You ever do something nice for someone and instantly regret it? That’s exactly what happened to one Reddit user who tried to help an elderly homeless man get some rest—only to come back and find his own belongings missing. The worst part? The guy had the cheek to leave behind a single word: Sorry.
The Redditor, who lives in his car, met an elderly man in a similar situation at a campsite. His heart instantly went out to the guy: “It was surreal to meet someone that old living in their car.” A few weeks later, they ran into each other again at a gas station. But this time, things had taken a bad turn for the homeless man.
“He told me his car got towed and he has been sleeping on sidewalks just really anywhere he could and has been harassed, mugged etc so hasn’t gotten any actual sleep.” Feeling for the guy, OP shared his dinner with the old man, then let him share his car for the night. That night, “He thanked me so much that he even had tears in his eyes.”
In the morning, OP had to go to work. The homeless man was still asleep, so OP left him in the car, hoping he’d get the rest he needed. “I decided to just take my keys and leave him in the car and left him a note.” He even left the man $10 for bus fare.
When OP returned at break time, he couldn’t believe what he found: “During my lunch I went to the car as I usually have my lunch there and he wasn’t around. What also wasn’t around was my blanket, pillow, suitcase and some of my clothes and shoes.” Even the camping gear was missing.
At first, OP considered the possibility that someone else had taken the stuff. But then he saw the note he had left for the man. “I noticed the word ‘sorry’ written on the note that I had left for him.” That confirmed it—his act of kindness had backfired.
OP said he wasn’t angry, just frustrated and cold. “I’m just bummed that I lost my stuff. It’s really cold and sleeping in your car is already uncomfortable enough.” Moral of the story? Helping people is good. It’s necessary. But so is protecting yourself.
There is good news. Multiple Redditors commented on the car dwellers story, promising to buy him new gear if he put together an Amazon wishlist. You can see the entire post embedded below.
Tifu by letting an elderly homeless man who reminded me of my grandfather sleep in my car while I was at work.
byu/Lost_Share_9271 intifu
