Sometimes a small act of kindness is exactly what is needed to make someone’s entire life better. This story, which was inspired by the readers of AmoMama, is exactly that. Tayla was coming out from her boss’s office with her face hung low, and a heavy heart. She had been called in for the second time this week for silly mistakes that she had made. As the week’s events flashed through her mind she couldn’t help but see how each situation had made her later, and the snowball effect that just caused so many other things to go wrong. There was no way to explain this to her boss without making her angrier. So, Talya just sat on the chair while her boss berated her over and over.
A Good Mother Having a Bad Day
Talya had two children. Her first was Abbigail who was 15 years old and had all the typical signs of adolescence. Her second was Amy, who was only five years old. Amy was an anxious child who got nervous each morning before leaving for school. It all started when Tayla’s father, Tom, passed away about a year ago. Amy and her grandad had been close. Abbigail had grown up and started hanging out with her friends on the weekends, so didn’t have time to visit her grandad anymore. The one-on-one time with her grandad allowed their bond to grow strong, but when Tom passed away due to heart difficulties, Amy was heartbroken. She had lost her best friend.
After the death of her grandfather, Amy developed separation anxiety. Talya knew that if they were patient, they would eventually cease. To prevent Amy from panicking, they made sure they arrived early at her school each afternoon so that she never had to wait. Tayla would race there frantically after work every day to make sure she was on time, if not early. Today was one of those days that she needed to be extra early because it was raining buckets outside. This meant that everyone would be trying to fetch their child early so they didn’t have to stand in the rain. It was about a year that Tom had passed away. Her father had been her rock in life. So, this time of year was hard for her as many memories resurfaced and emotions ran high.
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Bad Day, Bad Mood
Tayla did not know how to explain to her boss that she had been feeling down because of the first anniversary of her father’s death. She had been so patient during the time of mourning. So, today, Tayla just took the blow (verbal, of course). She made a mental note to improve her work ethic drastically. The rest of the day, Tayla just kept her head down and concentrated on doing a good job. She worked at a post office. Every day she processed the packages that people want to send to their loved ones, or whomever.
Her mood had been set at the beginning of the day. Amy had a tantrum before leaving for school because she wanted to stay with her mommy. This was one of those perplexing arguments for Talya. Her initial instinct as a mother was to take her baby girl into her arms and cuddle on the sofa with her. Tayla knew better though. They both had responsibilities. She had work. Amy had school.
As the end of the day came, Tayla started counting the minutes. She so badly wanted to leave and fetch Amy so they could get home. The minutes dragged by until about five minutes to closing. Tayla had already prepared to close, in her eagerness to leave. Just then, she saw an elderly man walking through the door with a package in his hand. She could not believe it, surely he does not intend to post it now, it’s so late already.
Making Exceptions
The old man came up to Tyla at the counter and she tried to protest, saying that the post office was closed. He begged her to let him post the parcel. He had walked four or five hours in the rain because no taxis would take him and the bus routes had been diverted. Amy was exhausted, but she decided to help him quickly. She handed the document he needed to fill in, and she took the parcel in to weigh it. When she came back to the document, she saw how terrible the man’s handwriting was, she could not make out a single word. Irritated, she gave him another, but the same thing happened. She snapped at him after the third ruined document and looked at the time. Deeply frustrated now, she called her husband to explain that she is being held back at work by a customer, and he must go to fetch Amy.
When she got back to the old man, she saw him sigh and put the pen down. As he moved, she could not help but notice the tell-tale outline of a pacemaker underneath his shirt. She instantly felt bad for being so impatient. Her father also had a pacemaker, so she knew how debilitating life can seem to the wearer. She went up to the counter with a soft expression on her face. He was apologizing for wasting her time and tried to say he will come back on Monday because she had a family who needed her.
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Working Late
Tayla put her hand on his shoulder and told him it was okay because her husband was there to help. Reaching for a fresh document, and taking out a pen, she asked him for the details and fill in the document herself. She found out the parcel was for his daughter’s 50th, she was the same age. He had hoped the parcel would arrive on her actual birthday because he was too old to take the bus to see her in person. Tayla’s heart sank, she knew the parcel would arrive two days after her birthday because they had already sent out the same-day deliveries.
She thought for a moment, studying the man’s face. Reading the address, she knew his daughter lived about two hours away in a car. She knew what she had to do. So, she grabbed her bag and got out her car keys. She told the man to go with her. When he asked why, she told him that the only way to get her daughter’s present there on time would be if he delivered it to her himself, and she was going to drive him there. The man could not believe her kindness. It had been a while since he saw his daughter because she worked such a crazy schedule.
The Happiest Reunion
When they drove up to the house, his daughter came out to greet them with the happiest expression on her face. They hugged for about ten minutes straight, and then his daughter turned to hug Tayla. They were invited inside the house where a mighty feast was enjoyed between them. Tayla could not help but feel her father with her as if by helping this old man connect with his daughter, she could connect to her own in heaven.
The old man agreed to stay for the rest of the weekend, and his daughter would drive him home on Sunday. Tayla exchanged her contact details with the two before she went home to her own family saying that if they needed anything, they must just call.
This story was inspired by an original piece of fiction that first appeared on AmoMama. Any similarities between this story and actual people are purely coincidental
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