"I don't need your help. Get out of here!" - the veteran shouted. Even though he was obviously struggling to get into the store, he didn't want to accept any help.
Morgan wanted to help the man so she kept pushing his wheelchair inside. She thought she was doing right until one moment when the veteran decided to teach her a lesson. What he did next made Morgan hesitate her actions...
A West Virginia Native
Morgan was born and raised in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Whenever she was asked whether she would move in the future, she simply smiled and said no. She always says, “Fayetteville is my home, and there’s no way that I’m going to leave this beautiful place.”
She was a true West Virginian, and she also had the values that the state believed in. Morgan was quite smitten with her city, so she usually drove around Fayetteville whenever she needed some inspiration. One day she was passing by her local grocery store and realized that she had to stop for some essentials.
She Needed Some Groceries
Morgan pulled up in her local grocery store to buy supplies for herself and her animals - she had a horse and a few dogs. She parked her car, and she started gathering all the stuff that she needed to get some groceries.
Morgan put on a bit of lipstick, and she grabbed her purse, then she went out of her car and towards the entrance. However, someone was blocking her view, and she wasn’t quite sure what was happening…
Noticing a Struggling Man
As she was about to enter the grocery store, Morgan could see that there was a man blocking her. It was as if he had been there for quite a long time, but nobody seemed to be helping him. That broke Morgan’s heart, so he walked towards the man and asked if he needed assistance.
The man was quite grumpy, and it was as if he wasn’t happy at all. He told Morgan, “I don’t need your help, lady. I’m perfectly capable of pushing my wheelchair on my own, so get lost.” This shocked the young lady, and she didn’t realize that some men could be terrible and mean.
It Seemed He Needed Help
Morgan was quite taken aback because of the man’s grumpy nature, but this didn’t stop her from asking whether he needed help. She said, “I think you might need my help, so I’m going to push you inside whether you like it or not.” The man couldn’t do anything because he found himself being pushed by a young lady into the store.
He said, “Thanks, but I could’ve done that myself.” Morgan simply smiled at him – instead of leaving him alone to shop for himself, she felt that maybe he needed more help. So he kept on pushing him in the aisles to see whether he needed anything from them.
She Only Wanted to Help
While they were about to enter the store, the veteran could be seen with a somewhat angry expression on his face. It was obvious that he wasn’t used to being helped, and it didn’t seem that he liked it too. He said, “I’m perfectly capable of pushing my own wheelchair, thank you very much.”
Morgan was getting annoyed at the man, and she didn’t appreciate the ungrateful attitude. Although, she was happy that she could’ve been of service to someone in need. She then asked the man, “What do you need from the store? Let me help you with your shopping list.”
A Grumpy Old Man
He felt as if Morgan was trying to intrude, and this wasn’t something that he liked very much. The veteran was always grumpy, and usually, people left him alone whenever he started being mean to them. However, there was something different about this girl, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
The veteran had no idea whether he should give Morgan his grocery list – after all, it wasn’t that big of a list. Then the girl insisted, “Let me help you with your groceries, sir.” He wasn’t sure why she was being so nice to him, so he wanted to get to the bottom of things.
Getting to the Bottom of Things
Morgan could sense that this man wasn’t trusting, and he didn’t like it when people invaded his personal space. Nonetheless, she wanted to get to the bottom of things, and she tried to help him out. She also felt a sense of curiosity towards the old man.
As they walked into the store, Morgan started asking questions about the man’s life. It was obvious that the veteran was beginning to feel more and more annoyed by the minute. So would she get the answers that she needed or not?
A Proud Veteran
The man was starting to look more and more frustrated by the minute, and it was as if he didn’t need anything from the store. So she asked him, “Do you have a grocery list that I could see? Maybe I can help you get the things that you need.” He was quite moody still, but he reached into his pocket and took out a list.
It wasn’t very long, and it contained only four things: bananas, peanut butter, soup, and bread. As she scanned through the list, she asked the man, “Are you a veteran?” He smiled politely and nodded, but it seemed that he wasn’t happy about it…
She Helped Him Out
Morgan was pleased to know that the man she was helping was a proud veteran. She said, “I’m happy to hear that you’re a veteran. It’s all because of people like you that we get to enjoy the freedom that we have.”
Even though she was honest, the veteran didn’t care about what she had to say. He simply said, “That’s great.” It was Morgan who continued to talk about her life, her horses, and her family – but did the man care about any of it?
He Was Grumpy at First
As he heard Morgan’s stories, the man seemed annoyed and uneasy. Then a few minutes later, it was as if he’d had enough. He simply said, “Thank you for sharing your stories with me, but I don’t see why I would care about all of it.”
The veteran seemed so grumpy, and it was as if Morgan couldn’t take a hint. He wanted to be left alone, but that was far from what Morgan was about to do. She told him, “I’m not going anywhere until we find all the things in your grocery list.”
She Tried to Get to Know Him
A few minutes later, Morgan told the man, “I know you might find me annoying, but here in West Virginia, we try to help the people we encounter daily.” The man simply rolled his eyes, but he gave in to the sweet girl pushing his wheelchair. He then proceeded to say, “I’m sorry for being grumpy, but nobody has ever helped me before.”
Morgan could feel that he was slowly starting to open up to her, and this was what she wanted. She was an innately curious person, and she tried to get to know the people she saw on a daily basis. Then she asked a serious question, “Why do you have such a short grocery list?”
A Short Grocery List
The man was hesitant, and it seemed that he didn’t want to tell Morgan the reason behind his short list. Still, she insisted on knowing the truth, so she asked again, “Why is your grocery list so short? Don’t you think you need more than these four things?”
He was afraid, but he also wanted to tell the truth. So he admitted, “If I get anything else, they’re probably going to go bad before I even reach my house.” This confused Morgan, so she asked, “Why would it go bad? Are you not going home today?”
The Truth About the Veteran
The veteran had already started to trust Morgan by this time, so he knew that he should probably tell her his story. He said, “My wife was the one who always drove me around because I’m in a wheelchair. Although, she died last year so I’m left to fend for myself.”
This wasn’t all there is to the man’s story – he continued, “I came here by hitchhiking. I had to hitch a ride from local truck drivers because I wouldn’t fit in a normal car. When you saw me, a random driver had just dropped me off.”
She Had to Do Something
Morgan couldn’t believe what she had just heard, and little did she know it, but she had tears running down her face. She told the man, “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. What can I do to help you out today?”
The man told Morgan, “You’ve already done enough, and I couldn’t impose anything more on you. You’re too kind.” This made Morgan’s heart a bit sad but happy at the same time. She knew that she had to do something for this veteran who sacrificed so much for his fellow Americans – then the idea hit her…
Buying His Essentials
Morgan walked around the grocery store when she said, “You know what? I’m going to buy you the rest of your groceries today.” The man was dumbfounded and said, “But it’s going to go bad. I appreciate you trying to help me, but I don’t want to waste your money in that way.”
She simply smiled at him as she grabbed packs of butter, eggs, and all the food she thought he might need. Morgan also added, “You don’t have to worry because I’m going to call you a taxi that will bring you straight home. You wouldn’t have to hitch a ride today, okay?” This made the veteran cry, and he simply squeezed Morgan’s hand in gratitude.
He Was Shocked and Speechless
As he looked at the young girl helping him out, he couldn’t help but wonder aloud, “Why are you helping me?” Morgan simply turned to him with a smile and said, “People like you have sacrificed so much for our country. What I’m doing is simply the bare minimum for the price you paid to get us our freedom.”
In the end, Morgan packed up the grocery that she got for the veteran. Then she pushed him outside while waiting for a taxi. He told the lady, “You’re a good person, and I hope more people are like you.”
Why Did She Help Him?
Morgan and the veteran both waited for a taxi, and as soon as the driver pulled up, Morgan instructed that he should help the veteran get inside his house. The taxi driver smiled and said, “Of course.”
Before saying their goodbyes, the veteran couldn’t help but smile at the stranger who helped him today. Morgan handed the driver the money she had, and she told the veteran, “I guess this is goodbye? Thank you for your service, sir.” The veteran simply waved at the lady with a smile on his face.
Thank You for Your Service
This story reminds us that there are countless veterans out there who are living in terrible conditions. This is also why Morgan reminded us that it’s better to be kind and understanding instead of giving up on the people we meet on a daily basis.
Morgan said, “What I did was a small price to pay for what that veteran did. I’m so glad I got to help him that day.” What about you? What was the last act of kindness you did towards a stranger?