Theme: Do good on to others, regardless who it is
A good man
Ricardo was a very rich man. He owned several companies,
with many employees. But his routine was very
exhausting.
One day, he decided to take the afternoon off to rest
and chose to go fishing. Certainly, contact with nature,
silence and a few hours of peace would do him a lot of
good.
Ricardo used to wear expensive and beautiful clothes,
but that day he wore only a T-shirt, shorts, and a pair
of flip-flops. He decided to leave his cell phone at
home. He wanted to relax.
He took his fishing rod and other objects and went to
the bank of a small river, far from the city, where he
used to go with his grandfather when he was little.
Ricardo sat down by the river, cast the hook, and stayed
there, enjoying the landscape, the wind, the sounds of
nature...
He stayed for quite some time. He managed to catch some
fish and distract himself as he wanted. But Ricardo was
not used to observing the signs of the sky and did not
notice that a strong storm was approaching. The wind was
blowing hard, and it didn't take long for a huge
downpour to fall. Ricardo got all wet in a few seconds
and realized that he wouldn’t be able to catch anything
else with that weather. He then grabbed his things and
rush to leave as quickly as possible. On the run, he
slipped and got all dirty in the mud.
As soon as he managed to reach the car, Ricardo started
it and accelerated. The car, however, despite being
powerful, did not leave the place. He had parked in the
dirt and now, with the wet ground, the wheels were
slipping in the mud. Worried, he accelerated even more,
but only managed to get the vehicle stuck.
Ricardo stayed inside the car, waiting for the rain to
stop. He didn't know what to do. When the rain eased,
Ricardo got out and walked to the road looking for help.
When a car passed, he gestured, asked the car to stop.
But nobody stopped. He didn't even get a chance to
explain who he was and what had happened.
“They must think I'm a burglar,” he thought. “Nobody is
going to stop here, in the middle of nowhere, to help
someone who looks like me!”
He started to get scared. Soon it would be night. What
could he do?
It was then that Ricardo saw a person walking on the
same road, towards him. He was walking fast, and Ricardo
was scared. What if he was a thief?
But he wasn't. On the contrary, the man was a good
person. As soon as he got closer, he greeted Ricardo,
bowing his head. Ricardo was still suspicious, he didn't
know if he could trust that stranger.
The man realized that Ricardo was in trouble. He looked
terrified, plus he was all wet and dirty and cold. The
man imagined that he was a simple person, without
resources and came forward:
- Are you lost? Can I help with anything?
Ricardo said yes, he needed a phone. The man had not.
But he invited Ricardo to his house, which was nearby,
on the side of the road.
Ricardo accompanied him and, as they walked, night fell.
The house was very simple and small, but clean. There
was no electricity, so the man lit his flashlight and
some candles.
Afterwards, he heated up food for them and offered him
dry, clean clothes which Ricardo had to accept. He said
his name was Tadeu and that he worked at a place nearby,
doing general services.
Ricardo did not say what he was doing. He just said that
he had come to fish, but it had been a while since he
had fished there and, with the rain, without seeing the
path properly, he had gotten lost.
Afterwards, Tadeu made his bed for Ricardo to sleep. He
himself slept on the floor under a blanket.
Ricardo accepted, moved, the man's generosity. He didn't
know Ricardo's wealth, nor who he was, or what he did,
and yet he had saved him from that difficult situation.
The next day, in the morning, Tadeu made coffee for his
guest and then took Ricardo to a store, where he managed
to use a telephone.
Before long, two large cars with Ricardo's drivers and
employees arrived. One of them to take Ricardo home and
the other to go rescue the stuck car.
Only then did Tadeu realize that Ricardo was a rich man.
Ricardo thanked him for his help and left. But he came
back after a few days.
He brought several gifts for Tadeu: a bicycle, so he
doesn't have to walk to work anymore, a basket of
delicious food, nice clothes and shoes and a big hug of
friendship and gratitude.
Tadeu was surprised and very happy. Humbly, he thanked
him and told Ricardo that he needn't bother.
- I know, Tadeu. You helped me from the heart, without
any interest. I didn't even know if I could get back to
you. But if I can help you too, I'm happy.
Even with such different lives, the two became friends
because they had sincerity and kindness in common.
Ricardo returned to Tadeu's house many times. Sometimes
to get away from stress, other times to get some help,
or just to talk.
And that's how out of a bad situation came a beautiful
friendship.
Thanks to the good will of a good man.
Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com
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