Today, I went to the bank and had a surprise when I was told my bank card had been blocked.
Rather stupidly, I allowed myself to get into an argument. In the end, my favourite cashier sorted out the issue and I will soon get a replacement card, but that is not the real story …
… something else happened that got me thinking. I do that a lot these days, think!
As I left the bank, walking towards the bus station, I passed a man who seemed distracted/distressed. As soon as I passed him, he stopped me asked me if I was from a certain community e.g. “Are you English?”
I replied, “Yes, as it happens, I am of that community”.
He then started to explain why he stopped me and what he wanted.
He said he needs help and he is not a beggar and wouldn’t ask for money normally.
He then said, he needed help because his bike (he was a delivery rider) had been stolen outside a well known fast-food chain and that he had reported it to the police. Whilst CC TV is available, the police did not want to check it, hoeever, his crime had been recorded and he was given a Crime Reference Number.
He continued to explain, he needed to get this to his employer who has “loaned” him the bike and will need the Crime report to give him a replacement bike that he needs to do his job.
He showed me his phone and there were numerous calls from his Mum and he explained she was distressed and she was at work as a dental nurse.
He then gave me further reassurances about him and his predicament.
He said he is out on parole, having served half of his eight year sentence for manslaughter [not his words] - he had knocked down a child who had died.
He also said he was “God fearing” and he would not lie about things and showed me a religious tattoo.
I must say at this stage, normally, I would have been long gone pretty much after the first minute of this encounter, but somehow I was unable to walk away. So I asked how I could help or what he wanted me to do. He had a smartphone (his Mum and others were calling him) and he had a can of Coke and a cigarette in his hand. He seemed reasonably calm despite the stress he must have been under.
He said as part of the parole condition, he could not afford to make a mistake, otherwise he would be straight back to jail. I said, “Don’t worry, you haven’t done anything wrong. You are a victim of this crime and you have done the right thing and reported it to the police and have a CRN (Crime Reference Number). You are God fearing and will be looked after, though on this occasion you have been let down, but things happen for a reason”. I went on, “The bike was meant to be stolen and you were destined to meet me and stop me”
I brought the conversation back to how I could help and what it was he actually wanted.
It was all a bit weird but I simply could not walk away.
And so it went. He said I needed to be at my employer’s office and public transport will not help as it will take too long and my employer has asked me to be there by CoB (Close of Business). He also explained he had considered buying an “Oyster card” - used to travel in London. And I said that wasn’t going to help you as you have already said it will take too long.
He said a taxi will take me there. He said he had some money, but not enough. He had approached many people, but no one had offered to help.
He said I can have his phone number, but I said I don’t need that and it wouldn’t help.
I listened and thought but was unable to walk away.
The man was either a brilliant actor, conman or genuinely in need of help.
My gut instinct told be he must be genuine. You can’t make this up (or can you?)
I am thinking how unlucky is this man.
He kills a child (accidentally - as I guess the light sentence might have been not so light otherwise).
He mentioned he had lost his wife and child (I did not ask how/why but took it to mean they left him after he was convicted). Obviously, his Mother stood by him.
He is paroled, managed to get a job to help him survive.
Now to make matters worse, the tool of his trade had been stolen and left him in a difficult situation.
He now seeks help, but so far no one wants to help or is able to help.
Thoughts are running in my mind and I have to make a decision.
This is where the story ends.
I share this because it made me think we here on this forum might have it bad, but outside this forum there are things happening and we all know that. Somehow, this man came into my life, he must have clearly been under a lot of stress. Only he knows what went through his mind whilst serving his sentence etc.
So what have I been exposed to today?
I had to document it as I now have to to keep my mind clear.
Thank you for reading this.
