Karim was so excited to try his new bike out. He has been dreaming of having his own bike for a long, long time! It's hard to describe how excited he was.
Now it was the first time Karim could make his dream come true and ride the bike, which belonged to him. On a steep hill, Karim decided to test his bike's limits and rode straight down with the need for speed. Then suddenly a car drove by...with all his might, he pressed on the brakes so hard that his knuckles might fall off but in a flask of lighting, he was too late...
Meet Karim, a boy from Turkey who overflows in hope despite the struggles. He got a simple wish, and that is to have his bicycle.
Every day he goes to a bicycle shop near their home to look at those bikes and dreams of having one. Karim couldn’t take his eyes off the bicycles; “ I want it,” he thought. He spends hours staring at those, and his liking towards it starts to augment as time goes by.
Karim's fascination with bicycles is no doubt his everyday obsession. His admiration towards bikes is so deep that he can't take his eyes out when he stares at them.
He can stay like that all day without getting tired of it. He always gazes at his favorite bikes from the other side of the streets, looking into the shop. Wondering when he could ride them, he imagines how fun it would be to have his bicycle.
His fancy for bicycles made Karim jealous of his friends, for they have something he can only dream of. These kids are privileged to acquire things they like, but not everyone is like them.
Some kids can only hold onto their hopes. These kids can only imagine how life would be if they were on the other side of the fence. Life can be unfair, but it gives equal opportunity for those who believe and those who don't let go of their dreams.
Streets filled with kids were flaunting their smiles on their faces. Laughter unfurling to the wind, it all seems elated. Nonetheless, someone is plastering a smile behind unfortunate circumstances.
Karim, at a young age, has to experience how cruel the world is. His life has never been easy; he needs to go through many struggles at a young age. They need to strive hard to survive.
When Karim's father died, his family started to suffer from a lot of uncertainty. Because father was the breadwinner, they all depended on him. Now it was not clear what tomorrow may bring to the family. It was tough for them to cope up after losing the person they all depend on.
What could save them now? What could they even hope for?
After her husband's death, Karim’s mother stepped up to provide for their family. With all these circumstances, they had a hard time keeping up with their means.
Karim’s mom is so determined to give their family as good a life as possible. Perhaps there are times that we have to fall for ourselves to learn how to stand on our feet, and that’s what Karim’s mom learned. She tried to be solid and firm for her family.
Mothers are putting their kids on top of their priorities. Karim’s mom knows that his kid has so much liking for bicycles. As a mother, though she struggles, she wants to fulfill that dream for her son.
With the bit of money that she has, the mother bought a second-hand bicycle for her son. Although Karim’s mom doesn’t receive a high salary, she still manages to save for what Karim wants. With the little money that she had, this mother decided to make her son happy by buying him a gift.
Karim's mom knows how much her son likes bicycles, and with the little that she has, she bought a bike for his kid. Thinking that this could make his son happy, the mother couldn't bear the excitement. Karim was on cloud nine after receiving his mom's gift. He was so happy that he rode his bike to school and even raced with friends on the streets.
He didn't mind even though it wasn't as new as what he saw in the shop. He was so delighted and just enjoying the moment that he dreamt of.
Karim’s bliss didn’t last for some time; a few days after receiving the gift, he ran into an accident. He returned home empty-handed and burst into tears, not knowing what to do.
He told his mom about what happened, stating that he sped up too much, resulting in unwanted consequences.
Karim’s mom was shocked to hear what happened to her son but was overall relieved that her son was safe.
Karim didn't see the expensive car ahead of him, and it was too late to stop. Karim attempted to avoid the accident; he forced his bike to break, but he couldn't control it.
The boy fell into an unfortunate situation as his motorcycle collided with a Porsche leaving the bar with a broken taillight and busted bumper.
The bike that his mom had given him couldn't be salvaged, and he was afraid of what might happen to him.
After the collision, it was a miracle that the boy wasn't injured. He was unfortunate for losing his dream bike but very fortunate by not having any abrasion.
Karim was scared and shocked about what had happened.
He burst into tears after realizing the result of the accident he was involved in.
A respectful man stepped out of the car to see what happened. That moment Karim was so scared that all he could do was cry and look at his feet in silence. Trembling for what's about to happen next, he held his breath for the harsh blow.
He understood by then that he was in trouble.
He was also aware that this catastrophe bears great consequences. He didn't have any money to pay the man back for the damages and his mom were making ends meet.
As the man stood next to Karim, they had a conversation about what had happened. With a shaky breath, Karim told the man everything that happened and the reason for the collision.
Based on Karim, his bicycle brake isn’t working all the time, considering it was bought from the flea market.
He told the man that he did his best to control his bike to avoid the accident, but he failed to do so.
After hearing Karim’s side of the story, the man decided to call someone on his phone. Karim was even more nervous about who the man is calling...was it the police or his mom?
His mind was in turmoil of what the consequence he’ll get after. The man glanced at his car’s damage, and at that moment, Karim realized that the man was not only going to take his bike but would make his mom pay for the expensive car repairs. At that point, Karim would gladly accept physical punishment rather than making his mom pay for something he had done.
The man took a different approach, considering what happened. Instead of punishing the boy, he asked for his name instead.
The man then got in his car and drove away in a different direction.
The boy was left hanging on the street, wondering what would happen next. The man didn’t say anything to the boy, so he wasn’t sure about what will happen to him and his mom.
Karim’s mom doesn’t know what she should do after hearing what happened. She took a look at her house and burst into tears; she cried, not knowing what would happen to them. They waited for two days for the man to show up on their doorstep. Karim's mom was so scared and anxious about what would happen when the car owner came by.
She didn't have anything to pay the man and had nothing valuable to give. The mother and son were thinking about the consequences of the mess they were into.
The incident had happened days ago, but Karim’s family was still in the same situation. They’ve been overthinking about what could be the possible retaliation the man had. The mom thought, "Will I need to sell everything we have to pay this man?"
Not only that, Karim and his mom don't have much.
Since the death of her husband, they have been through several hardships. Karim's intention wasn't to bring more problems to his mom but he felt like he did. Putting all their issues together, they can do nothing but overthink the situation.
After waiting for days, they heard a knock on their door. Karim’s mom is expecting the worse, knowing that the car his son bumped into is expensive. She doesn’t have any penny to give to the Porsche owner.
Still, she opened the door to meet the owner and settle things up.
Her heart was beating so fast, and her palms were becoming sweaty. With all the courage she had, she turned the doorknob.
Waiting outside the doorstep was the Porsche owner, a respected and wealthy man. Both Karim and his mom were expecting him to come by but it was not soon enough. They greeted the man politely and asked if he wanted to come inside.
The mother and child don’t know how to react after seeing him, but then a glimpse of a smile plastered on the owner’s face.
They felt better because of the kind gesture and showed him politeness in return.
The car owner showed up in Karim's house with a brand new bicycle; the bike is of a new model and has the latest features. Karim and his mom were surprised by the man's action, and without saying anything, the man gave the bike to Karim.
They were speechless and shocked about what had happened.
It's not what they were expecting. The man just smiled at them as a response.
“I thought it was time for you to change your wheels.” These were the man’s words for Karim while handing him the bicycle. Karim and his mother thought it was some dream, but this was reality.
They never thought that the owner would do this act of kindness despite the accident.
They were so happy to receive such a gorgeous bike.
Karim was speechless! He expected the worst but was given such a kind gift. He got on the bike to have a feel and rode it on the streets with a big smile on his face. He happily showed off the bike that the man had given him, he was on cloud 9 for that perfect moment! He never thought he would be able to have a new one after breaking the old.
There’s always good in bad situations. We just have to be optimistic.
"I haven't presumed what happened" Karim and his mom were over the moon. They couldn't express how thankful they were for such an unexpected turnabout of the situation. This scenario didn't cross their minds. This was a blessing they hadn't predicted nor anticipated. After hearing Karim's story, the man was moved by how his mother strived to give him his wish.
The man knows how hard life can get. He was impressed by how the mother raised her son well amongst the circumstances they were facing. In line with it, he decided to do a simple act of kindness.
By looking at the kid's old bike, the man remembered his childhood. He, too, had the same experience as Karim had, and he had the same story to tell.
During his early life, he was also poor and couldn't afford a new bicycle, a similar situation with Karim.
His family had been through a lot of struggles and it wasn't easy for the man either.
Yussaf has been in the same situation with Karim for he himself hit an expensive car before. He was just a kid like Karim and doesn’t know what will happen to him after involving himself in this trouble.
The owner of the car did the same thing that he had done with Karim.
Giving away kindness certainly ripples the same in return.
"Repairing a new car or a new bicycle is not a big deal for me, but it's a big deal for you," thanks to this reaping memory lane he has. He was treated with kindness instead of violence and cruel acts before, so he says he is just returning the favor.
One act of kindness will change a person's perspective towards life.
The story of Yusaff and Karim is the best example of it.
The man didn’t ask anything in return, and he just wished that Karim would do the same thing in the future. He wants him not to break this chain of kindness and pass it through to people.
He also asked the kid to take good care of his mother.
He didn’t ask for any compensation from them. Instead, he gave them hope and showed them sympathy and kindness.
So as a way of saying thank you, Karim’s mom posted it on social media. The family couldn’t thank the man enough for being benevolent.
The post went viral and a lot of people were moved by the story. It just shows that people could always choose to be good even in bad situations.
Kindness won’t cost you a penny, but it possesses great value. In a world where people tend to put their interests first, having someone who shows us the true meaning of humanity is rare. As quoted, kindness begins when we understand that we all struggle,” which everyone should apply. No act is small if you are sincere about it.
No action is wasted if it helps someone. Always be kind, in that way we could rise without stepping on other people.