People can surprise us when we least expect it. We might think we know everything about someone or a situation, but then something happens that makes us question what we believe. This is what happened to the people in our collection, who faced an unexpected twist, whether good or bad, that changed how they saw things.

The Story:

When I was 19, I was homeless. After a few weeks of sleeping on the streets, a man came up to me one evening. He said, “I’m here to make sure you’re safe.” We talked for a long time, and when it got dark, he offered me a place to sleep for the night. I was worried, but he seemed kind, so I went with him.

He drove me to a house in the suburbs and asked me to wait in the car while he talked to someone. A few minutes later, he came back with another man, who offered to let me sleep in his garage for the night. I had a bad feeling, but I agreed because I had nothing to lose.

The garage was normal, with tools and a workbench. In the corner, there was a bed and some blankets. The man told me he had to lock the door that connected to the house because he had kids inside and couldn’t take any risks. He apologized for that.

The first man asked if he could come by in the morning to talk to me, then went into the house with the other man. I was so scared that I didn’t sleep at all that night.

In the morning, something surprising happened. The man knocked on his own garage door and asked if he could come in. I talked with both men every day for the 7 weeks I slept in that garage. They helped me find a small apartment and a job, and they got me back on my feet. This happened over 20 years ago, and I will always be grateful to them.