Act of Kindness

On a bus St.Petersburg-Tallinn an elderly man spoke emotionally in Italian on the phone. After the talk the “Italian” immediately shared the news with everyone that his daughter had just been robbed in Milan: she put her luggage in a luggage compartment on a bus and someone stole it! The Italian was nervous and wanted to know who responsible for the luggage on the bus was. The bus driver calmed him down saying that no such thing could happen on his bus, other people joined the conversation saying there was no sense talking about such probabilities.

Silence fell and there was a sense that everyone on the bus started thinking of a possible luggage theft.

—Hey, girl, what are you waiting for? We’re leaving soon, - the bus driver addressed a young girl standing on the bus stop.

—I have missed my bus to Tallinn, it departed 15 minutes ago, - the girl sobbed, - is it possible I take your bus to Tallinn instead?

Our bus driver hesitated for a moment. —Well, what should I do with you? Let me have a look at your ticket and your passport, - the bus driver replied to the girl. The driver checked the girl’s passport, saw she had really missed her bus, and without further ado invited her to have a seat in our bus.

The bus rumbled on, and the passengers settled into a quiet lull, each absorbed in their thoughts. The elderly Italian, still visibly shaken by his daughter’s experience, stared out of the window, lost in contemplation. There was palpable tension in the atmosphere. But the young girl’s sudden appearance and the driver’s act of kindness served as a gentle reminder that life is a mix of highs and lows, light and dark. Just as day gives way to night and winter to spring, our lives too are marked by contrasts. Moments of despair are often followed by instances of hope, and vice versa. It’s the duality of human nature and the world we live in.