18/07/2026 - PT/EN
This has been a hard post to write. It seems somewhat funny to think that a post saying “thanks” in several ways would be any hard to write, it seems simple doesn’t it? And it might be, but even then I wasn’t too content, thinking that every draft I wrote was just a cheap copy of Rubem Braga’s “Louvações”, aside from not being too original, it’s also disrespectful to someone this kind that deserves more than just a poor imitation of a really good chronicle.
Ah, but my apologies for not properly introducing this small story that happened to me yesterday, let me explain a bit about this small part of my walk that, even to this day, left me shocked. I was walking on the city’s center, having made it out of the several parks there are searching for a bus stop; I was doing so because my family bought me bus credits so I could make my way back home because I wanted to be more independent, and also because I wanted to learn the bus system in here.
After walking confused, I arrived at the stop, waiting for the bus to come. Im just gonna say it straight that while I was looking at the bus app that one of the bus left me confused, while it had the correct identification, it didn’t show any of the routes shown in the app. That one was just straight stupidity I wont lie, so I waited until the next bus arrived. A few minutes later I finally made my way into a bus, and I tell the sir there that was driving the bus the following:
— Hey, is there any way I can see the credit on my card? I’m still somewhat confused when it comes to how much credit I got — I said in a somewhat broken portuguese (The best way I can describe this would be: imagine you’re saying something, while thinking about another thing entirely on your head).
— You can check in one of the machines over there — He said — in a soft tone — while pointing to a machine that was in front of some gates or whatever they are called inside the bus (I don’t know the name sadly).
I went to the machine, put my card in there and it told me that I had no credit, it was a bit disappointing but hey I can always make my way back home on foot. So I exited the bus, although before doing so the man saw me have no credit, and said:
— No credit? — Worried, not only his tone of voice but also the way he looked at the machine.
I don’t remember saying a word at the moment, maybe a gesture or something saying “Well, it happens don’t it?” while I was leaving the bus. I looked at the maps app looking for some route that could take me home.
While doing that though, I heard the bus honk at me. I looked up to the window with the gentleman driving, I saw him make a gesture of “Hey come here!”. A bit confused I entered, and he told me this:
— Hey, you are going to [Name of the street] aren’t you? Let me open the door on the front so that way you can enter.
The kindness that came out of this man left me really wowed, I was so surprised that I looked at him in confusion for a bit from what I heard him say, I rapidly exited the bus while I gave him a simple “thanks”, something I regret a lot. And I wanna stop my story here for today, because until now I’ve focused too much on me, me and me; I’d like to dedicate this last part to the sir that helped me today and who had no reason to do such charitable act.
I know the chances that he sees this are low, practically zero, but I want to thank you for what you did yesterday. People like you aren’t frequent in this world, this world full of negativity, narcissism, hate; you proved to be a ray of light in what would otherwise be just darkness. You didn’t even need to do anything of what you did, you really didn’t have to stop the bus for more time than what you needed, you didn’t need to let me in free, that might even be against the rules on your job! But even then, you stopped, you let me in and just followed your heart, I find that act of empathy you gave for the little guy that day really beautiful, I really do.
I hope your days are just as good as your heart, your values and your courage (‘cause like I said before, I imagine that went against the rules on your job); you don’t deserve any type of evil coming your way, whatever one that might be, on your life. You really don’t, and I hope one day I can see you again, and see you with that smile you gave me yesterday in that afternoon.
I really wanted to write more paragraphs about you, but just thinking about how to format my gratitude for you in just simple words was tough, so I’ll just leave you with one last word.