Sam’s Diagnosis
Have you ever had an encounter with a stranger in public that left you completely speechless? It typically involves someone who believes the world revolves around them. Entitlement is an understatement when it comes to these folks. The things they do and say are so absurd it is hard to believe people like that exist. Our friend “Sam” had an encounter with someone just like this.
Sam was a healthy 21-year-old. He was a towering 6’4” and was muscular. He was also diagnosed with stage two cancer as the doctors found a tumor in his nasal cavity. The tumor was large but thankfully not spreading to other tissue. However, it still needed to be removed. He first had to go through aggressive chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. If the chemo was successful, the doctors would eventually be able to remove the tumor.
Chemotherapy required many trips to the hospital that left Sam feeling horrible afterward. He lost his hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes as a result of the treatment. He wore a wig because of his stature and did not want people to think he was associated with a certain subculture. On one particular day of treatment, Sam needed to use public transportation to get home. A pretty simple thing, right? Wrong. He had one of the craziest experiences of his life.
~
The Treatment
Sam was leaving the hospital one day after his chemotherapy treatment and was feeling particularly bad. He needed to catch the public bus for a ride home. Unfortunately, there was only one bus that ran from the hospital to the area in which he lived. With it being his only option, he strolled to the bus stop to wait.
Sam was extremely fatigued after his treatment and was looking forward to sitting down and resting on the ride home. To his delight, the bus finally rounded the corner and was heading toward him. He gathered his things, stepped onto the bus, and immediately felt a wave of disappointment. The bus was completely packed with no open seats.
While most people would hop off and wait for the next one, this was the only bus that went to his area. There was also no way he’d be able to stand throughout the ride because of the toll chemo took on him. As much as he hated to do it, he knew he had to ask someone to move.
Hoping for the best as he approached a middle-aged man who looked kind, Sam explained the entire situation. To Sam’s surprise, the man was very understanding and offered up his seat with no hesitation.
The bus went on its way making stops to pick up new passengers here and there. Two stops went by when a mother and her 12-year-old son stepped onto the bus. The mom had the stereotypical ‘Karen’ haircut and appeared very bitter. She scanned the bus and was clearly angry to find no available seats.
Sam knew he was judging the mom prematurely, but he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He knew the ‘Karen’ stereotype was a little silly, but there was something about her that screamed trouble. He wasn’t too worried, though– “Just avoid contact and everything will be fine,” he thought. Unfortunately, his plan failed.
~
Tensions Rising
While the mom was scanning the bus, she caught Sam’s eye. He immediately darted his eyes away and pretended to look busy on his phone. Nevertheless, she began marching straight toward him, dragging her son along behind her. Because of the full bus, Sam had no option other than to stay right where he was. To his dismay, the mom was standing over him in no time. He knew something was about to go down.
“Hey, could you let my kid sit down?” she asked.
“You mean me?” Sam replied.
“Yes, who else would I mean?” she said snarkily.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m on my way home from the hospital and–” Sam tried to explain.
The mom cut him off and snapped, “So are we. My boy just broke his leg and we’re coming straight from the emergency room.”
Sam was immediately irritated because the mom was clearly lying. The stop they had come from was several kilometers away from the hospital and the boy walked onto the bus perfectly fine. Not only this, but he was standing next to her without any support and was clearly embarrassed.
“He’s standing next to you completely fine,” Sam said.
At that point, the mom was getting really ticked off.
“Look here boy, my kid deserves to sit down,” she snarled.
“Look madam, I’m sorry, but I just got back from a chemotherapy session in the hospital. I need to sit down and rest,” Sam said.
While it shouldn’t have been necessary, he moved his wig a little so the mom could see his bald head. She was already being difficult and he figured providing proof wouldn’t hurt. He was sure that if the woman had any empathy, she would leave him alone after that.
Instead, the mom then got into Sam’s face and yelled, “Stop making excuses and get off the seat you skinhead piece of trash!”
Sam was baffled and didn’t know what to say. What happened next surprised everyone.
~
More Than A Stranger
The entire bus was paying attention at that point but no one was stepping in to help. He was looking around desperately for assistance, but the only person doing anything was the mom’s son. The boy kept trying to make his mother stop harassing Sam but she wouldn’t let up. Out of nowhere, the mom lunged at him.
To everyone’s horror, she physically grabbed Sam with both hands and tried to yank him from his seat. Luckily, he held on with all the strength he could muster and didn’t fall. He started to collect himself but before he could say or do anything, he heard an unfamiliar voice. It was deep and scary. “Oh, great,” he thought. He took a deep breath and prepared for the worst.
Sam looked up to see a large man standing next to the crazy mom. He had a dark beard and a gruff expression. Sam could have sworn it was her husband and thought things were about to get worse. Just when he was about to forfeit his seat before things escalated, the man said something that made Sam stop. To his surprise, the stranger was coming to his defense.
“Will you shut up you dumb cow?” the gentleman, “Will,” growled.
“Who do you think you’re talking to?!” the mom yelled.
“Stop assaulting other passengers or I will be forced to step in. Also, every dumb moron could see that the dude has cancer,” Will said.
“No, he’s just a skinhead!” the mom screeched.
“He’s got no eyebrows, you idiot!” Will replied.
That was the last straw for the mom as she spun around and punched Will square in the face. The whole bus went silent, jaws on the floor. Sam was speechless and in utter shock at what just happened.
“Okay, that does it. Harassing passengers on the bus, physical assault against a passenger and now assaulting an officer. You’re in deep trouble, lady,” Will said.
The mom froze and looked white as a ghost. Sam’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Karma
Will pulled out a badge and said, “Stay where you are.”
He then pulled his phone out to call someone and told them he needed assistance for an arrest. At the same time, the bus had come to a stop. The mom instantly turned around and tried to make a run for it. Luckily, the other passengers blocked her path after seeing the whole situation go down. That little stunt brought on yet another charge for her: resisting arrest.
In the meantime, the young boy was apologizing profusely for his mother’s awful behavior. Sam felt bad for the kid and couldn’t fathom how she must treat him at times. It wasn’t his fault he had an entitled mother. He hoped that the consequences of her behavior would help her change.
Two stops went by with the other passengers ensuring the mom couldn’t run off. At the next stop, there was a cop car waiting for her. The relief Sam felt was like no other. He couldn’t believe a stranger would defend him like that, let alone someone who was secretly a cop. What was supposed to be a calm bus ride home turned into one of the worst situations he’d been in. It still wasn’t over, however.
~
Locked Up
The mom defeatedly got off the bus and was walked directly to the cop car. Will turned to Sam and asked if he wanted to press charges. He gladly said yes and gave a statement that Will recorded. Exhausted from treatment and the whole fiasco, Sam didn’t think he’d be able to make it to the police station. Luckily, Will said he could make an arrangement.
Sam received a call from the police shortly after and was able to take care of everything over the phone. He explained what had happened in detail and finished all the questioning they needed to do. He was finally at peace in the comfort of his home after a crazy day.
The mom ended up with a couple of months’ worth of jail time. It was definitely necessary because of her behavior and hopefully made her think twice about her entitlement. As bad as it was, Sam hoped she learned a lesson and would never treat someone like that again. He didn’t hear any updates on her son but hoped the best for him.
~
It’s Official
In the end, Sam ended up with a great story and the sweet taste of instant karma. It’s rare that someone gets what they deserve right after they wrong another person. He felt extremely lucky with how things ended up playing out. In addition, he would never forget the moment Will stepped in and defended him. He hoped to do the same for someone one day.
As for the rest of his cancer treatment, he continued going to the hospital for chemotherapy and didn’t have any issues on his bus rides home. Once the chemo was complete, he got a scan done to see the effects. Miraculously, the tumor shrank to the necessary size for removal.
He was able to schedule the surgery to remove it with a trusted doctor. The difficulty of chemotherapy and the crazy woman on the bus ended up being worth it. The surgery was successful. He was officially declared cancer free!
~
