Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.
But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.
He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.
âHe wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, âHere you go,ââ Diaz says.
As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, âHey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If youâre going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.â
The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, âlike whatâs going on here?â Diaz says. âHe asked me, âWhy are you doing this?ââ
Diaz replied: âIf youâre willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ⊠hey, youâre more than welcome.
âYou know, I just felt maybe he really needs help,â Diaz says.
Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.
âThe manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi,â Diaz says. âThe kid was like, âYou know everybody here. Do you own this place?ââ
âNo, I just eat here a lot,â Diaz says he told the teen. âHe says, âBut youâre even nice to the dishwasher.ââ
Diaz replied, âWell, havenât you been taught you should be nice to everybody?â
âYea, but I didnât think people actually behaved that way,â the teen said.
Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. âHe just had almost a sad face,â Diaz says.
The teen couldnât answer Diaz â or he didnât want to.
When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, âLook, I guess youâre going to have to pay for this bill âcause you have my money and I canât pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, Iâll gladly treat you.â
The teen âdidnât even think about itâ and returned the wallet, Diaz says. âI gave him $20 ⊠I figure maybe itâll help him. I donât know.â
Diaz says he asked for something in return â the teenâs knife â âand he gave it to me.â
Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, âYouâre the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch.â
âI figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. Itâs as simple as it gets in this complicated world.â
gamechangershow
izzy806
2087
germansingergirl
amandla
pixelskylines
theartofmadeline
