April is the month of my father’s birthday, so I’ve decided to post one or two stories about him. I can’t verify any of these, but folks still talk about his exploits. He, on the other hand, pretends they never happened.
Years ago, when he was considerably younger, my father cycled to work. On this particular evening, he was cycling home when he heard an almighty crash behind him, and felt a warmish whoosh. He remembers panicking because he had no idea what had happened. He thought if he moved, whatever it was might happen to him too.
It was the scream and the thud that made him alight and turn around.
In the uncovered drain that still runs alongside the road, lay a young girl who had been hit by a car. The car, which had been travelling in the opposite direction, had been hit by a bus (the crash my father heard). The impact sent it across three lanes to hit the girl, who had been walking on the pavement, just steps behind my father. The car was upside down several metres away.
My father has never said much about what happened next, only that others checked on the driver and the passengers in the bus. The terrified girl (let’s call her Anne) kept crying and asking him to call her mum, so he got the number and went knocking on the doors of nearby houses (cell phones were a rarity then). He’s referred to this as the hardest call he’s ever made because he didn’t know how to soften the news, and he felt the mum’s anguish down the phone.
The emergency vehicles arrived and the casualties were attended to. Because Anne’s mum had yet to arrive, my father rode in the ambulance with Anne, after ensuring that the police officers would update her mum. I remember my father calling home from the hospital, then being really late for dinner. He was also missing his bicycle which, to this day, no one knows where it went.
I remember coming home from school about three weeks later and finding a family of five in the living room. It was Anne, her parents and siblings. She had a cast and healing bruises but was recovering well.
Turns out, the family had returned to the accident site to talk to the homeowners in order to locate my father because all they had was his name. Eventually someone told them where they thought he lived.
Anne revealed how he’d climbed into the drain to sit beside her after making that call, and kept her calm by telling stories about nothing in particular. It had meant the world to a frightened young girl, and the parents had wanted to thank him personally. His reply? Anne needed someone and she reminded him of me.
Today, our families still get together on festive occasions. There are grandkids now, and Anne’s mum still tells the story of how Anne first met the kind uncle.
How precious and unselfish! There are those who would have scarcely turned their heads and kept walking……what a marvelous example of his very special qualities.
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Thank you 🌷.
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My eyes have filled with tears and I have goosebumps on my entire body.
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Aww! Thanks so much 🌷
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Wow, what an amazing story. It brought a lump to my throat.
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💗
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A remarkable story! You’re lucky to have a dad like that.
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I am indeed. Thank you 💕
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This is a beautiful story. I love that there was community that formed from this. I don’t know why, but I felt like it could be a scene in the tv show ‘This Is Us’. It was THAT perfect!
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Wow, that is so kind of you. I’m glad we made firm friends out of that incident.
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Just the sort of person one would want around in a crisis!
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My mum might beg to differ 😂😂
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Oh, what a lovely story. If we could all be as kind, making connections, as your father did. This story is particularly special to me because I read it on what would have been my own father’s 97th birthday. I miss him so. Tell this story to your children and theirs. This is a legacy that needs to be continued. Thank you so much for sharing.
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I’m sorry to learn about your dad – I’m sure he too must have done great things. Yes, I do want to make sure the younger clan members know about his deeds, not because it’s grandpa or granduncle, but because his giving actions are what they should aspire to. Thank you for reading and commenting 🌷
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What a wonderful story – thank you for sharing it with us.
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This is heartwarming! Your father has a kind heart.
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Thank you so much. I’ll tell him later today 💗
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You’re welcome ❤️. You’re lucky he’s still alive. I miss my father suddenly. He passed away six years ago.
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I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m sure you have many good memories 💕 Take care of yourself and thanks for stopping by.
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Thank you! We only got to enjoy being with him in his later life. Here’s something about him https://dailygrindofastayathomemom.wordpress.com/2017/12/03/an-empty-part-of-me/
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Thanks for sharing this. Will go over to the site 🤗
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Thank you 😊
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Talk about real men and how they are supposed to act? Your dad is the epidemy of a real man. So happy to hear too, how both families (yours and theirs) have become one. Also, I was delighted to find out that (Anne) survived the accident. A happy ending indeed. :O)
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Thank you! 🌷
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You’re welcome. I read your post anticipating that the account would have a happy ending—greatly satisfied that it did. It was a pleasure to read. :O)
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🤗
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:O)
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Your father is an amazingly compassionate man. I can see why you selected this post as your favorite!
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Yes, he is. Thank you 🌷
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How lovely. I shared my own story of my dad back in May to honour is birthday week. Dads are heroes! 🙂
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Thank you! I’m hopping over to your site for some lively reading.
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