You wont believe what happened to me at work the other day. So, Im a chef in this inviting little café in York. After closing up shop, just as I was switching off the lights above the counter, I noticed someone outside through the big front window. There, sitting on the pavement by the road, was a man shivering in the cold. Next to him, with her nose pressed against his knees, was the scruffiest but sweetest-looking Labrador Ive ever seen. They both looked completely worn outhungry, tired, and heartbreakingly alone.
My heart genuinely just ached for them. I suddenly remembered we still had some hot stew left in the kitchenenough for one, and it seemed a pity to throw it away. So, I warmed it up, pulled together some food for the dog, packed everything into takeaway boxes, gathered my courage, and headed out to them.
When I handed the man the stew, he looked up at me with the most tired but grateful pair of blue eyes. He thanked me over and over, saying he hadnt eaten anything for over a day. The dog gave a soft wag of her tail, like she was trying to say thank you too. The man ate slowly and carefully, almost as if he was afraid the meal would vanish if he blinked. Watching them tugged right at my heart, and I felt this warm, lovely sense of peace on my way home that nightlike Id actually done something worthwhile with my day.
But then, the next morningtheres a knock at my flat. I open the door and find two police officers standing there.
Miss Green, one of them said, showing me his badge. We have to ask you to come with us. We have reason to believe youve poisoned someone.
I swear my stomach just dropped. I sort of stammered, What? Poisoned? Who? I only gave a man some stew, thats all!
But they werent interested in my explanations. The CCTV from outside my café clearly showed me passing the food to the man, and they insisted it was the only thing hed eaten before he apparently fell really ill later that evening.
Turns out, the man was rushed to hospital with severe poisoning sometime in the night. He was unconscious, and the doctors said his life was at serious risk.
So there I was, stuck in a cell at the police station for several days, shivering and terrified, racking my brain, wondering if I couldve somehow given him spoiled food. I knew for certain the stew was fineId made it myselfbut I started doubting everything. Maybe hed eaten something else before, maybe he was already ill?
Days later, though, the investigators finally uncovered what really happened, and it was far more sinister than anyone guessed.
It turns out that just down the street that night, the council had set up one of those mobile outreach units to help the homeless. They handed out takeaway containers of foodidentical, at a glance, to the ones we use at our café. And someonean absolute monsterhad poisoned all the meals they were distributing.
In a matter of hours, dozens of homeless people from all over York were turning up at hospitals with the same awful symptoms. Someone had apparently decided to clear the streets and poisoned anyone simply looking for a hot meal. Their plan was to get away with it quietly.
But the man outside my café had only eaten my stew at firstthe proper mealthough later hed accepted one of the poisoned containers from the outreach van.
Thankfully the police realised their mistake fairly quickly and let me go with an apology. But honestly, the whole thing just shook me. Somewhere out there was someone capable of such crueltytargeting the most vulnerable in our cityand no one knew their name.
I cant help thinking about it, even now. All I did was try to help, and it made me realise just how easily good can get mixed up in someone elses evil.
