🔗 Share this article

One Saturday morning, I accompanied my mother to the local market for our weekly fruit and veg shopping. My mother continued browsing when I volunteered to take the shopping back to the vehicle, which was packed into a little red trolley. It was like a Mary Poppins bag – rather compact, but it was astonishing how much you could fit inside. That's what we believed.

With the trolley straining under the load of an packed load of groceries, my mum placed a box of sweet melons on top. She cautioned me to be careful getting it back to the car.

All was proceeding smoothly as I made my way through the throngs of people and out of the market. But as I was crossing the chaotically busy main intersection into the market, the trolley became lodged on the road divider in the middle of the road, and the box of melons tumbled to the pavement. They scattered, spectacularly rolling out towards pedestrians and stationary cars.

As the little walking man changed from go to stop, I was stunned, speechless, trying to figure out how I was going to collect the melons rolling in six different directions.

Suddenly, a group of several older women sprang to my rescue. Silver-haired, head scarves and one with a walking stick – they appeared as if they had stepped out of the same babushka doll. They weren’t deterred by the cars creeping their way towards us. Utterly fearless, they just held up their hands to halt the traffic, in each direction. They gathered all the melons for me, retrieving a single one, as I repaired the box to contain them.

I thanked them and they didn’t say a word, just grinned and gestured me goodbye. I didn’t eat the melons – I was never a real fan of honeydew – but I tell this story all the time because I love it so much.

What is the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Done for You?

From making your day to changing your life, we are eager to learn about random meetings that have stuck with you.

Please share your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you wish.