Good Samaritans New Years Resolution

by Randy
(Deltona, FL)

When I was eighteen I made a New Years resolution to be a "Good Samaritan." I was working as a waitress at a hotel in Philadelphia. The staff had plans to meet at a club not far from the hotel and ring in the new year together.

Our shift ended at 9 pm, so we had plenty of time.

The club where we were meeting had pledged to give ten percent of its New Years Eve profits to a local homeless shelter. For my New Years resolution I had decided to donate half my tips.

That evening an unexpected snowstorm blanketed the city. That was why I happened to be wearing open-toed sandals instead of boots. It turned out to be one of the coldest night of the year. I was delayed by some late customers, so my friends left without me. I said I would meet them at the club.

When I left work, there was not an empty cab in sight. I wanted to get to the club before midnight so I decided to walk. I estimated it would take me about twenty minutes.

I stepped off the curb and promptly stepped through thin ice into a freezing puddle of water. After half a block, my feet began to feel heavy. And numb. I looked down and saw my feet were coated with ice. A couple more blocks and I was barely moving forward. My head felt fuzzy. I reached a streetlamp and hugged it.

A voice said “Miss, are you okay?” I heard myself answer, “I’m just waiting for my cat Felix to bring me a jar of pickles.”

The "Good Samaritan" police officer (I later learned his name was Ben) stifled a laugh. He took one look at my feet and realized I was in danger of frostbite. He took me to the nearest emergency room where they warmed me up in no time.

A week later I was puzzled by a "Thank You" letter from the homeless coalition for my donation to the shelter. It remained a mystery until Ben stopped by the restaurant with a dozen roses to see how I was doing. Overhearing my story to the nurses at the ER, he had made a donation in my name.

Along with the flowers he brought a jar of pickles and a toy for my cat. We dated for several years after that. Of my New Years resolutions so far, this one is the most memorable.