People think being a delivery person is easy, but it’s more complex than anyone can imagine, although Harry always did his best. He didn’t have a car. He used his scooter to deliver orders from a food ordering app, and usually, it was great.

Riding a few distances was not that hard, but things always got a little dicier when he had to cross the highway, mainly because it was snowing every once in a while this season. People always seemed to become more restless and scary on the big road, so Harry had to be extra careful because he was on a scooter.

That day, he was trying to get off the highway as quickly as possible when he saw an older man trying to cross the road. He was frail and looked cold in his unkempt jacket. The honks of cars echoed as they passed him, and the man flinched as they did. If that kept going, someone would run over the man, and Harry wanted to prevent that mishap, so he stopped his scooter in front of him.

“Dad! It’s a gift!” Lucy said and pointed towards the man.
“Sir, let me help you cross,” he offered, grabbing the man’s elbow to guide him. Harry put his other hand out and started leading the older man through it.

The drivers were unhappy about stopping in the middle of the road, but they stopped because Harry kept his hand raised and gave the drivers a scary look. Luckily, they reached the other side after a few minutes, and the old beggar smiled brightly at him.

“Thank you so much, young man. I can’t believe I finally crossed. It always takes a long time. My house is this way, but I walk through town on the other side,” the old man explained, and Harry nodded.

“You’re welcome, sir. But please, try to find another way to get home. It’s super dangerous to cross the highway. It’s like drivers go a little crazy, and this time of year is even worse. Be careful out there,” Harry said and straightened his scooter to get back on it.

“Wait, young man. Can you tell me your address, so I can send a thank you gift,” the older man said, reaching for Harry.

“Oh, that’s not necessary.”

“Please. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t repay this kind gesture,” he insisted, and Harry nodded, rattling off his address.

He lived in a nice neighborhood because he had inherited the house from his parents, who passed several years ago. His three children loved their new home, but they all missed their grandparents terribly. Sadly, tragedy struck their family shortly afterward because the pandemic cost him his job, and now food delivery was his entire livelihood.

Some days he had to work 18 hours to keep his family afloat. He was his children’s only parent because his wife had abandoned them long ago, and Harry was determined to build a promising future for them, even if he didn’t have a car to make those deliveries properly. He was saving for that.

Still, he didn’t expect anything from this poor older man. “Thank you again!” the senior beggar waved as Harry rolled away to continue working.

***

However, he almost crashed his scooter the following day when he got home from working on his last order. A brand new car was in the open garage, and his kids were jumping excitedly on the lawn. Normally, he didn’t allow them outside, but his eldest, Lucy, was smiling too.

“Guys, what’s going on?” he said wide-eyed, throwing his scooter on the grass.

“Dad! It’s a gift!” Lucy said and pointed towards the man Harry had not noticed.

“Sir! What are you doing here? Is that your car? How? What? Why?” Harry stumbled through questions as he approached the old beggar he had helped cross the road. He didn’t understand what was happening.

Why was he walking around risking his life if the man had a car? Most importantly, why was the car in his garage?

“I don’t want to sell it. I want my effort to have real meaning. Please, accept it.”
“I told you that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t repay the gesture,” the man responded, smiling. “My name is Reginald, and this car… I bought it many years ago… for my grandson.”

Harry was confused, but the older man continued. “My wife and I only had one son during our marriage, and she left me when my company went bankrupt. She took my kid, of course, but I tried my best. Still, it was not enough. My son got used to his stepfather’s money, and I couldn’t compete with that anymore.”

“That’s terrible,” Lucy said, holding her siblings close as Harry listened intently.

“Yes, it is, young lady. My son called every once in a while, but we were never close. A few years ago, my grandson was turning 18, and I had met him a few times. I wanted to do something for him, so I got this car,” Reginald pointed at it. “He hated it.”

“It’s a vintage Cadillac!” Harry pointed out, shocked.

“My grandson, much like his father, likes shiny and new. I didn’t know that. He said that his real grandfather – his step-grandfather had already gotten him a brand new SUV,” Reginald swallowed. “So, I had to take this one home, and I couldn’t drive it much. It hurt too much. But I kept it in great shape, and I think it’s time someone had it. I could tell from your work uniform that you deliver food, and thought that you could really use the vehicle.”

“I can’t accept this extravagant gift from a stranger, sir. It wouldn’t be right,” Harry shook his head, although he was so grateful that someone thought about him at all.