What Are The Odds?

Life is strange. Very strange. This is one of those Random Acts of Kindness stories that defies logic, given the extraordinary series of coincidences it involves.

So there I was, driving a bus load of elderly people home from a respite program I am involved in. This program is for elderly clients with a Greek heritage. I myself, have a Greek background, so I speak the language very well. Half way through the journey, I dropped off one of the female passengers. As I was reversing out of her driveway, I noticed a couple of elderly women standing at the end of the drive on the footpath.

It briefly crossed my mind that they may have been Jehovah's Witnesses, doing the rounds of the neighbourhood, looking for converts. Or maybe the lady I had just dropped off was about to get a couple of visitors. As I reversed down the drive to the street, one of the women approached the mini-bus. I wound down the window, and that's when this journey really began to get weird.

It transpired that this woman, I'll refer to her as Female A, had seen the other woman, Female B, looking a bit lost and confused just up the street. Female B, it seems, had gone to visit a friend at number 35, only to find that her friend was not home. Since no-one was home, and since she had just travelled across town via taxi to visit her absent friend, she had no way of contact family, friends, or another taxi to take her home.

Female A, saw Female B from her home and thought she should offer assistance (Random Act of Kindness #1). For some reason they wondered down the street towards number 21, where my client lived, and arrived there just as I turned up to drop my client off.

"Does a Greek woman live here?" asked Female A. Yes, I replied, and then proceeded to listen to her story, which I've just told you, dear reader. But get this. Female B, the woman who is slightly lost and confused, turns out to be Greek herself!

What are the odds?

We now have another brief conversation where she also tells me her story. However, since she doesn't know the woman I had just brought home, I told her there was no point talking to her about her plight.

Well, what's a man to do? Leave her there to fend for herself? Call a taxi for her, and let the taxi drive her back across town to her home?

Since I would end up back in town after dropping off all my passengers, I decided I would save her some money, and give her a lift into town (Random Act of Kindness #2). So thanking Female A, for taking the time to help Female B, I put our new passenger in the mini-bus, and continue our journey.

Now this lady is completely flabbergasted to find she is sharing the bus with four other elderly Greeks, and clearly overjoyed at her luck. As I head off to my next set down point, the lady just happens to mention that her son lives in the suburb of Lockleys.

"But this is Lockleys," I say.

"I know," she says, and tells me her son lives on White Street.

What are the odds?

But where was White Street? And how was I going to find it? Now, it transpires that on this day, of all days, I had to pick up a client from her daughters house. An address I had not previously been to. So before picking up the mini-bus early in the morning, I made sure I took the Street Directory out of my car, and put it in the mini-bus -- since I knew I would be needing it. However, on any other day I would not have had the Street Directory with me.

What are the odds?

I pull into the curb, grab the Directory, and look up White Street, Lockleys. Incredibly, it is probably only a kilometre or so down the road.

What are the odds?

I find White Street, and the thought crosses my mind, that maybe her son won't be home. But never mind, I ask the woman for the number of her son's house. She doesn't know the street number, but apparently the house is a double-story red bricked home -- the only one on the street.

I drive virtually right down to the end of White Street, and sure enough, there is the double-storied red bricked house. I pull up directly in front of the house, and as I do so, I see a young woman standing in the front yard.

"There's my daughter-in-law", cries our new friend, as I try to get the young woman's attention.

What are the odds?

I get out of the bus, and call the daughter-in-law over, explaining in 50 words or less that I have her mother-in-law in the vehicle with me! Well, what was I going to say? It was far too complicated and bizarre a story to explain in detail, so I let our surprise passenger out, and figure she can tell the story at her leisure.

And so, showering us profusely with Thank You's, kisses, and tears we turn her over into the hands of her daughter-in-law, and presumably her son, and take our leave.

But what are the odds?

Somedays, the Gods just happen to be looking in the right direction, and take care of everything -- just like they are meant to. Thank you... thank you...

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P.S., Check out The Random Acts Of Kindness Foundation website for lots of inspirational stories that involve people helping people in positive ways all over the world.

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Quote of The Day...

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC), The Lion and the Mouse

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