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

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com