Random Acts of Kindness

We have a "charge card" for public transportation where we load money into it and use up the money as we flash the card on a little machine perched next to the driver after boarding the bus. The machine chirps and different colors flash indicating different things along with the remaining balance on your card - green ("your fare has been charged now git"), blue ("oh, free ride 'cause you're a student or disabled"), and red ("you ain't got no money on yo' card, get off!").

A couple of days ago, I borrowed G's "charge card" to take the bus and meet the summer volunteer on our team and we were going to meet someone together. I'd lent my "charge card" to someone and forgot to get it back so that's why I filched G's card. No matter. I got on the bus and flashed my card to the little fare eater machine. It flashed red. The card "ain't got no money." Before I could hop off and figure out what to do, the driver had already shut the door and started rolling.

There I was, getting a free ride. I stood there right next to the driver, wondering what to do. I couldn't just slink off and hope the driver says nothing. Integrity is at stake and my conscience would kill me. I pulled out the card from my wallet (you can scan through wallets and not have to whip them out - awesome, no?) and scanned it again, hoping it was a mistake. It flashed red and showed a balance of .47 lira. A fare usually costs roughly about 2 lira or so. Yep, no money on the card. And I most definitely informed G of this when I eventually got home.

I held up the card at the driver and said, "yok," (one of the, oh...five words I know in Turkish) indicating the card was empty. We were approaching the next stop and the bus was slowing down. I made a move to get off the bus but he waved me aside, which I interpreted as "go sit down." Right at the moment, someone tapped me on the shoulder and insisted that I sit down (I think my belly is big enough to alarm people) and exactly at the same moment, a man came out of the hot interior of the bus and scanned his card for me.

I sat down, chagrined. I thought, "Hey, I do have the fare in coins. I'll just go pay that guy." The passenger across the aisle saw me digging the coins out and he gave me the characteristic facial expression particular to this culture, which I understood to mean, "don't worry about it."

I was stubborn. I have trouble with people paying for me, especially strangers. I tried to pay the guy and I could tell I offended him. I pocketed the money, thanked him, and went back to my seat.

Acts of kindness from the driver, a random stranger who paid my fare, and the person who gave up his seat for me. I'll never see them again in a city of 16 million.

I got off the bus and met with our volunteer, who I will call "J." She's a sweet girl. I told her about what happened, slapping my forehead about it. I'd felt like a doofus for not having money on my card. Wait, it was G's card. Blame the husband.

We went on our errand together which brought no result. I was a bit deflated because we'd tried to find this person before and didn't have luck then either. So, J and I went to Starbucks.

I ordered a giant (I forget the Starbucks lingo...tall, grande, something?) mango smoothie. Oh, my. It was perfect for a hot day. I gave my debit card to the cashier and it didn't work. It's really annoying because our debit cards don't work with certain locations and it mainly depends on the bank the business uses. I tried to tell the cashier to use a different swiper machine thingie with a different bank but J offered to pay for my and her smoothies. Of course, I protested and of course, she refused to let me pay her back.

Another act of kindness. Wait, I'm not done yet. I've got one more.

So, we chatted and finished our tall-grande-something mango smoothies and it was time to go home. I'd forgotten that I needed to load up the "charge card" to get home. I wasn't sure where the closest ATM was and so I decided not to bother and just walk home instead. J insisted on putting me on the bus, using her "charge card."

J teased me saying it was my day to be pampered and paid for! :-)