Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

Reddit user u/pasanquecosas recently shared a moving story that shows how small acts of kindness—no matter how transactional they seem—can stick with someone for life.

Growing up with cerebral palsy and walking with crutches made her an easy target for bullies. But one day, a popular boy stepped in to defend her. He never said much, just dropped off his notebooks. She got the message: do his homework, and he'd keep the bullies at bay.


"We began our symbiotic relationship. The bullying stopped and I would do his homework every day."

u/pasanquecosas

The arrangement was unspoken and cold. He never thanked her, barely spoke to her, but for three years, the deal held. Then graduation came, and like so many classmates, they lost touch—until a surprise DM years later.

He became a millionaire. She got peace of mind.

Now a successful businessman living abroad, he reached out via Instagram with a shocking offer. “He told me how good life had been for him, he offered to buy me a house and a car,” she wrote. At first, she thought it was a scam—but it was real.

"I thought it was a scam... but it’s legit."

u/pasanquecosas

She turned down the big gifts, saying she was doing okay. But he had other plans. Soon after, she got a call from the most expensive medical center in her country. Three years of physical therapy had been paid for—in full.

What she saw as a transaction, he saw as a lifeline

“I already did my first two sessions and my body feels so much better,” she wrote. Still shocked, she told Reddit she never thought he saw their deal as anything more than a way to pass math. Turns out, he never forgot.

"I am so confused."

u/pasanquecosas

He told her, “I know how hard it is to be disabled and a woman in your country.” She declined the car and house but accepted the therapy. She later returned to Reddit, thankful, a bit baffled, and touched that he remembered her at all.

Reddit weighs in with love

Users on Reddit jumped in with support. u/KalayaMdsn wrote, “You did his homework for three years and he paid for three years of therapy. It sounds like he knows exactly what he's doing and he wants to say thank you now.”

u/Fewstoriesocto added, “That's a nice gesture... don't turn down on somebody who is trying to be kind. Seemingly with no ill intent.”

u/paraddidler13 offered some perspective: “Even back in high school it was a fair transaction in my book since I’m sure him stopping the bullies prevented you from living in actual hell back then. He doesn’t owe you, but he knows gratitude. What a guy.”

More For You

Productive, productivity, mental health
woman sitting beside a bed while using a laptop
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

22 things highly productive people never do for the sake of their sanity

Productive people have one thing in common: they've found the keys to defeat distraction and procrastination. They excel at focusing and getting through to-do lists–which clearly takes some mental aptitude and strength. Good mental health translates to better productivity, so Reddit user Moist_Apartment5474 polled productive people in r/Productivitycafe by posing the question, "For your mental health what is something or things you avoid?"

Whether you're trying to implement a new habit, break old ones, or finally stick to your New Year's resolution–we can all take some mental health pointers from productive people. They shared a bevy of people, places and things that they have removed or cut from their lives to improve their mental health.

Keep ReadingShow less
Husband supported his wife for decades. Then she inherited a fortune and left him empty-handed.
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | RDNE Stock project

Husband supported his wife for decades. Then she inherited a fortune and left him empty-handed.

After more than two decades of marriage, one man found himself questioning everything when his wife inherited a large sum of money—but refused to share any of it. Reddit user u/IrishRoller shared his story, revealing how he had spent years financially and emotionally supporting his wife, even using his own inheritance to save their home. But when she came into a six-figure sum, her response left him stunned—and reconsidering their entire relationship.

media1.tenor.com

Keep ReadingShow less
Boss’s response to employee hit by a car is so bad it’s almost satire
Representative photo by Canva

Boss’s response to employee hit by a car is so bad it’s almost satire

A manager's reaction to an injured employee is sparking outrage online after a viral TikTok exposed the shockingly cold response. Most people expect at least a little empathy when dealing with a crisis, but for one worker, that was not the case. Internet personality Ben Askins (@ben.askins) shared the story, highlighting just how toxic some workplace cultures can be.

@ben.askins This boss's response was completely unacceptable #Worstboss #Badboss #Toxiccompany #React ♬ original sound - Ben Askins

Placing deadlines above basic human decency, the boss in question seemed far more worried about an upcoming pitch than the well-being of their employee. The text exchange, revealed in the TikTok, shows just how dismissive they were. Instead of checking on their injured worker, the manager immediately asked when she would be back at work.

Keep ReadingShow less
Employer tries to secretly lowball job candidate and fails spectacularly
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Edmond Dantes, Reddit | u/Komeandgo

Employer tries to secretly lowball job candidate and fails spectacularly

Job interviews can be stressful enough without employers secretly scheming to lowball salary offers. But one woman turned the tables on a company after they accidentally CC’d her in an email discussing how they planned to offer her less money than she requested.

Reddit user u/Komeandgo, an IT professional, shared the shocking yet hilarious incident, which quickly went viral. She had just completed the first round of interviews for an IT role when she unexpectedly received an internal email from the company. The contents? A conversation about how they planned to undercut her salary expectations—and they didn’t realize she could see it.

Keep ReadingShow less

Woman kidnapped and trapped—until two teens noticed her silent cry for help

With global challenges on the rise, being vigilant about our surroundings has become crucial. Often, even the most subtle signs can indicate someone in need or serve as an important warning.

Two observant teenagers demonstrated this when they saved a woman’s life a decade ago. Aaron Arias, then 19, and Jamal Harris, then 17, were driving through Dallas, Texas to pick up a friend when they spotted a young woman in the backseat of a nearby car. Harris, from the passenger seat, noticed the woman and thought she was "attractive." To their astonishment, she seemed to be mouthing words at them. According to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Harris quickly understood that she was asking for help.

Keep ReadingShow less