A guy stole a bicycle he found parked near a hospital, but he did not get very far with it before Karma sought retribution in full.
Nessa, an overworked 40-year-old doctor, had just finished an exhausting 12-hour shift at the hospital she worked at when she discovered that the only mode of transport she had, her old bicycle, had been stolen.
She tried to find it; she looked around the hospital grounds and even approached bystanders around to ask if they had seen it, but neither action turned up her lost bike.
Disheartened, Nessa returned to her small house. It had recently endured a small fire that started in her kitchen and spread through her living area before it had been put out.
Her room was untouched, and because she had nowhere else to go, she had decided to remain in her room while she refurbished the damaged parts.
Nessa had no insurance to fix her home, so she sold her vehicle to cover most of the costs, but even that would not suffice. She needed more money but had none to spare, and with no other alternative source of transport, she fished out her old bike, cleaned it up, and started to commute with it — before it was stolen.
Nessa considered her options as she walked home, tired to her bones. Getting a loan was out of the question, and she would need one to purchase a serviceable car. She also knew she could not afford to buy a new bicycle which left her in quite a predicament
Her house was a long distance from the hospital, and the hospital was at least a block away from any valid bus stop, which meant long walks each day before and after her exhaustive shifts.
Nessa could not believe her luck. Of all the bikes parked outside that day, hers had been the only one to appeal to the thief. She knew there wasn’t much hope of getting the bike back, but she decided she would try.
When she arrived at her home, she sat down in her room and composed a short letter. It read:
To the person who stole my bike! It was broken and used, but it got the job done. I would love to buy a new bike, but I can’t afford an expensive one that will last me a long while. Bring my old bike back, please, I’d rather not have to walk home every day after spending hours on my feet trying to save lives.
The next day at work, she posted the note on a lamppost. She returned after her shift, but her bike had not been returned. Her heart was heavy as she walked the distance to the bus stop.
One day, Nessa got a call from the hospital. A drunk cyclist had been hit by a car. Even though it was her day off, she got up, got dressed, and left for the hospital to save his life. It took her some time because she had walked a long way from the bus stop.
When she reached the hospital, the cops who brought the cyclist in had news for her. “Are you Dr. Nessa Franklin?” The handsome cop asked her. “Yes I am,” she answered, then shifted her attention to the grunting man. “Is this the patient in need of emergency care?”
“I’m afraid so,” he said. “But listen, this man was caught with a bike that was reported stolen from these premises. I heard it belonged to you. It’s ruined now.”
“Oh,” Nessa managed, stunned.
She had been secretly hoping the thief would have a change of heart. She was so overcome with sadness that she contemplated letting the thief remain in pain until another doctor became available.
All eyes were on her, watching to see what she would do. No one would blame her for exacting justice on the erring man, but they would not encourage it either.
In the end, Nessa chose to take the higher road. She treated the thief with care just like she would do for any other patient. It saved his life, but he was left paralyzed from his waist down. He would spend his life riding a wheelchair.
Nessa felt guilty about not doing a good job. Her job as a doctor was saving lives, but she had not been able to completely save the thief’s. She blamed it on her tardiness, but even that would not have happened if she had never lost her bike.
She returned home that day unhappily. She knew things would be rough until she could afford a new bike or, better yet, a car. The next day, she woke up to her doorbell ringing.
It was a stranger who claimed to have witnessed what she did for the thief even though she knew he stole her bike. To reward her goodness, he had decided to buy her groceries for the week.
Over the next couple of days, she got more gifts from people who wanted to reward her forgiving nature. A family of three bought her a new bike, one woman gave her a hug, and another man promised to give her a free ride to work for as long as she wanted.
Those people went as far as crowdfunding money she would use to completely renovate her house and buy a new car, solving all her problems. It restored her faith in humanity, and she decided to work even harder at saving lives
What did we learn from this story?
- One good turn deserves another. Nessa saved the thief’s life even though he had done nothing to deserve kindness from her. People who saw her take the higher road decided the gesture should not go unrewarded, so they ganged up and helped her.
- Evil never pays. The thief got away with stealing Nessa’s bike, but Karma got even with him, and the price it demanded was his mobility. He will always regret making that evil decision, and sadly, time never flows backward.
