12 People Who Had an Unusual Interaction With a Stranger That Is Impossible to Forget

On social media, there are mind-blowing stories of people who had an unforgettable encounter with a stranger. From bizarre conversations to moments of profound kindness, those who lived through it think back on their experience often. Above all, these situations remind us of the wonder of human connection.

• I was waiting for my appointment with an optometrist when an old Haitian man walked in with a grocery bags. The receptionist knew him, so he walked up to me and proceeded to ask me riddles. When I finally got the answer to one, he reached into his bag and gave me a chocolate bar, then left. To this day, I’m really curious as to what would motivate a man to become a wholesome riddler. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was doing tech support and my customer was so happy with my service she offered to marry me to her daughter. I politely declined. © TheRealOcsiban / Reddit

• I was in my freshman year of college and while alone in my dorm room, a light fixture fell on my head, giving me a concussion and a major gash. After being taken to the hospital and getting 10 staples and simultaneously being diagnosed with a raging UTI, I was left in the parking lot with glass still in my hair and blood staining my face, and 15 miles away from the campus at 2 AM.
  This was before Uber, and I didn’t know who I could call to help me. A female police officer drove by and offered to take me back to campus. Along the way, she stopped at a pharmacy and paid for my prescriptions out of her own pocket. Once back at campus, she made sure I got back to my room and let my resident assistant know what had happened and to keep an eye on me.
  I truly don’t know what I would have done without her. I was freshly 17, new to the area, it was very rural, I didn’t have my wallet, and I was dirty and concussed. I will forever be grateful for her help. © Unknown author / Reddit

• My dad is a truck driver. At the time, he was probably about 55 or 56, and we were waiting for a train to pass. There was then this guy that looked rather homeless, and he knocked on the glass of our truck, and he said something along the lines of, «Can I give you something for your grandson?» He then pulls out this model freight train. My dad insisted on giving him $20, but the guy refused, saying, «I’m just trying to make people happy.» © MakeMeCereal / Reddit

• I was by myself in a restaurant bathroom with my screaming newborn baby. As his cries intensified, I started to crumble, knowing that we somehow had to walk all the way through the massive restaurant as the bathroom was tucked away in the back. A woman close to my age walked in, I apologized for the crying, and she immediately smiled and responded with «don’t even worry about it».
  On her way out, she walked up to me and my baby and asked if this was my first. I responded with a yes. She was not a mom herself, but immediately became empathetic to my situation. After a few minutes of conversation, I told her that I was nervous about walking my crying baby through the busy restaurant.
  She looked at me and said, «Let’s get you out of here». She then opened the door and walked behind me, softly rooting me on all the way back to my table. She had no idea how much I needed her in that moment and I’m forever grateful. © Rdab3 / Reddit

• When I was younger, I went grocery shopping with my dad. As we were walking, an old man stopped us and handed both me and my sister a shiny one dollar coin. He told us that he wanted us to have them and to have a Merry Christmas. I never saw him again, but I think of that kind old man from time to time. © Honeybee_53 / Reddit

• I cannot forget this lady. I was the closing cashier at a grocery store when a very tired-looking lady came through. I’ll never forget what she got because she got a steak and some seafood and a frozen bag of Arby’s fries. I was just trying to make light conversation and said something along the lines of «looks like a good time.»
  In a hollow voice, she just told me that it was the first thing she was going to eat in days because her son had just passed away and this is a meal he would have liked. I talked to the lady and found out more about her son, he was around my age and had died of cancer.
  She went on her way but would come back to my register when I was working. When I left, I told her it was my last day, and she asked me for a hug. Never saw her again, but I think of her when I see Arby’s fries and hope that she is doing okay. © judetheh***tic / Reddit

• I was in the university library with a really bad cold, super tired and wanting to go home but desperately studying for my upcoming exams really late at night. I thought I was alone, but a stranger came by my desk with an unopened pack of Strepsils. He then told me my health was the most important thing I would have on this Earth and walked away before I could process what had just happened. I wanted to thank him for his kindness, but I never saw him again. © datataa / Reddit

• One day I was trying to park at the store and a lady was crossing in front of me in the lot. I was waiting patiently, and she shot me a dirty look and yelled something like, «What’s your problem?» I proceeded to return the attitude. I went into the store steaming and proceeded to do my shopping. When I came out, I had all but forgotten about the lady. As I drove away, there she was.
  Something came over me and I pulled up to her and said something like, «I’m sorry for yelling and cursing at you, I don’t even know you. Who knows, we could have a lot in common or even be friends». Her face transformed in front of me. It went from twisted up angry, to soft and friendly. She apologized immediately and, in the most genuine way, told me to have a good day.
  This is the day I really learned positivity and love is really powerful and the type of energy I want in my life. I know I sound like a little softie, but that was a big experience for me, and I’m grateful for her. © tunaandthefishgang / Reddit

• A few years ago, I was stopping at a red light and there was an old man selling candy. He approached my car, and I was ready to tell him I didn’t want anything, but he motioned me to roll my window down, gave me a lollipop and some gum, and said «to the beautiful young lady, never forget you’re a star» and walked away before I could say anything. Needless to say, he brightened my day.
  Now, whenever I’m sad, I think about that man telling me I’m a star. Never fails to cheer me up. © absoluteragequeen / Reddit

• When I was a broke 18-year-old, I had a side hustle, providing IT support for households. In practice, I would mostly set up computers for elderly people and the tech illiterate, and teach them how to use them.
  This elderly Korean gentleman hired me to set up his new computer for him; I spent an hour setting it up and teaching him how to use it, and two more hours eating a wonderful lunch with the man and his wife. He wouldn’t accept my invoice for just the first hour, and instead he paid me 3x my hourly rate for all three hours, and asked me to come back to train him the next week.
  Over the course of about a month I came back four times, worked with him, had a lovely meal, and he would tell me about his family and his kids. By the end of it, he was pretty comfortable on the computer, and I thanked him profusely for how kind he was and how ridiculously he’d overpaid me. He told me I reminded him of his son (who was estranged for some reason), and that he hoped somewhere out there somebody was being kind to his son, and sharing a home cooked meal with him.
  I don’t know why, but more than ten years later, I can’t think of that guy without tearing up. I hope everything turned out well for him. © bad***_panda / Reddit

• I was on a tram and I didn’t have a ticket and the ticket inspectors came on. I got asked to have my ticket seen, and I said I «couldn’t find it on me» and he said he’ll come back so I can look for it. There was a stranger sat on the seat behind me who had a ticket, he gave it to me, and he got off at the next stop. The guy gave me his ticket, so I wouldn’t be issued a fine. © blakee**** / Reddit

Sometimes, the universe sends things our way that make us question what we know. From odd sightings to unexpected coincidences, these moments challenge our beliefs. To make sense of them, people shared their own stories online.