It was clear to Sean that he wasn’t alone in his struggles. Today, though, he felt profound sadness.
His wife died of cancer, leaving him to care for their three children alone.
When he had to liquidate his home to cover her medical expenses, things took a turn for the worst.
He was unable to keep his employment due to his expensive cost to care for his wife.
Living in an apartment in Oakland was out of Sean’s price range. He and his family were forced to relocate to a nearby tent community.
He had no idea his life would take a turn for the worse; it felt like a nightmare. Without a job, he felt trapped and helpless and each day seemed worse than the previous…
In Oakland, a pricey city, Sean could only work part-time in the mornings while his children were in school, but it wasn’t enough to get by.
To make things worse, he was still having trouble paying off a few bills. The requirements were not met, even though a generous neighbor offered to watch the children for an hour after school.
Sean found himself in a difficult situation; he needed a job so bad to support his family.
Even though he felt helpless, he went about his days, making meets end with barely enough money to feed his children.
He would frequently starve to guarantee that his children would have enough to eat.
On a specific day, Sean departed from his workplace and headed towards the closest petrol station.
He picked up his kids from school and treated himself to a cheap hot dog with the spare money he had. On his way to the station, he saw a man attempting to reassure a woman and a young child in the backseat.
Sean was hesitant to interrupt, but he could see the couple was upset. The guy abruptly yelled out to him just as he was about to keep walking.
Call out! With a yell, he dashed towards Sean.
“Is everything okay?” Sean questioned, his voice betraying his confusion.
“Sir, I apologize for bothering you, but my wife is currently giving birth, and we have run out of gas,” the man told Sean while his expression betrayed his despair.
We were in such a hurry to leave the house that I forgot my phone and wallet at home. Could you perhaps help me with a few spare bucks?
Listening to the man’s difficulty, Sean felt an emotional pull. He knew he couldn’t abandon them when they needed him most, despite his personal struggles.
As he pondered his choices, Sean’s forehead wrinkled and his lips pursed. “Alright, sir. “I only have $2, but you can have it,” he finally said, taking out the cash from his pocket.
“I appreciate it! Thank you! No problem. “I only had a few coins in the car, but with this, I can fill up a gallon and get to the hospital,” the man graciously accepted the donation. “So that I may pay you back, could you kindly provide me with your contact details?”
Sean expressed his disapproval with a hand gesture. “No, it’s a must!” the man urged. Through a smile, he expressed his wish that his wife and baby arrived at the hospital safe.
“Please, I want to repay you,” Matthew adamantly stated.
“Okay, then,” Sean finally agreed and gave Matthew his phone number.
Looking at Matthew’s hasty exit from the gas station after filling up, Sean couldn’t help but wonder whether, in their desperation, they had run out of gas entirely.
Understanding how priorities change in times of distress, he reflected on the tremendous emotions that accompany childbirth.
Sean felt fulfilled as he left the petrol station, despite parting with his only few bucks…
Despite being hungry himself, he felt good about helping a family in need that day.
Even though it was still early in the morning, the sunbeams were piercing through the tent the following day.
His desire to sleep in a bit longer would have been satisfied had the phone not rung. Surprisingly, it was Matthew’s video call. In his enthusiastic greeting, “Sean!! Hello!”, Matthew nearly overpowered Sean’s drowsiness.
