A poor man saved a young woman not knowing who her father was, and everything in his starving little village changed when he discovered the surprising truth.
Luca was a fishing man, but he only had a small boat that his father gave him. Most of the men in his tiny island village worked as fishermen as well, but they weren’t doing so well lately.
Meanwhile, Mr. Corbin Combs, who had a vacation home on the island, had established a fishing company nearby. They were taking care of everyone, including Luca’s village. Some of his fellow workmen applied for jobs at Combs’ company, but they didn’t meet most qualifications. Combs offered to pay them leftover fish and not wages.
It was quite criminal and it was a desperate situation for the residents of the town. There wasn’t enough income, so they saw many people living in luxury homes and enjoying the picturesque scenery. A few men staged protests, but Mr. Combs didn’t care. Everybody knew Combs hated poor people.
Luca didn’t know that it would get so much worse. He began living on his boat in the hope of selling something. However, he found it tiring and fell asleep. He was stunned to wake up when the boat sank.
His entire town had been flooded by a tsunami. The current continued to push him about, but he continued to swim, trying to find somewhere safe for him to hold on until he heard the distant cry.
“Help! Help! Help!”A female voice called out. Luca swam towards it, intent to help those in need. When he came to the boat, he realized it belonged to Mr. Mueller. He was one of those wealthy men who had spent their time in the town.
“Mr. Mueller! Please, help me! I can’t swim!”The female voice exclaimed.
“Sorry, girl. I can’t. This boat is too tiny, and I packed it with all my things. Survival of the fittest,” Mr. Mueller spoke and began to paddle off.
Luca couldn’t believe it. Who would let someone else drown like that? He thought to him. He swam towards her and held her as high as he could. “Don’t worry! I’ll help you. We need to find a safe place,” Luca explained to her.
“Thank you! I’m not good at swimming. I was so afraid!”The woman replied. Just then, a wave hit them again, and Luca held the woman tightly. However, another massive wave drove them away into the open ocean.
Luca spotted a small island near them and helped them get to safety. “You’re safe now. Let’s hope a rescue team finds us soon,” Luca exclaimed, “Out-of-breath swimming so hard.”
“Thank you. I can’t thank you enough. You saved me. I’m Angeline. What’s your name?” Angeline asked in between breaths.
“I’m Luca. It’s nice to meet you,” He told her. They talked for a long time and the sun was setting soon. Luca was a great survivalist and built a fire for them. He also found coconuts on the beach for food and drinks.
“I never imagined something so scary could happen,” Angeline said.
“Me neither. My town has been completely flooded. I don’t know how we’re going to rebuild it,” Luca added.
Angeline looked intently at him but said nothing. They fell asleep quickly and woke up to hear a helicopter. It belonged to Combs’ company. “My dad must have sent the rescue team. Let’s go, Luca!” Angeline exclaimed.
Luca hesitated for a second. Angeline was Mr. Combs’ daughter?he wondered. In the end, he got on the helicopter which brought them mainland. Although Mr. Combs was there to greet his child, he looked at Luca with a frown.
“What are you doing with this bum, Angeline?”Mr. Combs spoke in disdain.
“Dad! This man saved me from drowning during the tsunami! Your buddy, Mr. Mueller, left me to die!”Angeline yelled at dad. Mr. Combs’ face paled, and he turned apologetic.
“I’m so sorry, my boy. I’ve been worried all night about my daughter. I’ll do anything to repay you. Give me any number,” Mr. Combs said.
“Mr. Combs, I don’t want anything for myself. But I ask that you help my tiny village recover after this disaster,” Luca said the rich man. Mr. Combs agreed, humbled that Luca didn’t want something for himself.
Combs organized rescue efforts and relief efforts for everyone. After the waters receded, Combs paid to rebuild the homes of the people on the islands. He spoke to the villager and learned how poor his business practices were.
With Angeline’s encouragement, he offered them decent jobs at his company using whatever skills they had available. Angeline purchased Luca a boat and began to see him every day. They became infatuated and began helping the island village.
They were married right where they first met. However, it was not flooded.
What can we learn from this tale?
- Economic status doesn’t mean anything. Mr. Combs realized that money is not everything because Mr. Mueller, his wealthy friend, was willing to allow his daughter’s death.
- Do your part whenever possible Luca didn’t have a selfish bone in his body despite being poor. He was a selfless person who wanted to help others, Angeline included.
This story is worth sharing with friends. This story might inspire and brighten their day.
This story is similar to the one that a man kicked his sister out, even though she had no place to go.
This account was inspired by the story of a reader, but it is written by a professional writer. To preserve identities and privacy, all names were changed. We would love to hear your story. It might change someone’s mind. Send your story to [email protected] if you’d like to share it.