A Disagreement
Adam lives in a small, peaceful college town. However, one Friday afternoon, he unexpectedly finds himself in a disagreement with a stranger.
Adam is passionate about a cause he believes in and is ready to fight for it. However, he is surprised by something the other man has concealed in his pants.
Quiet Spring
Adam had just parked his car in front of his apartment building when he realized that most college students had gone home for spring break, leaving the area unusually quiet.
As Adam left his car, he looked around taking in the nearly vacant parking lot. He suddenly noticed a man emerging out of his car in the distance.
Unexpected Encounter
Rewrite the following in your own words: Adam had never seen the man before and was surprised to see him in that exact spot. This is what caught Adam's attention.
Adam was accustomed to seeing someone else park in that spot every day, but not today. This sudden change made Adam feel uneasy, as if something was amiss.
Disabled Parking
Adam was surprised to see that the man, who appeared to be in good health, was parked in a handicapped parking space. Adam knew the student who normally used that spot and understood how important it was to them.
Adam knew the student who used the handicapped parking space well - his name was Mike Jones, and his story was one that Adam would never forget.
Lifetime Struggle
Adam and Mike Jones were close friends, and Adam knew that Mike had been through a lot. Because of this, Adam always tried to be a good friend to him and look out for his best interests.
Mike Jones was not only physically disabled, but his condition was the result of a traumatic event that happened a few years earlier.
Trauma And Strenth
During a late night conversation with Adam, Mike revealed that he was wearing a prosthetic leg and the reason why.
Mike's injury and resulting disability were painful, and the circumstances that caused it were traumatic. Adam was impressed by how Mike had managed to stay strong and maintain his sanity.
Blind Rage
Mike had walked in on his girlfriend cheating on him with one of his friends one night. The pain was too much to bear, so he quickly left the building, got in his car, and started driving around.
Blinded by rage and frustration, Mike continued to drive around aimlessly until he found himself on the highway out of town.
Loss And Betrayal
Overwhelmed by the pain of betrayal, Mike couldn't think clearly. His mind was consumed by furious thoughts, and he began driving more and more recklessly until tragedy struck.
Mike's car crashed in the accident, but he survived. However, he lost his right leg and has been wearing a prosthetic leg ever since.
Strength
The accident happened shortly after Mike graduated from high school. It was a very traumatic experience for him, but he was a very resilient individual.
Mike started university right after the accident and never let it hold him back. He didn't feel sorry for himself or see his accident and girlfriend's betrayal as something that would prevent him from having a fulfilling life.
Personal Defense
Adam had a great deal of respect for Mike. He admired how he had been able to go through such a difficult experience with such strength and character.
Adam took the man using Mike's parking spot as a personal issue. As he watched the man walk away, he thought to himself that he may need to take matters into his own hands if it happened again.
Follow The Sign
Watching from the window, Adam noticed that the next few days that exact same man, from the Friday incident, continuously parked in the same spot. It was as if he had no regard to the very clear sign that said: “Handicapped Parking Only”.
Fuming with anger, Adam decided to finally take action. He was willing to do something about it right away.
The First Note
Angrily, Adam picked up a pen and paper and started writing a letter to the man. Realizing how he reacted out of frustration, he jotted down a completely different letter.
The letter read “hey, not trying to assume, invisible disabilities exist, but you don’t have a placard up, so if you are licensed to park here, please put up your placard.”
Proud Of The Note
The excitement in Adam’s body made him rush over to this man’s car the minute he saw him parked again. Gently placing the note between the windshields of this man’s car, Adam’s heart felt at ease knowing that he had actually done something about the situation at hand.
When the letter was finally picked up, Adam’s frustration went back to a hundred.
Crumpled up
As Adam patiently watched from his apartment window, down looking the parking lot, he saw the man head towards the letter. Within seconds, the man picked up the paper, quickly read his words, and crumpled it up as if it was nothing. Adam’s face quickly turned red.
Adam knew that he had to up his game.
This Better Work
This time around, Adam’s new note was everything but nice. Wasting no more time, Adam left his apartment, placed the note in the same spot, but waited patiently in his car for the man to come forth.
With a clear smug look on his face, Adam watched as the man made his way to his car.
Note In Action
The note read “I’ve tried to be nice, but this got out of hand. Please remove your car. You are not meant to park here”. This time the man irritably picked up the paper and looked around to see who was leaving him all these notes.
Basking in all his glory, Adam opened the door to his front seat, ready for what is yet to come.
The Confrontation
Trying to maintain his composure, Adam made his way to the man’s car. Feeling the adrenaline rushing through his veins, he found himself quickly spilling out the truth, which is that he was the one leaving the notes.
The man took in a deep breath, looking beyond irritated by Adam, knowing that what’s in his pants would end this once and for all.
The Truth Is Out
The man slowly bent down whilst maintaining eye contact with Adam. With a face void of any expression, he grabbed the end of his jeans and pulled it upwards, revealing what was hidden in the bottom side of his left leg.
At this point, Adam’s mouth opened wide, as he was left in awe. That was something he would have never expected to see.
Ignorance Isn’t Always Bliss
The man stood there staring at Adam as he uncovered his prosthetic leg. Overwhelmed by the new realization Adam was faced with, he blurted out an apology and confessed how ignorant he was.
After hearing what Adam had to say, the man blurted out a few words of his own. What he said left Adam speechless.
Too Little Too Late
Trying to maintain feelings of frustration and disappointment, the man demonstrated how this interaction should’ve been in the first place. He quickly explained how it is always safer to ask than to assume, for no one should ever feel the need to explain themselves for doing mundane errands.
Feeling the weight of his own actions, Adam swiftly replied.
Beg-Pardon
Adam explained how this spot was often used by a friend of his and further apologized for making such a quick and irresponsible judgment. Both men shook hands and parted ways as the misunderstanding was cleared up.
As Adam got back home, he became well aware of something: there was one thing he really needed to do.
Ask Don’t Assume
Adam made it a mission of his to educate himself on the different types of disabilities and realized how important it is to educate other people on this matter.
This is a story everyone can learn from, for it is easy to make rapid judgments and take action, but it takes courage to seek out the truth and not simply assume. However, it isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
Emma Doherty
Emma Doherty was rushing into the children’s hospital carrying her son in her arms. They were running late, but they had to make it. Her son’s life was at stake.
The young mother was already under a lot of pressure. And to make things worse, after she left the hospital, she found something that brought tears to her eyes.
A Note
There was a note on her windshield. Emma left her son in the car and then picked up the piece of paper.
When she read what it said, she first felt anger, and then, an insurmountable sadness. She felt a lump in her throat. How could there be people so callous and inconsiderate in the world? This is what the note said:
A Vile Message
“You lazy, conning witch. You did not have a disabled person with you! These spaces are reserved for people who need them!!!”
Emma looked left and right, trying to see if there was someone in her vicinity who could have put that note on her windshield. But the parking lot was empty. It seemed like there was no way to find out. However, the aggrieved mother had a plan.
Taking It To Facebook
She shared a picture of the note on Facebook and explained the full story about why she parked on the handicapped spot. This is what she said:
“To the person who put this on my car, which I had put my disabled badge: I’m not angry at your pure ignorance, I'm actually upset with it. How dare you ever accuse anyone of not needing a disabled badge without knowing.”
Destroying The Stigma
“I wish you had the guts to say this to my face and I would have told you (even though I don’t need to explain myself to the likes of you) but I'd happily said why I have a badge. I promise to get the stigma away from people with disabled badges who don’t ‘look disabled.'”
“I hope this gets shared and back to you, and you will see my son is terminally ill. He's had over 15 operations 3 open hearts, 2 stomach, lung, and diaphragm, and countless artery stenting operations and spent half his life in intensive care.”
Not All Disabilities Are Visible
“He’s had 2 strokes and was paralyzed, brain-damaged and has a spine and hip condition as well as a massive heart condition.”
“NOT ALL DISABILITIES ARE VISIBLE and I hope you regret doing this and learn your lesson! I knew something would be said one day, as every day I get looks and stares and see people whispering to each other about me and Bobby walking from the car.”
Viral
“Everyone needs to stop and think before acting. I hardly ever let anything upset me but this did. My son’s disabled pass is not a con; he's actually seriously ill. I’ve added a picture of him to prove not everyone looks ill or disabled but can be seriously ill.”
Soon enough, Emma’s post went viral. More than 31,000 people shared it and even more commented on it.
Fantastic Strong Mom
“So true what you say and you are a fantastic strong mom and don’t deserve this. That person obv has a very sad life to be so obnoxious, so sorry they upset you,” wrote a Facebook user.
“What a lovely way for a relative of a sick child to treat a fellow relative of a sick child. Sorry you had to receive this note Emma. I wish people would be kinder, you never know what other people are battling,” said another.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.