Teen Sees Boy Sitting Alone On Bus, Finds Out Why Then Hands Over His Cash

A Terrible Feeling

He heard a noise behind him and turned his head. He looked around the bus and then he saw him, a little boy sitting at the back of the bus covering his face.

He could see that the boy was clearly upset. But he could also tell that he was trying to hide it. What was wrong with him? Then he lifted his head and he felt his stomach twist into a knot.

A Brand New Chapter

Children often find it hard fitting in at new schools. They often worry about making new friends and getting along with the new teachers.

Children fear unfamiliarity, especially 7-year-old Dale. After his first new day at school, his worst fears were realized.

His First Day

Despite being worried, Dale had a good first day at Holy Family Catholic School. He started getting used to the layout of the school and the teachers. He even talked to a boy at recess.

He was hopeful that it would continue to get better. But Dale had no idea what was going to happen, and everything would change.

Boarding The Bus

The doorbell to signal the end of the day and happy students rushed out to get home. Dale waited for the crowd of students to stream past. Then he left for the bus.

He found the huge yellow bus sitting outside the property. He was a little nervous riding on his own but it had been explained by his mother many times before. But he couldn’t have imagined what would happen next.

An Oversight

The bus had a few students sitting on it but he knew none of them. He was nervous but he found a seat at the back and took it. He just stared out the window at the passing trees.

Then the few kids got off the bus and an elderly looking man got on. He sat near the front of the bus, and as soon as he sat down his eyes glanced at Dale. He sat staring at the little boy. What was his problem? Dale had no idea his life was about to get turned upside down.

Starting To Worry

When the clock struck 3:40, Dale’s mom began to worry. He should have been home 10 minutes ago already! She poured herself a cup of tea and tried to steady her nerves. Perhaps she was being paranoid. Maybe the bus had been delayed. Everything was fine, right?

She waited and watched the clock. It was his first day, after all. She knew her little boy would handle it all just fine. But she was so very wrong.

A Mother’s Instinct

By the time 4 o’clock had rolled around, Dale’s mom was a nervous wreck. Surely something had happened? She got on the phone to the principal and the startled mom told them that her son hadn’t come home.

The principal sent out an alert on the school’s emergency chat group, describing what Dale had been wearing that day and asking everyone to keep a lookout. But time was running out for Dale.

Something Wrong

Twenty minutes passed, and then fifty. Dale didn’t remember the trip to school this morning taking so long. After an hour had passed, his stomach began to churn. This couldn’t be, right? Had he missed his stop?

The old man was still on the bus and he was still staring at Dale. The little boy had no idea why he was staring, but then suddenly the old man got up. And he made his way to Dale.

A Strange Old Man

The old man sat a few seats away from Dale, his bloodshot eyes still focused on the 7-year-old. It was just him, the old man, and the bus driver on the bus but Dale had never felt more alone.

He felt sick to his stomach. He just wanted to be home. He wanted this day to be over. But Dale had no idea this day was far from over.

What To Do?

Dale had been on the bus for a good hour now, and with each minute that passed, he felt new more anxious and terrified. But when the bus pulled up to the school again, he knew something was very wrong.

His hands began to get clammy and his heart raced; something the old man seemed to take delight in. Then, he saw three seniors board the bus. This was his only chance to get help.

The Seniors Arrive

Tom, a senior student at the Holy Family Catholic School in Liverpool, boarded the bus after basketball practice after school. He was accompanied by two of his friends, Harry and Dylan. They took their seats at the front of the bus and chatted excitedly.

It was their first day back at school after the December break. But none of the boys could have suspected how the day would end.

A Small Sob

Tom’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out his pocket. When he saw the message, his brow furrowed in an expression of concern, but he continued to chat with his friends.

That’s when he heard a sob from the back of the bus. He turned to see an old man walk past him and get off the bus and a devastated little boy, sobbing into the sleeves of his parka was sitting at the back of the bus. What had happened?

Recognizing His Shoes

He approached Dale and asked him what had upset him so much. Through the tears, Dale explained that he was new in the area and had gotten on the wrong bus.

To add to the boy’s anxiety, he had no cellphone and probably didn’t have enough money to get home. In fact, he didn’t even know where his home was! That’s when Tom noticed the tennis shoes with blue laces that the boy was wearing. He was the boy everyone was looking for!

Stop The Bus!

After listening to the little boy’s dilemma, Tom knew what he had to do. He pulled a fistful of notes out his back pocket and gave them to the crestfallen boy.

Then, he told the bus driver to stop the bus. “It’s ok mate, don’t worry, you’ll be home soon,” he reassured Dale. Then, he pulled out his phone. But Tom knew he had to be quick, time as running out.

Calling A Taxi

Tom, Harry, and Dylan began to search for taxi services on their phones. Bingo! They called the Delta taxi service and sent him their location.

And, just to make sure that Dale would be safe, they waited with him for the taxi to arrive. But none of the teens expected that they would go viral for their good deed.

Word Spreads

Another student who had witnessed the incident posted the story on Facebook. “There really are some truly decent kids out there! All I know is his name is Tom and he’s a year 11 pupil at Holy Family so if anyone knows him or his parents, let them know what a lovely lad they’ve raised! Faith in humanity restored a little today.”

It wasn’t long before the story spread on social media like wildfire.

Who Was It?

Harry Campbell’s mother, Colette, wrote: ‘Harry had told Dylan to ring the taxi to pick him up… to make sure he got home safe… God love him, this little fella was upset and had got on the wrong bus and with it being his first day wouldn’t have known very many people either.”

But would the identity of the kind and considerate senior ever be uncovered?

The Hero Identified

After the story went viral, someone who knew Tom personally tagged his older sister, Katie O’Brien, in the post.

She replied: “Ahhh everyone it was my little brother. I’ve just been tagged in this by a friend of mine. We are so proud of Tom and it’s so lovely to know he’s a good lad in the outside world.”

Getting Attention

“The school rang our mum and left a lovely message,” Katie added. “All your comments are so so lovely they’ve had us all close to tears, Tom will hate all the attention.”

One mother replied to Katie’s comment with: “You should be so proud of him also tell his teacher who can use him as an example for all to follow..well done Tom!”

More Kindness

When Tom saw Dale at school the next day, he asked him how he was doing. Dale replied by handing him his money back, explaining that the taxi driver had refused to take it.

The taxi driver had been so moved by Dale’s tears that he decided to drive him home at no charge!

Thanking Him

It wasn’t long before Tom’s act of kindness reached Matthew Syme, the head of the school. He was delighted that Tom and his friends had shown such compassion.

“It is just lovely and at the start of the year it really sets the tone for everyone else,” he said. Then, he made a comment about Tom’s character.

Setting An Example

“Tom is an incredibly thoughtful and all-round good guy…. He was just pleased the boy had got home safe. He has set a great example in front of a whole bus of year sevens, who have all that worry and anxiety about the bigger kids.”

He also said that Tom’s good dead is an amazing example of how older pupils at the school are expected to look out for the younger ones.

On The News

There was such a buzz around Ruth’s post that soon, Dale’s story had been picked up by local news stations.

“Tom can’t quite believe all the fuss,” Katie told Sky News, “he honestly never thought it would go this far but he’s happy that teenagers can be seen in a good light.”

Proud

Tom’s father Kenny later said how proud he is of his “thoughtful and caring” son.

“I am very proud of him. He is a very thoughtful lad and has a great personality” he told the Echo. “He didn’t tell me what had happened until later in the night when he realized people were talking about it on Facebook”.

Not A Big Deal

And what does Tom think about all the attention? Well, he doesn’t think that what he did was a big deal, but his family thinks otherwise.

His sibling admitted that she and her family were proud of all three of the boys for helping, adding, “It is just so nice to see teenagers getting some good press for a change.”