Hurrying To Get Home, The Ex-convict Paid The Fare For The Old Man, And A Day Later…
A Long Journey Home
Having spent three years in prison, Naomi Anderson was finally returning home. As fortune would have it, the weather was awful and immediately hit the former prisoner with all the manifestations of its awfulness.
Strong gusts of wind, aggravated by heavy rain, forced the rare passersby to press their heads into their shoulders and search for a place to hide from the elements. Despite it being late fall, there was spring in the woman’s heart.
More than anything else in the world, Naomi wanted to return to her hometown lost in Northern Iowa. Unfortunately, Naomi’s mother didn’t live long enough to see her daughter’s release from prison.
Her life was cut short by an insidious heart attack. It broke the ex-con’s heart, causing her to feel devastated and guilty at the same time.
“If I never met Floyd then I wouldn’t have gotten involved in that awful story and everything would have been completely different,”
Naomi thought on her way to the bus stop. The woman was finally leaving behind the impenetrable walls of the state county jail, a silent reminder of the mistakes people made in their lives.
The truth was that Naomi wasn’t actually guilty of anything, but her fiance framed her and gave false testimony three years ago. Thus, the woman was accused of being an accomplice and landed in the defendant’s chair.
In fact, Naomi was guilty of only one thing: falling in love with a low life of a man and trusting him with her heart. And now, three years later, the ex-convict looked at the situation with completely different eyes.
While still in prison, Naomi made a vow to herself to be more circumspect and never take people at their word again. She got to the bus stop and started waiting for the bus that would take the ex-con to her hometown.
There was no direct route, so Naomi knew that she would have to make a connection. The woman was fine with it; she was willing to spend the entire day on the road only to get home as soon as possible.
When the bus came, Naomi deliberately took the window seat so she could watch how much life had changed during her time in jail. There were new billboards everywhere and several new flower beds with many beautiful colorful flowers.
An Unexpected Encounter
At some point, the woman got lulled by the view outside her window, pressed her face against the glass, and dozed off. Naomi didn’t know how long she’d slept, but she woke up from the fact that the bus swayed sharply as it arrived at the next stop.
Having opened her eyes, Naomi saw more passengers get on the bus. One of them was a non-descript old man of about 80.
The stranger clearly wasn’t dressed for the weather. Wrapped in a thin coat, he was shaking like an aspen wave.
When the controller asked the man to show his ticket, he readily reached into his pocket, after which sadness and regret froze on his face.
“Excuse me sir, this is an unfortunate misunderstanding. I had my ticket as well as money, it’s just that there’s a hole in my coat pocket and apparently I lost everything,”
The elderly man said, sounding rather confused.
The controller grimaced in displeasure and was about to make the old man step off the bus. There was no one to stand up for the old man, and Naomi was starting to feel sorry for him.
The situation escalated to the limit, and when the driver was ready to drop the old man off on the side of the road, the ex-con intervened. Naomi pulled all the money she had out of her pocket and used it to pay the elderly man’s fare.
“Here take it sir I hope it’s enough,”
Naomi said, handing a few crumbled bills over to the controller.
The old man smiled at his savior and thanked her profusely. The controller gave Naomi a contemptuous look but took her money anyway.
Then he turned to the window and started watching the road with a proud look on his face. Since the seat next to Naomi was empty, the woman immediately invited the shivering old man to take it.
When they were already on their way, the elderly man gradually relaxed and warmed up and introduced himself as Charles Collins.
“I’m on my way to visit my son. He’s my only child. We had him late, I was already 50 years old. I haven’t seen him in a long time. I bought the ticket, I had money on me but this hole in my pocket… If it weren’t for you, I’d have to walk down the highway or try to hitchhike,”
The old man sat with a sad sigh.
Return to the Farm
Naomi smiled and caught herself thinking that she enjoyed talking to the smart and reasonable man. They spent the rest of the journey chatting about everything in the world, sharing stories from their past and present with each other.
Naomi didn’t want to hide the fact that she was an ex-convict from Mr. Collins, so she told him everything exactly as it was. The old man didn’t judge the young woman, knowing full well that life was full of unexpected turns and anything could happen.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, so naturally Naomi and Mr. Collins’s journey also ended and each went their own way. Having said goodbye to Charles Collins, Naomi got off at her stop and headed for her parents’ farm where she spent her childhood.
Watching the woman get off the bus, the old man mentally wished her good luck before the bus drove on. Saying that Naomi’s late mother’s house was in bad shape would be a huge understatement.
Peeling paint on the facade, dirty window panes, and sun-bleached tiles made it look more like the home of some beggar hermit. Sighing sadly, Naomi opened the door and entered the house.
Inside, everything was covered with dust and cobwebs, which made the woman feel very sad.
“It will take me at least a week to clean it all up,”
Naomi thought, putting her bag on the floor.
The woman realized that she had no other options where she could stay, so she decided not to put things off and started cleaning the house right away. Naomi wasn’t a spoiled child, so she knew her way around a broom and a mop from early childhood.
By the evening, the house had transformed and was literally shining with cleanliness and freshness. Since it was getting late, Naomi took a shower and smiled at her reflection in the mirror before going to bed.
A Surprising Offer
The woman woke up early, but she intended to stay in bed until lunch at least. But then she heard a loud knock at her door and her heart skipped a beat.
Imagine the woman’s surprise when she looked out the window and saw a police car parked by the house.
“Something must have happened. Are they going to send me back to prison? Lord, what did I do to deserve this?”
Naomi thought as she opened the door.
But when the woman saw Charles Collins next to the police officer, she felt much better. To Naomi’s surprise, the old man looked nothing like the way he did when they first met.
He seemed more like a wealthy businessman than a poor old man. Charles Collins coughed awkwardly and spoke.
“Please forgive me for this unexpected visit Naomi. I had to use my son’s connections to find you with the help of the police. I have an offer for you, but before you decide I want you to come with me,”
He said.
