I met Mara at our office during a very difficult time in her life. She was raising two young children completely on her own after their father left the family. Her phone was constantly ringing with reminders of her many responsibilities outside of work. One afternoon I overheard her apologizing to a daycare worker about scheduling conflicts. Later that day she asked if I would be willing to watch her children every Friday so she could pick up extra overtime shifts. I agreed to help her without a second thought. What began as a simple favor quickly turned into a weekly routine that lasted for an entire year.
Every Friday evening her children came to my apartment and filled my home with laughter and cartoons. Mara constantly tried to pay me for my time but I always refused her money. To me it felt like I was simply helping a friend who desperately needed a break. However my boyfriend disagreed and frequently told me that I was being taken advantage of. He believed that giving up my free time every week was not an act of kindness but a foolish mistake. His negative opinions lingered in my mind especially on nights when I felt tired or had to cancel my own personal plans to babysit.
Then the weekly arrangement suddenly came to an abrupt end. Mara received a major promotion in another city and moved away very quickly with just a quick wave goodbye. I felt incredibly foolish and worried that my boyfriend had been right all along. I assumed that all my hard work and sacrificed weekends had meant absolutely nothing. A few weeks later an envelope arrived in my mail containing plane tickets and a written invitation for me to visit her new home. My curiosity won out and I decided to take the trip. When I arrived her children ran straight into my arms as if no time had passed.
At her new apartment Mara handed me a set of car keys and explained that she had purchased the vehicle for me completely paid in full. I tried to refuse the generous gift but she explained how those free Fridays had allowed her to work the overtime she needed to secure her promotion. She expressed that those nights changed her entire life and she now considered me to be part of her family. I finally realized that my small act of kindness had been a massive lifeline for her. Good deeds do not simply vanish or get forgotten even if they take a little time to find their way back to you.