I was graduating from university the same day Storm Goretti was due to hit Birmingham. The forecast was for snow – and lots of it – so I decided to get the bus in, rather than risk driving and having to leave my car behind in a snowstorm. Joining me was my mum.
We successfully attended the ceremony and managed to get on a bus back home but as the snow worsened, it broke down a kilometre from my house. The whole bus emptied and we were forced to walk through the blizzard. It was like The Day After Tomorrow out there. Tough conditions for anyone, but my mum, who was in her late 60s, was struggling to take even a few steps.
Taxis were not an option. I tried to flag down one of the few cars that drove past without luck. I was losing hope – until I spotted a stationary BMW outside a pub. By this stage, Mum was on the verge of a panic attack. I waved at the passenger-side window and breathlessly convinced the driver to take us home.
His name was Leo, and I could tell he was initially a bit annoyed at the situation. He had been waiting to pick up a friend, and was now lumbered with delivering two strangers home in dangerous conditions. But he drove us anyway.
The roads were so treacherous – cars skidding everywhere – that what should have been a five-minute drive ended up taking 40 minutes. My mum didn’t speak much English, so I did the talking, suggesting routes that might get us home. As the long journey wore on, I could see Leo soften and realise how vulnerable our situation was.
As I was leaving the car, he said something that stayed with me: “I can see how hard it was to help your mum today. And I hope that if I’m ever in the same position, I will step up the way you did.”
Leo offered me two great kindnesses that day. He got us safely home, at great personal inconvenience. But he also offered me acknowledgment of how hard I worked to look after my mum. I didn’t realise, until I heard his words, just how much I needed that.
My mum had a lot of mental health issues and often underestimated my abilities. Thanks to Leo, she was able to see that I am capable in a crisis. It felt like a pivotal moment in our relationship, one that came just in time – Mum passed away suddenly a month later.
There are very few people who would have taken two women home in that weather, and even fewer with the emotional intelligence to say exactly what needed to be said, without any prompting. So thank you, Leo. I owe you a drink.
