Kind stranger helps a guy get to the city for a job interview, then runs into him 3 years later to find out he not only got the job, but has since been promoted: ‘It was his first real break’

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  • People sitting on a bus from the countryside to the city.
  • I helped a random stranger once, and years later it came back in a way I never expected

    About eight years ago, I was traveling through Kenya for work. I was based in Nairobi for a short- term project, and one weekend I decided to take a bus to Mombasa just to see the coast.
  • At one of the stops along the highway, a young guy got on the bus and sat next to me. He looked nervous and kept checking his phone. After a while,
  • he told me he was heading to Mombasa for a job interview but had just realized he didn't have enough money to cover the rest of his transport once we arrived.
  • Man sitting alone on the bus wondering how he will pay for a cab once he is in the city.
  • Normally, I'm skeptical about stories like that. But he showed me the interview email. He had printed it out, folded neatly in his bag. He wasn't asking for much - just enough to get from the bus station to the office and maybe grab something small to eat.
  • I don't know why, but I believed him. When we arrived, I gave him some cash - more than he asked for and wished him luck. He -
  • kept thanking me, saying he would pay it forward one day. I told him not to worry about it. I honestly forgot about the whole thing after I flew back home a few weeks later. Fast forward to three years ago.
  • Young man smiling at another passenger on a bus.
  • - I had moved back to East Africa for a longer-term role. Different company, different city — this time in Kisumu. Things were not going well. The organization I was working for suddenly lost funding, and my work permit situation became complicated. I had a very short window to sort out documentation or I'd have to leave the country.
  • I went to an immigration office feeling stressed and completely out of my depth. The process was confusing, the lines were long, and I was getting bounced between counters.
  • At one desk, an officer looked at my passport, then at me, and paused. He said my name slowly. I had no idea who he was.
  • He smiled and said, "You probably don't remember a bus to Mombasa." It hit me instantly. Same guy.
  • He told me he got that job. It was his first real break. From there he worked his way up, took additional exams, and eventually joined the civil service.
  • Young professional man wearing a work suit that he is proud of.
  • He said he never forgot that a stranger helped him when he was anxious and almost turning back home.
  • He personally reviewed my file, pointed out mistakes in my paperwork, told me exactly what I needed, and made sure everything was processed correctly. What could have taken weeks and possibly cost me - my position was sorted in a few days. -
  • Before I left, he said, "You helped me when you didn't know me. Today I get to help you the same way."
  • I walked out of that office feeling something I hadn't felt in months — relief, yes, but also a strange sense of connection.
  • You never really know which small moment will matter to someone else. Sometimes it's just bus fare. Sometimes it's a second chance.

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