into a supermarket
Esp around Xmas.