A woman decided to sell her car to pay for her son’s treatments but saw it being towed by a policeman. Despite her pleading, he still took it, and she felt lost until the following day when something surprising happened.
“It’s the only thing I have left,” Madeleine lamented in front of her cheap, second-hand laptop. Her head was in her hands, and she wanted to cry but couldn’t. She needed to be stronger than that. But after selling so many things to get her son, Maximilian, some specialized treatment at the hospital, she was down to almost nothing of value.
She worked as much as possible and stayed with her son in the children’s ward in the hospital. Luckily, they allowed overnight stays for parents. But it was never enough. There was never enough money; now, she had to sell her car, which she used to go to work and visit her kid.
Madeleine didn’t know what she would do, but there were no other options. So, she lifted her head, shook her shoulders a bit to regain her composure, and her fingers went to her computer. “Car for sale…,” she started writing, placing it on the marketplace, hoping someone would want it soon.
***
Madeleine’s mouth twisted as she tried to find somewhere to park. A woman had contacted her only a few days after she posted the car and was interested, but she wanted to see the vehicle first. So, she promised to bring it to an address in Austin and got lost. She doubled-parked on the street for a second, getting out to speak to the convenience store woman and ask for further directions.
She grunted and said to herself, “Ugh, who could it be at this hour?”
The employee was friendly and started explaining, but Madeleine felt her tummy rumbling. “May I use your bathroom?” she asked, and the woman nodded, pointing towards the back.
She couldn’t have been there more than ten minutes, but when she exited the bathroom and returned to the front of the store, she saw a policeman next to her car and, worst of all, a towing truck in front.
“Wait! Wait! I’m here! I’m here! I just stopped for directions! Please, don’t take my car!” Madeleine yelled as she ran out of the store. The policeman turned around, sneering.
“Ma’am, double-parking is illegal, so they’re towing your car and taking it to the impound,” he said, writing something down on a notepad. “You’re going to have to pay a fine and probably more to have it released from the impound.”
“NO! I’m here! I’m here! Just get the tow truck to release it, and I’ll pay the fine. Please! You don’t take it…,” Madeleine pleaded and tried to remain stoic, but the emotion was too much. She and her son were already suffering too much. She was under so much stress from money issues. She started crying, and her words sounded even more desperate. “I need it to save my dying son.”
“What?” the policeman asked, frowning in disbelief. “Ma’am, I’ve heard every excuse in the book. But as a father, I hate when people lie about their kids to gain sympathy.”
“IT’S NOT A LIE!” she wailed, causing a scene. People on the street turned to them, but Madeleine was beyond caring at this point. “He’s dying. He’s in the hospital with ARDS, and I… I need to sell this car. I was meeting a potential buyer, but I got lost. I went to ask for directions and used the bathroom for a few minutes. I’m so sorry. Please, I can’t afford to pay what the impound is going to ask for. You can’t take my car now. One person – one family can’t deal with so much bad luck… so much suffering. I can’t deal with it! I’m so tired!”
After that tirade, she was out of breath, and her sobs stopped, but the tears kept falling. The tow truck driver had finished connecting her car with the tow hook and seemed ready to leave. But he stopped and looked at the policeman. “Sir, should I still take it?”
It was all in the policeman’s hands now. Madeleine stared at him with her sunken, wet eyes and knew she probably looked terrible. Her hair was greasy, and she had no time to wash it. Her clothes were wrinkled. She wore no makeup, and she had dark shadows under her eyes. But she hoped her state and what she had said moved the policeman to do the right thing.
He didn’t.
“Let’s get it to the impound, Charlie,” the cop replied to the tow truck driver, ripped a note from his pad, and gave it to Madeleine. Through tight lips, he said, “Sorry, ma’am. It’s the law,” and walked to his squad car.
Madeleine stood there with her fine and watched as they towed her car away, the last valuable thing in her possession that could help with the medical bills. The entire street seemed to continue with their lives as if she had turned invisible. But she was frozen in place – helpless, alone, and empty.
***
“Hey, Mommy. You’re late,” her son yawned after she kissed his cheek. He was right. It was late. Madeleine had worked an extra shift. She needed the money more than ever. But she might never get her car back from the impound. Her money would all go to Maximilian. Getting him better was all that mattered—nothing else.
“Go back to sleep. I’m tired too,” she whispered to him and laid down on the cot the hospital prepared for parents. She went to sleep, thinking only of ways to make more money for her son.
***
Madeleine walked down the street, breathing harshly, but she had to get used to it now that her car was basically gone. Taking it out of the impound could cost up to $300, and she didn’t have that to spare, so she resigned herself. It was gone, and she was moving on.
But she had to go home, shower, and change clothes. She was going to look for another job and work even more to provide for her kid. The doctors were confident he could get better with the treatments.
She was inside for a few minutes and barely got her shoes off before someone knocked on the door. She grunted and said to herself, “Hmm, who could it be at this hour?”
To her complete shock, it was the policeman from yesterday. She was so surprised to see him at her house that her mouth formed a perfect O, and her eyebrows almost reached her hairline. But once her initial shock dissipated, she was angry.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” she said accusingly. She didn’t care he was a policeman anymore. The cops were supposed to help people, and he didn’t show her an ounce of mercy the previous day. Why should she be respectful?
But once again, he surprised her. He was not angry. He laughed and lifted his hands in defense. “Ma’am, I know I’m not your favorite person, but look,” he began and moved so Madeleine could see behind him. Her car was right there.
“Wh-What?” she stuttered. “How?”
“When my shift ended, I went to look for it. I paid the release fee, and it’s registered to this address, so I decided to come here early before I have to leave for work,” he stated. “I’m Thomas, by the way.”
“I- I don’t know what to say,” Madeleine began. “But I’m Madeleine. It’s nice to meet you, Officer…. And… uh, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Listen, I’m sorry I was mean yesterday. I was thinking about other stuff in my personal life. I was angry already, and your car was right there. I took my anger out on you, and it was wrong. You don’t have to pay the fine either,” Thomas added, biting his bottom lip and waving one hand.
“Thank you,” Madeleine repeated. They stood there for a few seconds in silence until Thomas said he had to leave. He wished her luck with selling the car and her son’s treatments. And she finally smiled at him.
Madeleine reached out to the buyer and finally sold her vehicle. Maximilian got better eventually. Some medical debts were still left after he was discharged, but she would work them off soon. But it was she felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders now that his disease had been treated.
Everything seemed to work out for mother and son since then, like the morning after a storm when the sun comes out and brightens away all the sadness and suffering. Meanwhile, Thomas’ actions proved to her that people were compassionate and had an instinct to help each other. So, life was good, her son thrived, and the bad times were behind them.
