A Homeless Man Gave His Last $17 to a Boy. Days Later, a Billionaire Came Looking for Him! — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:05$17.
2. 0:06>> This was the money Sam had saved over
3. 0:08the course of two whole months. To
4. 0:10someone else, $17 might be nothing but
5. 0:11the price of an ordinary dinner or a cup
6. 0:13of coffee. Beside a trash can on the
7. 0:14street, a few empty plastic bottles in
8. 0:16the wind. Each bottle is worth 5 cents.
9. 0:18On a good day, he can find 30 or 40. The
10. 0:20church serves free meals a few days a
11. 0:22week, but this month, with fewer
12. 0:23volunteers, the meals have become
13. 0:25sporadic. Sometimes, all he has to get
14. 0:28him through the day is a bowl of soup.
15. 0:30Sometimes, when the church handed out
16. 0:32meals, he'd save an extra one for
17. 0:34someone farther back in line.
18. 0:37Not because he wasn't hungry,
19. 0:39but because he knew that sometimes, if
20. 0:41one person ate one less meal,
21. 0:44someone else could eat one more.
22. 0:47He'd already looked at them through the
23. 0:49window three times.
24. 0:54I really do need a pair of shoes.
25. 1:03But I still want to see Lily before
26. 1:05Thanksgiving.
27. 1:07As Sam walked down the street, the image
28. 1:09of his daughter, Lily, rose in his mind.
29. 1:11Lily is 13 this year.
30. 1:13Five years ago, child services placed
31. 1:15her with a foster family.
32. 1:18That year, Sam's wife, Amy, died. Amy's
33. 1:21a suffering from severe kidney disease.
34. 1:23To kept the salt the worsening of her
35. 1:25condition addition from her husband. Amy
36. 1:26looks at Sam manages Manages auctions
37. 1:28her hand in a way that his wife
38. 1:30condition has reached the point no turn.
39. 1:32By the time found out, it was already
40. 1:34too late. During that time, he spent
41. 1:36almost every day at the hospital. With
42. 1:38no one looking after the restaurant, his
43. 1:40loan payments kept piling up, and the
44. 1:42debt collectors called one after
45. 1:44another.
46. 1:45By the third month after Amy's death,
47. 1:47Sam had completely fallen apart. He
48. 1:49started drinking all night, stopped
49. 1:51answering his phone, and no longer
50. 1:53picked Lily up from school.
51. 1:58One day, after Lily had been left
52. 1:59waiting after school several times in a
53. 2:01row, the school contacted child
54. 2:03services.
55. 2:04>> Once your life is more stable, you can
56. 2:06apply to visit her through the proper
57. 2:07channels.
58. 2:08>> After an assessment, Lily is placed in
59. 2:10foster care.
60. 2:12>> Dad, when are you coming to get me?
61. 2:14>> Sam remembered that day.
62. 2:16Lily didn't cry or blame him.
63. 2:19>> I don't know.
64. 2:22>> Later, he went to a children services
65. 2:23office, but he turned up reeking of
66. 2:25alcohol with only a few dollars counts
67. 2:26in his pocket.
68. 2:27>> Visits require an assessment and a
69. 2:28stable home environment. You'll also
70. 2:30need to keep cooperating with the
71. 2:31arrangements going forward.
72. 2:32>> The staff member told him that visits
73. 2:34required an assessment, a stable home
74. 2:36environment, and his continued
75. 2:38cooperation.
76. 2:40He felt there was nothing he could do.
77. 2:42At first, he told himself he'd apply for
78. 2:44visitation once he found a job. Later,
79. 2:46he told himself he would go once he had
80. 2:47somewhere to live. Later still, he
81. 2:49stopped believing those things himself.
82. 2:51Would she ask me why I hadn't come back
83. 2:53sooner? Had she stopped needing me? He
84. 2:55was afraid Lily would ask why he hadn't
85. 2:57come come back sooner. Even more afraid
86. 3:00that his daughter no longer needed him.
87. 3:01For 5 years, Sam visited that church
88. 3:04school once each year.
89. 3:08He stood across the street, watching the
90. 3:10children leave school.
91. 3:14She has a life of her own now.
92. 3:17And I don't know what I could still
93. 3:18offer.
94. 3:21Lily drew it for him when she was eight.
95. 3:24>> Before Thanksgiving.
96. 3:26I want to come see you.
97. 3:33>> What would people think if a strange man
98. 3:35suddenly approached a child sitting
99. 3:36alone? Sam knew the kind of suspicion a
100. 3:38strange man approaching a child sitting
101. 3:40alone could arouse. Last winter, he'd
102. 3:42seen an old man offer tissue to a child
103. 3:44had fallen down. Before long, the police
104. 3:46had chased the old man off the bench. He
105. 3:47didn't want to scare the child
106. 3:50or let his kindness turn into trouble.
107. 3:56Seemed to be right in front of him. He
108. 3:58thought again of the school in Queens.
109. 4:00He thought of Lily.
110. 4:02>> Never mind.
111. 4:03I'll go see her next year.
112. 4:11Take it.
113. 4:12Go get yourself something hot to eat.
114. 4:16With that, Sam immediately turns and
115. 4:18walks away. He was afraid the boy might
116. 4:20misunderstand and that even this small
117. 4:22act of kindness might end up getting the
118. 4:24child into trouble.
119. 4:25>> Sir, aren't you hungry?
120. 4:27>> Snow slipped down Sam's collar and he
121. 4:29hunched his shoulders against the cold.
122. 4:31When he bent down just now, the drawing
123. 4:33might have slipped out through the tear.
124. 4:35>> Sir!
125. 4:40>> George, don't touch.
126. 4:45>> Both things are gone.
127. 4:46But in the end, I still gave the money
128. 4:48to that kid.
129. 4:49I don't regret it.
130. 4:51It's just [music]
131. 4:52thinking about Lily still hurts a
132. 4:54little.
133. 4:54>> 7-year-old Leo Whitmore became separated
134. 4:56from his group yesterday afternoon while
135. 4:57attending a school charity event. His
136. 4:59family has reported him missing and
137. 5:00police began searching downtown last
138. 5:02night. They're asking the public to come
139. 5:03forward with any information.
140. 5:04>> I heard the kid chased chased after a
141. 5:06stray cat and got separated from the
142. 5:07group.
143. 5:08>> Have they found him yet?
144. 5:09>> Not yet, but the police say someone saw
145. 5:11him downtown last night clutching that
146. 5:12lunchbox the whole time.
147. 5:17>> It's that kid.
148. 5:19It really is him.
149. 5:21He still hasn't been found.
150. 5:23It's not that I don't want to help.
151. 5:26The police are already searching
152. 5:27downtown. The child has a lunchbox and a
153. 5:29coat. Those clues are obviously more
154. 5:31useful than having someone like me,
155. 5:33someone who can't even explain who he
156. 5:35is, go report it.
157. 5:41Maybe someone else has already found
158. 5:42[music] the child.
159. 5:45I hope so.
160. 5:46>> Did you see that? That man gave all his
161. 5:49money to the kid.
162. 5:50>> Yeah.
163. 5:51I heard he's [music] homeless himself.
164. 5:52>> I can't imagine it. He gave the last
165. 5:54money he had to a complete stranger.
166. 6:03>> That person,
167. 6:05is it really me?
168. 6:07>> Sam had no idea that the short video,
169. 6:09barely more than 10 seconds long, had
170. 6:10already been shared tens of thousands of
171. 6:12times.
172. 6:13Nor did he know that someone already
173. 6:15begun looking for him.
174. 6:20>> Excuse me, are you Mr. Sam Turner?
175. 6:23My name is Vance. I'm Mr. Richard
176. 6:25Whitcomb's assistant.
177. 6:26>> [music]
178. 6:26>> We've been looking for you. Do you
179. 6:27remember the boy you helped by the
180. 6:28newsstand today?
181. 6:29>> How is he?
182. 6:30>> He's home safe. He's home in person.
183. 6:38>> Sir,
184. 6:39this belongs to you.
185. 6:41I found it yesterday. I wanted to return
186. 6:43it to you, but you'd already gone.
187. 6:46>> Thank you.
188. 6:47>> I should be thanking you. You gave me
189. 6:48all your money.
190. 6:50>> [music]
191. 6:50>> Are you hungry? Here, this is for you.
192. 6:53>> Why did you keep it?
193. 6:54>> It's a charity lunch the school put
194. 6:56together. I couldn't find anyone to give
195. 6:58it to yesterday. Then I thought you
196. 6:59might need it, too.
197. 7:01>> You didn't need it yesterday?
198. 7:02>> No. Dad took me home afterward. I
199. 7:04brought [music] this especially for you
200. 7:05today. Now you can have it.
201. 7:07>> It was the first time in years that Sam
202. 7:08had smiled so naturally in front of a
203. 7:10stranger. [music]
204. 7:12>> Mr. Turner, Mr. Whitbury would like to
205. 7:13see you. He wants to thank you in
206. 7:14person.
207. 7:17>> I have to go.
208. 7:18>> Sir, Mr. Whitbury just wants to thank
209. 7:19you in person.
210. 7:22>> I didn't do anything special.
211. 7:24I just saw that he was cold.
212. 7:28>> Sir,
213. 7:30what's your name?
214. 7:31>> Five years.
215. 7:32It had been a long time since anyone had
216. 7:33sincerely asked him his name.
217. 7:35>> Mr. Sam, my name's Leo.
218. 7:37>> I see.
219. 7:46>> You can sit for a while.
220. 7:48Mr. Turner, there's something I'd like
221. 7:49to ask your permit for first. We'd like
222. 7:51to learn about your situation, not to
223. 7:52hold anything against you, only because
224. 7:53if Mr. Whitmore is going to help, we
225. 7:54need to know what can be resolved
226. 7:56through the proper channels.
227. 7:57>> You've already looked into me, haven't
228. 7:58you?
229. 7:58>> We verified your identity, and we know
230. 8:00you used to run a restaurant. As for
231. 8:01your family, I don't want to discuss
232. 8:02anything without consent.
233. 8:03>> I got nothing to hide.
234. 8:05I do have a daughter.
235. 8:07She was wearing a red coat that day,
236. 8:08holding a stuffed rabbit. She asked me
237. 8:10when I was coming to get her.
238. 8:13I didn't answer. Later, I went to a
239. 8:15children services agency. They said I
240. 8:17need a stable place to live, that I had
241. 8:18to be assessed, and that I had to prove
242. 8:19I could take care of her. There was
243. 8:20nothing wrong with those requirements.
244. 8:22But back then, I couldn't even take care
245. 8:24of myself. I kept telling myself I'd go
246. 8:25find her once I got back on my feet. But
247. 8:27a year passed, and I still didn't have a
248. 8:28job. Then 2 years went by. I didn't even
249. 8:30have a place to scared. I was afraid
250. 8:31she'd ask why I'd taken so long to come,
251. 8:33and I afraid she might not want to see
252. 8:34me anymore. I went to the school gates
253. 8:36every year.
254. 8:37One time I saw her laughing with her
255. 8:39classmates. It hit me that she'd finally
256. 8:41managed to build a little stability in
257. 8:42her life. I couldn't just barge [music]
258. 8:44back into it.
259. 8:45I told myself I was protecting her.
260. 8:48But deep down, I knew I was only
261. 8:49protecting myself, too.
262. 8:51Mr. Turner, I'm grateful you saved Leo,
263. 8:53but there's something else I want to be
264. 8:54honest about. Helping a child doesn't
265. 8:56can simply wipe the slate clean of what
266. 8:57happened in the past. Lily was only a
267. 8:58child her father, you weren't there for
268. 9:00her.
269. 9:00>> I know.
270. 9:02>> If you want to see her again, you'll
271. 9:03have to be ready for whatever she's
272. 9:04feeling. She may miss you. She may be
273. 9:06angry with you. She may not be ready to
274. 9:07forgive you, not yet.
275. 9:09>> I owe her that much.
276. 9:12>> There's one more thing I need to make
277. 9:13clear. Mr. Whitmore can only do so much.
278. 9:15We can't intervene in the visitation
279. 9:15process. That's for the social worker
280. 9:17handling Lily's case to put touch with a
281. 9:18community legal aid organization that
282. 9:20supports [music] family reunification so
283. 9:21you can learn about what happened in the
284. 9:22case back then and the formal procedure.
285. 9:24>> Could I give it a try?
286. 9:25>> Of course.
287. 9:26But this will take time.
288. 9:28>> I'm willing to wait.
289. 9:32>> Mr. Turner, hello. I'm Richard Whitmore.
290. 9:34Leo's been telling me about you. He said
291. 9:36you were cold yourself. But still gave
292. 9:37him every last dollar you had.
293. 9:38>> The boy was all alone. I had to be
294. 9:39there.
295. 9:40>> [music]
296. 9:40>> Last night, he asked me a question. He
297. 9:41said, "Dad, if you had only $17 left,
298. 9:43would you give them all to a stranger?"
299. 9:44I didn't answer at the time. I thought
300. 9:45about it for a long time after, and I
301. 9:46didn't know if I could do it. I'm able
302. 9:48to donate money to a lot of people, and
303. 9:49I'm able with the rest of them to give
304. 9:50the only thing I had just to a stranger
305. 9:52when I needed it myself. I can't say for
306. 9:53sure that I could.
307. 9:54>> You've given my son and me a lot to
308. 9:55think about.
309. 9:56>> I know you have a daughter, and that you
310. 9:57arrange everything for you just because
311. 9:58you help Leo. That wouldn't be fair to
312. 9:59you, either. The kitchen at one of our
313. 10:00group's partner restaurants, if you're
314. 10:01interested in interview for a position,
315. 10:02the duty to pay will be standard. I
316. 10:03won't put out a poor job here then start
317. 10:05from scratch. You don't have to go
318. 10:06working cuz of what happened in the
319. 10:07past. I I put you in touch with a
320. 10:08community legal aid organization. They
321. 10:10can help you understand the process as
322. 10:11far as arranging visits with Lily.
323. 10:12>> Why are you doing so much for me?
324. 10:13>> Look, what do we got to come to this,
325. 10:14son?
326. 10:15But that's not the only reason. I don't
327. 10:16want Leo to grow up thinking you need to
328. 10:18have a lot of money to help other
329. 10:19people.
330. 10:21>> Thank you.
331. 10:21>> The person who really needs to make a
332. 10:23change is you.
333. 10:24Because he knew it was true.
334. 10:265 years.
335. 10:29For the first time, he feels he might
336. 10:31really be able to start [music] over.
337. 10:37>> I'm sorry, Lily.
338. 10:39Daddy is so so sorry.
339. 10:42>> Things were more complicated than Sam
340. 10:44had imagined.
341. 10:44>> The records from 5 years ago had to be
342. 10:46verified again.
343. 10:46>> The assault to Finn and Lily's own
344. 10:47wishes had to be respected. I've already
345. 10:49made my daughter wait 5 years. The least
346. 10:51I can do now is learn to be patient.
347. 10:52>> You haven't worked in a restaurant for
348. 10:53many years.
349. 10:54>> That's right.
350. 10:54>> Are you sure you can still handle
351. 10:55working in a professional kitchen?
352. 10:56>> I used to run a small restaurant and I
353. 10:57know how to clean a kitchen. Might take
354. 10:58me a while to get back in things, but
355. 10:59I'm willing to start at the bottom.
356. 11:00>> We can offer you a trial shift.
357. 11:01>> Thank [music] you. I'll do my best.
358. 11:02>> The work was no easy task. On the first
359. 11:04day, hot water left his hands red and
360. 11:06stinging. On the second, standing for so
361. 11:09long made the wound on his foot ache
362. 11:10again. But Sam never gave up. The room
363. 11:13is very small with only a bed, a table,
364. 11:16and a narrow wardrobe. But the door
365. 11:18locks from the inside [music]
366. 11:19and the window keeps out the wind and
367. 11:21snow.
368. 11:25For the first time in 5 years, [music]
369. 11:27he didn't have to worry about being
370. 11:28thrown out in the middle of the night.
371. 11:34>> Hello.
372. 11:35>> Sam, we have news about Lily. The social
373. 11:36worker handling Lily's case has been in
374. 11:38touch with foster family. Mrs. Rodriguez
375. 11:39is willing to arrange a meeting. Lily
376. 11:41knows you want to see her, too.
377. 11:43>> Is he really going to come this time?
378. 11:44>> [music]
379. 11:44>> If you'd like, we can arrange a visit.
380. 11:46And you can tell me how you feel at any
381. 11:48time.
382. 11:49>> In the end, Lily agrees to meet. They
383. 11:51set the meeting for 2 weeks later.
384. 11:54>> Hello.
385. 11:55>> Sam, Lily's agreed to meet. It's set for
386. 11:562 weeks from now.
387. 11:58>> [music]
388. 11:59>> Thank you.
389. 12:00I'll be there on time.
390. 12:09>> [sighs and snorts]
391. 12:09>> Some things [music] are better said in
392. 12:11person.
393. 12:20Five years, I'm ready.
394. 12:23I'm sorry. Dad's been thinking about you
395. 12:24all this time. I came to the school
396. 12:26every year. I just never had the courage
397. 12:27to walk in.
398. 12:28>> You really came.
399. 12:29You didn't get the place wrong this
400. 12:31time.
401. 12:31>> No.
402. 12:32I'll remember this time.
403. 12:33>> You can take your time talking today. If
404. 12:34anything makes you uncomfortable, just
405. 12:35let me know whenever you like.
406. 12:37>> At first, neither of them knew what to
407. 12:38say. You've grown taller.
408. 12:39>> Of course, been 5 years.
409. 12:41>> Yeah.
410. 12:44>> You know, I used to wonder if I'd done
411. 12:45something wrong.
412. 12:47>> Why would you think that?
413. 12:49>> Because
414. 12:50>> [music]
415. 12:50>> after mom left, you disappeared, too.
416. 12:53Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't good
417. 12:54enough, and that's why you never came
418. 12:56back.
419. 12:56>> No, it was absolutely not your fault.
420. 13:00Daddy didn't take good enough care of
421. 13:01himself or of you.
422. 13:03>> Then why did you keep putting off coming
423. 13:04to see me?
424. 13:05>> Because I was afraid.
425. 13:07>> Afraid [music] of what?
426. 13:08>> Afraid you wouldn't want to see me.
427. 13:10And afraid you'd ask me why it took me
428. 13:12so long to come.
429. 13:13But none of that is an excuse.
430. 13:16I left you waiting alone for far too
431. 13:18long. I was wrong, sweetheart.
432. 13:20>> It's not that I'm not angry, Dad.
433. 13:22>> I know.
434. 13:23>> Sometimes I miss you so much, and
435. 13:25sometimes I'm so angry with you.
436. 13:27>> You're allowed to be angry with me. You
437. 13:28don't have to forgive me right away.
438. 13:29>> I just
439. 13:30don't want to keep watching you from
440. 13:32across the street every year.
441. 13:33>> You knew?
442. 13:35>> Eventually, I recognized you.
443. 13:37If you really wanted to see me, why
444. 13:38didn't you come over?
445. 13:40>> I'm sorry.
446. 13:41I'm really sorry.
447. 13:43>> I still don't know how to be around you.
448. 13:45>> That's okay. I don't know, either. But
449. 13:46if you're willing, we can take it slow.
450. 13:49>> You should wipe your eyes first.
451. 13:50>> But in that moment, [music] he felt he'd
452. 13:52been given a chance to start over.
453. 13:53>> Where are you living now?
454. 13:54>> I've got a little transitional place to
455. 13:56stay now, and I found a job at a
456. 13:57restaurant.
457. 13:58>> Do you have to go every day?
458. 13:59>> Yeah.
459. 14:00>> That must be [music] tiring.
460. 14:01>> A little.
461. 14:03>> Dad,
462. 14:04will you come again next time we see
463. 14:06each other?
464. 14:07>> I will. I'll get there early. Some
465. 14:08relationships need time.
466. 14:10>> [music]
467. 14:10>> And at last, he was willing to give that
468. 14:12time back to his daughter. His wages
469. 14:14aren't much, but they're enough to cover
470. 14:16the basics. What I need most right now
471. 14:18isn't to prove how much money I can
472. 14:19make, it's to get my life back on an
473. 14:21even keel, one step at a time. He and
474. 14:24Lily kept in touch. Sometimes it was a
475. 14:25text, sometimes a phone call that lasted
476. 14:27less than 10 minutes. Lily?
477. 14:29>> Dad, we got a new math teacher. I joined
478. 14:31the track team, too.
479. 14:32>> Really? That's great.
480. 14:33>> And Mrs. Rodriguez's turkey was
481. 14:35absolutely awful.
482. 14:36>> Was it really that bad?
483. 14:37>> was awful.
484. 14:39>> [laughter]
485. 14:40>> Trust isn't something you can get by
486. 14:42nagging.
487. 14:44>> Hey, do you remember that video, the
488. 14:45homeless guy giving a kid money in the
489. 14:46snow? I don't think anyone ever found
490. 14:48him afterward. Maybe he doesn't want to
491. 14:49be found.
492. 14:50>> Yeah, maybe.
493. 14:54>> You're early.
494. 14:55>> I promised you I would be.
495. 14:57>> It's pretty good.
496. 14:58>> Your mother used to make it better than
497. 14:59this.
498. 14:59>> She used to put a lot of cinnamon in it.
499. 15:00>> That's right. She always said it didn't
500. 15:02taste like anything if you didn't use
501. 15:03enough cinnamon.
502. 15:04>> Dad, next time could you teach me how to
503. 15:06make it?
504. 15:06>> Of course. She hasn't completely
505. 15:08forgiven me yet. I know the road ahead
506. 15:09won't always be smooth, but this [music]
507. 15:11time I'm not standing on the other side
508. 15:13of the street.
509. 15:14>> You still have it, Dad. My drawings were
510. 15:16awful back then.
511. 15:17>> kept it. I think they're lovely.
512. 15:19>> Of course you'd say that.
513. 15:21>> But now I know there's still so much I
514. 15:23need to do. I need to keep working, show
515. 15:25up on time, and listen to my daughter.
516. 15:27None of this can happen overnight,
517. 15:28[music]
518. 15:29but I'm willing to take it slow. A true
519. 15:31fresh start isn't suddenly opening a
520. 15:32door for you. It's about having the
521. 15:34courage to walk in on the door when it
522. 15:35opens again. Kindness cannot take the
523. 15:36place of responsibility, nor can one one
524. 15:37moving moment make up five years of
525. 15:38absence. It's [music] never too late to
526. 15:39become a better version of yourself. If
527. 15:41this story touched you, please subscribe
528. 15:42to our channel, like the video, and
529. 15:44share it with others. Thank you for
530. 15:45watching. [music] May we all show a
531. 15:46little more kindness and understanding
532. 15:48in this cold world until our next story.
533. 15:50Goodbye.