A damsel in distress

Just a story and not real incident

I was on my way to Boston. I was sitting with my hand bag in the lounge after check in. There was ample time for security check. It was around 11pm. I found one young lady with a child in arm in lengthy argument with the staff at the check in counter for a different flight. Obviously there was some problem as she retuned with her trolley carrying her luggage. She sat close to where I was seated. I could notice that she was crying. She appeared decent presumably belonging to upper middle class. I waited for some time for her to tell what the hassle was about. After several minutes when she must have been debated whether she should seek my help, she came to my side hesitantly. I told her that I have been watching her discussing with the counter staff though I couldn’t make out what it was all about and whether I can help her in any way. She said that she was not very sure whether to approach a stranger like me on a personal problem. When I prodded her to tell me, she said that her luggage was in excess of prescribed limits and that one of her bags was slightly oversized. They are demanding slightly in excess of Rs. 4000 and that she had only around $50 with a small amount in Indian rupees. As she had come alone, there was no way of sending back the excess luggage. She said she would need about Rs.2500 and that she would leave with me her gold ring that was around 8 Gms.
A fleeting thought occurred in my mind whether this could be some kind of ruse. I asked for her pass port and ticket to make sure about her journey. She had a small baby. She pleaded with the staff for allowing her to take the flight and that she would arrange payment at the destination before leaving the airport. She really appeared as a genuine case of a lady in distress.I agreed to lend her the amount telling her that I trusted her and that she can send me the money to my address that I gave her. I told her emphatically that I had no intention of taking her ring as a surety and that I am acting on good faith. She would not agree to take the money from a stranger without parting with the ring. I told her to accept the money on my terms or find some other willing person to help her out. Time was running out. I told her that I too have sisters like her and that I am doing her a help which I would expect from anyone else to my sisters. This clinched the matter.
She got the boarding pass. She gave me her address, phone numbers and details about her husband like where he worked. She touched my feet and thanked me profusely with tears in her eyes and voice choked with emotion .She soon left looking back again and again. I left for security check for my flight.
Once in Boston I was busy with my work and forgot about this incident. It was about a fortnight later there was parcel in my name from DHL containing a draft for $75 and a cute Mont Blanc pen set with a card signed and saying ”Thank you brother for the timely help that I cannot forget”