What would you do if you saw someone alone and defenseless on the street? Would it be possible to trust them, despite having never met this person? That's what our protagonist deeply considered as he faced a moral dilemma. Ultimately, it resulted in him permanently changing a man's life forever.
Could He Be Trusted?
“I was walking down the street once, my backpack slung across my shoulder as I was on my way to school. I had work after school that day, so naturally I had some extra clothes in my backpack, plus the two sticks of deodorant that I keep on me at all times. I had a good $300 in my wallet, and I was only $150 away from buying that new flat screen TV of my dreams. That’s when I see him.
A homeless guy, looking down on his luck, is sitting next to a really sick looking dog. No sign, no money cup, just a man and his dog. Now I’ve seen this scene before, as I live in the city. It may sound stupid, but this one seemed different. I slowly walk up to him and ask him, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I don’t have enough money to get help for my dog,’ he says. ‘I tried to sell a necklace that I had, but they only gave me $50 for it.’
So after about a minute of talking to the guy and thinking about it, I tell him, ‘I believe you man, what’s your name?’
He tells me his name is Rob, and I tell him mine.
‘Well Rob, I like you. I’m going to give you $250, a stick of deodorant, and some help. My friend works at the gas station just down the street, you know the Marathon up there? He’s got a guest room, and he can probably get you a job. You down?’
So I call my aforementioned buddy, Derek, and I ask him if he’s got room in his place for someone to get back on their feet. I also asked if there are any job openings at the station. Sure enough, the answers are yes and possibly. So I explain to Derek the situation and he approves. He even tells me that he can talk his boss into getting him a job interview. So I give the money to Rob, so he can get help for his dog, I give him my phone number, and I tell him that my friend is taking off work to come pick him up soon. I tell him, ‘Use the money to fix your dog, and whatever else is left is yours to do with what you please, but, I’m trusting you to use this money wisely. My friend is going to get you a job, and give you a room in his house, but only until you can afford an apartment or something.’
Next thing I know, this man is hugging me, crying, saying things like, ‘Thank you, thank you, I promise I’ll do good by you!’ and other things along that line.
A few days after that, Derek and I took Rob shopping for some new clothes for his job interview. He’s all settled into his space in Derek’s house, and everything is going well. His dog’s in the vet for a digestive/gastrointestinal problem from eating some odd trash. I tried to checked in on them periodically, but I never got Rob’s phone number. All of a sudden, I hear back a few months later from a phone number that I’ve never seen before. I let it ring for a little bit. Then it hits me: Rob!
So I answer it as fast as I can. I scramble and almost drop my phone, but I hear his unmistakable voice. ‘Hey, Rob! How’s it going?’
After a little bit of a phone conversation, I find out that he got the job, bought a phone, and most importantly, is renting an apartment. I head on over, and it’s not a bad place at all! He said the next step is to quit smoking. To this day, I still talk to him on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.”