Christmas At The Bus Station
Author unknown
It was Christmastime. At a crowded bus station, one man stood out in the crowd. He was rude and obnoxious. He had an angry face. His eyes were filled with hatred. His forehead was crinkled, and he glared at anyone he made eye contact with. The man reked of body odor, and his appearance was disheveled. He wore mangled clothes, and his hair was matted.
His language was obscene, and under his breath he cursed at everyone. Not only that, but he was obscenely drunk. He teetered and stammered as he bumped into anyone in his path. He had no concern for the space of others.
People at the bus station were getting upset at this vile man’s actions. Many of them decided to push him back when he bumped into them.
One young many pushed the drunken man when he bumped into him and said, “Watch where you’re going, jerk.”
As the drunken man was pushed, he lost his balance and bumped into more people. Everyone started pushing back and yelling at him. This only fueled the anger already in the man’s heart. He cursed louder and became more obscene. Soon everyone at the bus station was full of anger and disgust.
Suddenly, someone pushed the drunken man so hard that he fell over and landed near a woman sitting on a bench with her eight-year-old daughter.
The little girl looked at the man trying to get up and then looked at her mom. “We should help him, don’t you think?” she asked her mom.
The mother responded, “Normally, dear, we’d help, but not in this situation. This is different.” The mother silently prayed that the vile man would not come over and disturb them.
Suddenly, the little girl got up and went over to the man, who had by this time stood up. The little girl looked the man directly in the eyes and said, “Sir, why are you so angry?”
The drunken man slurred and yelled at the little girl to go away. “Leave me alone,” he yelled.
The little girl was persistent. She pulled on his shirt and got the man’s attention.
“Leave me alone, get away from me,” he slurred again.
The little girl looked him in the eyes and said, “The reason I asked is because I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help.”
The man froze in his tracks. The angry look on his face softened, and he broke into tears.
The three of them, the drunken man, the little girl, and the mother, cried together.
The man told them that a year ago, his wife had died. They had been living paycheck to paycheck as it was. With the high cost of funeral expenses and the downgrade to only one salary, his troubles increased. He lost his care and lost his home, and most important, he lost the love of his life. He became homeless.
On that day, the anniversary of his wife’s death, he had sold his only winter jacket for bus fare so he could visit his wife at the cemetery.
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