Off The Record

A Father Of Three Who Lives In A Tent, Selflessly Donates His Last $2 To A Stranger At A Gas Station

Published on December 11, 2023

It was clear to Sean that he wasn’t alone in his struggles. Today, though, he felt profound sadness.

His wife died of cancer, leaving him to care for their three children alone.

When he had to liquidate his home to cover her medical expenses, things took a turn for the worst.

He was unable to keep his employment due to his expensive cost to care for his wife.

Living in an apartment in Oakland was out of Sean’s price range. He and his family were forced to relocate to a nearby tent community.

He had no idea his life would take a turn for the worse; it felt like a nightmare. Without a job, he felt trapped and helpless and each day seemed worse than the previous…

In Oakland, a pricey city, Sean could only work part-time in the mornings while his children were in school, but it wasn’t enough to get by.

To make things worse, he was still having trouble paying off a few bills. The requirements were not met, even though a generous neighbor offered to watch the children for an hour after school.

“What? I can’t do that. My kids. Look at me. I’m…nothing.”

Sean found himself in a difficult situation; he needed a job so bad to support his family.

Even though he felt helpless, he went about his days, making meets end with barely enough money to feed his children.

He would frequently starve to guarantee that his children would have enough to eat.

On a specific day, Sean departed from his workplace and headed towards the closest petrol station.

He picked up his kids from school and treated himself to a cheap hot dog with the spare money he had. On his way to the station, he saw a man attempting to reassure a woman and a young child in the backseat.

Sean was hesitant to interrupt, but he could see the couple was upset. The guy abruptly yelled out to him just as he was about to keep walking.

Call out! With a yell, he dashed towards Sean.

“Is everything okay?” Sean questioned, his voice betraying his confusion.

“Sir, I apologize for bothering you, but my wife is currently giving birth, and we have run out of gas,” the man told Sean while his expression betrayed his despair.

We were in such a hurry to leave the house that I forgot my phone and wallet at home. Could you perhaps help me with a few spare bucks?

Listening to the man’s difficulty, Sean felt an emotional pull. He knew he couldn’t abandon them when they needed him most, despite his personal struggles.

As he pondered his choices, Sean’s forehead wrinkled and his lips pursed. “Alright, sir. “I only have $2, but you can have it,” he finally said, taking out the cash from his pocket.

“I appreciate it! Thank you! No problem. “I only had a few coins in the car, but with this, I can fill up a gallon and get to the hospital,” the man graciously accepted the donation. “So that I may pay you back, could you kindly provide me with your contact details?”

Sean expressed his disapproval with a hand gesture. “No, it’s a must!” the man urged. Through a smile, he expressed his wish that his wife and baby arrived at the hospital safe.

“Please, I want to repay you,” Matthew adamantly stated.

“Okay, then,” Sean finally agreed and gave Matthew his phone number.

Looking at Matthew’s hasty exit from the gas station after filling up, Sean couldn’t help but wonder whether, in their desperation, they had run out of gas entirely.

Understanding how priorities change in times of distress, he reflected on the tremendous emotions that accompany childbirth.

Sean felt fulfilled as he left the petrol station, despite parting with his only few bucks…

Despite being hungry himself, he felt good about helping a family in need that day.

Even though it was still early in the morning, the sunbeams were piercing through the tent the following day.

His desire to sleep in a bit longer would have been satisfied had the phone not rung. Surprisingly, it was Matthew’s video call. In his enthusiastic greeting, “Sean!! Hello!”, Matthew nearly overpowered Sean’s drowsiness.

“Hey, Matthew,” Sean replied, rubbing his eyes.

“The arrival of our baby has been announced! Take a look!” Holding up the baby for Sean to see, Matthew cried out.

“That is fantastic news!” As Sean’s own children woke up and drew nearer to the camera, he smiled and replied. Their single father had informed them of the new arrival, so they felt compelled to offer their congratulations as well.

Come to my office at about noon, Sean. I really need you to. “Listen up, I’m serious; I have something to tell you,” Matthew announced.

“At noon? Yeah, I believe so, but I have to rush to get my kids from school.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t ask for much of your time today,” Matthew said in a mysterious manner before providing him with an address in the downtown area.

Please accept my sincere appreciation for yesterday’s assistance. “It was clear that you had to make a significant sacrifice by giving those two dollars, and I am grateful.”

Sean was unaware that the man he assisted was the business owner; he pondered whether he could approach him about a possible employment offer.

“Yours truly, sir. “As a father, I understand the pain of giving birth,” Sean said, his smile belying the memory of his late wife.

“Give me more details about yourself and your loved ones,” Matthew urged. Though he was hesitant at first, Sean eventually spoke about his struggles with his wife’s illness, death, home loss, and present living circumstances.

“Taking care of my children has limited my employment options to part-time.”

“The lack of approval for certain government support has made things difficult,” Sean concluded while clenching his jaw.

“You said you were a business manager once?” Matthew asked.

“Indeed, I held the position of senior regional manager in my prior employment. However, I was forced to resign when my wife experienced a serious illness,” Sean verified.

“I propose this. Run this business? “Whatever,” Matthew stated without sugarcoating it.

“What? What?!” Yeah, I’m not capable of doing that.” Sean argued that he was insignificant.

“We’ll find a solution, want to be a manager?” Matthew responded with assurance.

“What sort of managerial role is it?” Curious, Sean inquired. The amount of this offer exceeded his wildest expectations.

In fact, I would prefer it if you took over as owner. I am in dire need of a business associate as I am growing. We’ll have a stake in the businesses.

“I have a great intuition when it comes to people, and your approach is admirable. How about this?” After Matthew made the proposition, Sean was unable to respond.

“While I doubt I’d be able to refuse such an offer, wouldn’t it be better to have a financially stable partner?”, Sean inquired.

“Money, eh?” Matthew confessed, raising an eyebrow, that a rich man in a Lexus would not even offer him a few bucks to pay for petrol before you showed up. “You, nonetheless, gave me your last few bucks that day. To me, that’s more important than any sum of money that any investor could give. I want to put more heart into my business, not just more money.”

“I can’t believe my luck,” Sean whispered under his breath. Matthew extended a handshake and a smile.

Not long after, Sean became one of the new owners and began working, and he was even given permission to bring his children to the workplace.

He was able to locate a great apartment for his family using the advance on his high-paying job, and things started to get better.

Not only that, but he assisted his neighbor, who frequently helped out with the kids, and other residents of the tent city in securing better employment opportunities.

Even though Sean’s grief over his wife’s death would never go away, he found purpose in his work and was able to achieve professional success.

His children were saved from poverty, and his optimism was renewed. Life was good again.