I spotted a man with an injured leg on the street and offered to call an ambulance, but he asked for my phone and made a strange call.
Rushing to work as usual, I was late. The wind blew outside, and the asphalt was still damp from the night’s rain. Crossing the road, I suddenly noticed a man on the edge of the sidewalk. He looked about forty, sitting against a wall, breathing heavily. His pants were torn at the knee, and his leg was covered in blood.
Pedestrians walked past as if they hadnt seen himsome talking on their phones, others eating on the go, a few glancing away quickly. But I couldnt ignore him. Something in his gaze stopped me.
“Are you okay? Did you fall?” I bent down toward him.
He gave a slight nod and tried to straighten up, only to wince in pain.
“Let me call an ambulance,” I said, already pulling out my phone.
“No, dont,” he rasped, sounding exhausted. “Please. Ill manage.”
“Are you sure? Youre bleeding, you cant walk” I frowned. “Why wont you go to the hospital?”
For a moment, he glanced away as if weighing something.
“Can I just call a friend? My phones dead. One quick callthats all.”
Uneasy, I handed him my phone. He dialed swiftly, almost from memory, then stepped aside and murmured,
“Hey. Its me. Can you…? Yeah. Urgently.”
After whispering something else, he returned my phone with a faint smile.
“Thank you. You’re very kind.”
I nodded and hurried off, an odd sense of unease settling in. Maybe because it all felt… too mysterious.
Then something unexpected happened.
A few days passed, and Id nearly forgotten the encounteruntil an unknown number called me.
“Hello. We met on the street recentlyyou lent me your phone.”
I froze.
“Yes… I remember. Everything okay?”
“Thanks to you, yes. Youve no idea how much you helped me that day. Without your phone, things couldve ended badly. If you ever need anything, call me. I owe you.”
“Did you go to the hospital?”
“No. But… lets say I handled it. Youre one of the rare ones who didnt walk by. Not many like you.”
He didnt elaborate, and I didnt press. Strangely, warmth filled my chest. Sometimes, you just lend someone a phone… and it changes their life.
