Slumbering with an empty stomach made his head feel heavier the moment he woke up. The buzzing of busy streets and loud chattering from people passing by shot him back to reality. The bright sun rays hissed to his face as he inhaled the smoke belched from the pipes of the city cars.
Groaning, Noah roused from the cold hardwood of an old bench and rubbed the remainders of sleep from his eyes. The old homeless guy secured his worn-out backpack after he used it as a pillow. However, his forehead creased when he noticed something squeezed between its open pocket.
Noah (real name undisclosed), a homeless guy who was in his late 70's used to wander around in the urban jungle of Los Angeles, California. He could sometimes be spotted sleeping at the side streets or an open park.
It would be fortunate for him if he found a chance to crash on a bench without an officer apprehending him. But today his luck didn't just stop there.
When he pulled out the item that stashed in the pocket of his backpack, his eyes widened. Noah checked his surroundings, but there were no clues at all.
All he knew was that someone had placed a hundred-dollar bill inside his bag while he was asleep. But what would he do with that amount of money?
A smile crept on his face as Noah gripped the money between his palms just to make sure he wasn't dreaming at all. He never knew that such a day would come when he could buy the things he kept fantasizing about. Noah hopped his way to a building with a huge red circle sign just above the entrance.
"Target," he read. He grabbed a shopping cart, and he knew exactly what he should find first.
Noah beamed in excitement when he found the section for pillows and blankets. His hands ran through the soft fabric he always dreamt of lounging on.
Different colors of pillows sparkled on his eyes, but Noah figured he should go with a black since he'd be using it on the open streets. Then Noah grabbed something more.
It took almost an hour after Noah walked out from the Target with two plastic bags full of items he needed. Noah went to his spot and sat down on the bench.
The smile didn't leave him. Until ten minutes later, a man sat down beside the bench next to Noah, but he looked so distressed.
The young man named Johal was on his phone, and Noah couldn't help but overheard his conversation. "I have no money on me right now." The Johal said as he fidgeted on the seat. "She's really sick, and she really needs the medicine." Noah felt the agitation on the man's voice. Noah placed a hand on his chin as he shifted his full attention to Johal, who still had the phone over his ear.
"It seriously sucks living paycheck to paycheck when you don't have money for your daughter's medicine. And you can't do anything." The man stressed out. He didn't know that someone had been listening to him besides the other line.
"I'm so lost right now. Just let me know if you can help me out with any money because I really need to get my daughter medicine." Johal ended the call and let out a long exasperated sigh. "Oh my God." Johal whimpered.
He ran his hands through his face as if the whole world was weighing on his shoulder. This was the moment when Noah stood up from the bench and walked over to him, "You alright dude?"
The man turned his head to Noah, who still had the two plastic bags secured on his hand. The man responded, "Yeah, just need to get my daughter medicine." Johal stammered, "It's like I don't have the money." Noah didn't mean to eavesdrop, but after hearing his problem, he felt he needed to do something.
Noah glanced at his grocery bags then to the distressed man. He paused for a second, "I'd be right back."
Noah asked Johal to watch over his backpack before he walked away. Johal, on the other hand, had no idea what the homeless guy was up to. But he obeyed and took the bag on his side.
Johal observed how old and tattered the backpack was. He patiently waited as he reassured himself that Noah would come back. However, 15 minutes had passed, yet there were no single traces of the homeless guy.
Sweat trickled down his face as he tapped his foot from nervousness. Johal checked his watch, and 20 minutes had already passed. He started to lose hope when a familiar voice resonated once again, "How are you feeling?" Johal saw the homeless guy dashing over him.
He stood up to greet him, but his eyes immediately traveled on Noah's hands. "What happened to your bags?" He asked as they both sat on the bench. The homeless guy shrugged, "I just took it back to where I got it."
"Did you get something from Target?" Johal was curious after he noticed his empty hands. "Yeah," Noah responded, but he quickly changed the topic like it doesn't matter to him anymore.
"Here, you take care of your daughter," Noah handed a crumbled $100 to the distressed father. Johal's face washed blank as he began to realize what the homeless guy just did, "You returned your pillows and sleeping bag just to give my daughter the medicine?" He stuttered.
Johal told the homeless guy that he doesn't have to sacrifice his possessions for a stranger like him. But Noah gave a response that made his heart melt, "I'll get by without it." The homeless guy reassured him, "I'll be okay." Johal was speechless for a second.
Then he shook his head and continued from convincing Noah to take back the $100 and insisted that the guy needed it for his basic necessities like food. "I'll get something… Something will come up." Noah gave him a warm smile.
He asked him again when was the last time Noah had eaten. "Yesterday," the homeless guy replied. Johal felt his tears welling up because it dawned on him that Noah didn't even use the chance to get himself some food today.
"Where do you sleep at night?" Johal asked weakly as he prevented himself from crying. Sadly, Johal wasn't really the man that Noah thought he was. Yet he decided to keep it to himself.
Noah started pointing at the streets, "Here… there… everywhere" Johal couldn't control his tears anymore, so he immediately covered his face with his hands. "That's incredible," Johal said in between bated breaths. He couldn't believe that he would encounter such an incredible human being.
Unfortunately, it was Johal that was lying all along. He doesn't have a sick daughter, to begin with… And what Johal did next caught Noah off guard.
Johal knew this was a perfect opportunity. So he took a deep breath and handed something to Noah, "I don't know how you can do that." He mumbled, "But here's another 500 dollars, man." Noah blinked a few times. He gawked at the stash of money that was resting on top of his palm.
"You're kidding me," Noah said breathlessly as his head began to spin. How come this man gave him a bigger bill?
Noah thought Johal needed the money more than he was. But what just happened right now? Emotions started to overwhelm him, "Oh my God." Noah stood up from his seat while he felt the warm tears rolled down his cheeks. Johal noticed his reaction and gave him a tight hug.
"What you did that was really inspiring," Johal rubbed his back to comfort him from crying. "Please don't cry. Just give me a smile." He tried to cheer up the weeping guy. Johal still owed him some explanations.
The homeless guy asked him if he was sure to give him such a tremendous amount of money. And Johal responded with, "What you did was incredibly crazy." He continued, "So go back to Target. Get the sleeping bag, get all the stuff you had, and then get more stuff in.
But get a room to sleep in." Then Johal invited the guy to sit down on the bench with him again. This was the best time to reveal his true identity and actual purpose to Noah.
Johal started explaining that he made videos on the internet. He was actually a famous YouTuber with millions of subscribers.
And today, Johal decided to do a social experiment where he happened to stumble on Noah. Johal confessed that he faked about having a sick daughter, and he was the one who slipped the hundred-dollar bill to Noah's backpack.
Johal then pointed the hidden camera from their far side. He admitted that everything planned out… except how Noah reacted and showed him a breathtaking kindness. "That was really inspiring.
I really love that man. That was amazing, and it really means a lot to me," He continued to praise Noah, who didn't stop from sobbing. However, when Johal uploaded the video on the internet, the responses about Noah left him floored.
Johal gasped at the 10 million views the video gained! He began scrolling the comment section. "That makes me cry too... He prefers his daughter's health more than himself." One user remarked. "A man with a heart of gold.
Such a rare find these days," Another one commented. The netizens from around the globe wished Noah more blessings and happiness as they believed that he deserved more. Johal nodded in agreement when his eyes spotted a new comment, "The homeless man, he is the richest man on earth even he has no home to live." In split seconds, another user replied, "Indeed, he is one of the richest on this planet, it's all about love. We can learn a lot from him."