He was about to pull the compactor lever. Then he heard a scream that shouldn’t have been there…
Samuel had been a plumber for twenty-five years. A veteran of the five-hour shift, a man who thought he’d seen everything a city could throw at him.
One cold morning, he and his partner were on their route, the truck groaning with work. Samuel had just emptied a row of containers and was reaching for the lever to lift the load.
And then his partner screamed. «Sam, wait! I thought I heard something!»
Samuel froze. He heard it too. A thin, piercing wail, like the desperate cry of a kitten, emanated from the bin. His b.l σod ran cold. Heart pounding, he ran along the wall and peered into the pile of trash.
It wasn’t a kitten.
Hidden in a soggy duffel bag, wrapped in a soiled towel, was a newborn baby. Samuel, the grandfather, didn’t hesitate. His hands, rough and dirty from work, were surprisingly soft as he reached out and pulled out the small, frozen child. «I’ll call 911!» his partner yelled, his voice shaking.
Samuel sat on the edge of the truck, his mind reeling. The child, now out in the cold air, let out a loud, terrified cry. After his partner spoke to the dispatcher, he aimed his phone camera to capture the incredible moment.
«Okay, hi,» Samuel whispered, focusing only on the child. «It’s easy now. I’ve got you, baby.»
He simply held the child tightly.
«It’s okay,» he rumbled, pushing the child away from the noise. «Yeah, I know it’s tough out here, but you’re safe with me. Please breathe, baby. We’ll get you warm.»
Paramedics, alerted by the call, arrived a little later. But for those few minutes, the man whose job it is to pick up unwanted people became a security guard, saving the only valuable thing. a thing that should never have been thrown away.
➕
