The Gesture of a Gentleman

I was standing in the one and only Hallmark Store in our town when my phone rang. A call from the Leasing Office. Uh oh. And on a Saturday.Turned out a parent was in the office worried about her daughter, who she said she couldn’t reach, so I told the Leasing Specialist I was only minutes away from her property so I would come in in a few. After that (and it would NOT be Finals Week and semester end without at least one Welfare Call in #studenthousing) I drove back to the shopping center where the Hallmark Store was located.

I was waiting my turn to go up the aisle of the lot when someone else took his turn. I wasn’t paying too close attention but noticed a very elderly woman walking across the lot from the store. She crossed in front of the car and looked confused. She wasn’t holding anything and I kind of wondered if she was looking for her car (silently thinking, WoW! Do you still drive?) Then another man walked out of the store and stopped. He apparently was sizing up this woman’s predicament, too. The car in front of me pulled up to the elderly lady and waited beside her. She caught a look at the driver and immediate recognition registered on her face and she began to walk around the front of the car to the passenger side. She seemed pretty unsteady on her feet and for a split second I worried she might fall.

Quietly and quickly the man waiting at the curb stepped off and immediately went to her, offered his arm and walked her around to the passenger side. He was speaking to her and she was nodding her head. He reached for the car door, opened it and helped her into the seat. Then he smiled and said something else and closed the door. He walked away to find his own car and carry on with his day. I was waiting far enough back to see everything but not close enough to hear anything. 

The gesture of this gentleman touched my heart deeply and I suddenly missed my mom. How sweet and thoughtful of him to see this person in need and reach out. It inspired me. How I wanted to get the opportunity to carry this forward, and I intend to do just that. I will especially look for these opportunities when dealing with my teams and our residents. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind.