A truck driver saves a young woman’s life on a wintry night. Days later, their paths cross again when the young woman does something unexpected for him.
It was a dark wintry night when Arthur was returning home after a difficult shift. He worked as a truck driver in Texas, taking several shifts a week because his family was in dire need of money.
The poor man, as usual, had a lot of things on his mind that day, and he was driving slowly, thinking of solutions to his problems. He had a sick daughter named Kate who needed urgent surgery, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to raise enough money for it.
Kate was diagnosed with a cyst shortly after birth. The doctors told her parents that she needed an operation as soon as possible; otherwise, it could pose a threat to the little girl’s life.
Arthur and his wife Maria didn’t have enough money to afford the surgery, and they asked the doctor how much time they had to save their little one. The doctor, with a mournful expression, declared that a couple of years was all they had — to be exact, only 3 years. The cyst would then double in size, and the consequences would be fatal.
Arthur and Maria decided they would do whatever it took to save their daughter and began saving money right away. Arthur stopped going to bars with friends to save money for Kate’s surgery, and Maria gave up on the small purchases she’d made after saving money from the monthly budget.
A year later, they had nearly 70% of the funds for the operation, but the remaining 30% was still a significant sum.
As Arthur drove his truck that evening, the vehicle’s wheel became obstructed by snow on the roads, causing the truck to jerk and his sad thoughts to pause. Oh my goodness! It’s snowing a lot today. I guess it’ll be a while before I get home, the man thought, slowing down to a crawl and continuing to drive.
It was pitch black outside, with no visibility. There wasn’t a soul in sight, and all Arthur could see was snow and a street light somewhere in the distance—that is, until he drove a little further and noticed a silhouette in the middle of the road.
He slammed on the brakes and came to a complete stop, oblivious to the fact that what he’d seen was only a suspicion. However, as he rubbed his eyes and looked more closely, he noticed a human figure—a woman lying unconscious in the middle of the road.
Arthur jumped out of his truck and dashed over to her aid. “Hello? Are you okay? Can you hear me?” he asked, trying to stir her up. The woman opened her eyes, mumbled something, and fell unconscious again.
Arthur picked her up and carried her to the truck. He turned on the small heater he had and covered her with his jacket. Then he rubbed her hands to warm them up and tried a few more times to wake her up, but it was all in vain.
Worried about her condition, Arthur quickly changed his route and drove straight to the hospital. After a while, the woman gained consciousness, her pale skin finally returning to a normal color and her eyes opening slowly, though not wholly. “Where am I? And where are you taking me?” she inquired in a trembling voice.
“Oh! You’re awake? Don’t worry, we’ll be at the hospital soon,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the road and attempting to arrive at the hospital as soon as possible. The woman mumbled something in response and fell asleep again.
About 10 minutes later, they finally arrived at the hospital. Arthur lifted her and dashed inside. “It’s an emergency! Please call the doctor!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
The doctor, upon examining her, announced she needed to be admitted urgently. “Her limbs are frostbitten, and because she’s been out in the cold, we need to admit her right away. Are you related to her?” he inquired, his gaze fixed on Arthur.
“I’m just a truck driver,” Arthur explained. “I came across her on the road on my way home.”
“So, did you inform the cops about her?”
“Not yet. I just came to the hospital as soon as possible.”
“That’s good. Thanks for your help. We’ll inform the police, but we need you to stay here in case there are questions.”
Arthur nodded, knowing that cops would also question him, suspecting him of being responsible for the woman’s state. And so it happened.
When the district police officer arrived, he began interrogating Arthur, turning and twisting his questions to determine if Arthur was to be blamed for the woman’s condition. But when he noticed that nothing came out of the interrogation, he let Arthur go home.
Arthur told his wife everything, and she assured him not to worry as everything would be fine. But the next day, when Arthur received a call from the hospital, he feared something was wrong.
But when he arrived at the hospital, his suspicions were proven wrong. The woman, Alice, wanted to express her gratitude to him and told him the whole story about how she ended up on the road.
It turns out she was a businesswoman who lied to her husband about her company going bankrupt. Her husband had been unfaithful to her, and she wanted to get rid of him. He’d never agree to sign the divorce papers if he knew she still had money, so she staged the whole thing to get him out of her life.
However, when he discovered she was lying, he tried to get rid of her by throwing her out of his car on the streets while they were on their way home.
“He is aware of my cold intolerance. So, if you hadn’t noticed me, I might not have survived and he would have inherited my wealth and everything else. I had no idea he’d turn out to be such a horrible person. Thank you for saving my life,” Alice said.
“I’m glad I was able to help you out!” Arthur said. “I hope you recover soon and return home safely.”
“Thank you so much, Arthur,” Alice replied. “You’re a really generous soul.”
“Wait, how do you know my name?” Arthur was stunned.
“Oh, when I woke up, one of the doctors told me a little about you,” Alice continued. “He noticed you driving me to the hospital last night and informed me that you come here frequently with your daughter. Is everything alright?”
Arthur’s eyes welled up. “Sadly, that’s true. My daughter is ill, and she needs to be operated on. However, I only work as a truck driver, and while my wife and I are trying to save money for it, I am concerned about what will happen if we’re unable to do so. I don’t want to lose my daughter.”
“Don’t worry, Arthur. Everything will be fine,” Alice assured him.
Arthur wiped his tears and quietly left the room, feeling terrible that if God could help him save a stranger, why was he testing him so much when it came to his daughter.
A week later, though, those complaints vanished when Arthur received a call from the hospital. “Hello, am I talking to Mr. Arthur Sticks?”
“Yes? How may I help?”
“Well, sir, we’re calling to let you know that you’ve just received funding for your daughter’s surgery. Could you please come to the hospital today to confirm all of the details and set a date for the operation?”
Arthur sprung in delight. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yes, sir. So can we confirm a time for the meeting?”
Arthur and Maria couldn’t contain their excitement and left for the hospital. When they arrived, they were surprised to meet Alice there. “Alice? Is it you?” Arthur’s eyes welled up. “Are you the one who paid for my daughter’s operation?”
“That’s the least I can do, Arthur,” Alice said. “If it weren’t for you, I would have died. I’m sorry though it took some time. I was only discharged two days ago.”
Maria couldn’t hold back her tears and embraced Alice. “I don’t know how to thank you. You have truly been a blessing in our lives. Thank you very much!”
“It’s okay, Mrs. Sticks. You don’t have to thank me. Let’s go and quickly complete the process for your little daughter’s surgery.”
After the surgery, Alice paid them regular visits and assisted Maria in caring for Kate. Soon, she became close to the Sticks and they’ve been great friends ever since.
Her husband, on the other hand, who had cheated on her, was apprehended by the cops. And in this manner, that wintry night which began with Arthur worrying about his daughter’s surgery marked the end of his misery as well as Alice’s.
