09/12/2025
Rick felt utterly powerless. His mom was in the hospital, doctors saying the end was near. He jumped in his car, anxiety coursing through him, focused only on reaching her.
In the chaos, he overlooked something simple: he needed gas. Midway on the highway, the engine died. Rick clutched the wheel, dread swelling as car after car drove on. He tried getting help, but people hurried away or shouted at him. Each moment made his fear heavier—would he miss his chance to say goodbye?
Then, Rick saw an older woman whose medication had scattered on the pavement. He went to assist her in picking up the pills.
"Thank you, young man," she said, her voice weary. "Age has left me so frail."
Rick, barely holding back tears, recounted his own story: a dying mother and no fuel. Olivia, as she introduced herself, quietly listened and then offered a little gasoline from her own car. "Go see your mother," she urged gently.
Rick drove away grateful, unaware how important the encounter would become for Olivia as well.
That night, Olivia sat on her bed, consumed by worries about the costly surgery she needed. In tears, she answered a ringing phone.