That morning, winter scraped Fifth Avenue raw. As I approached my office, I noticed a woman sitting against the marble wall, shaking in a thin sweater, ignored by everyone rushing past. I reached for spare change and found nothing. When she asked quietly for help, I apologized and almost walked away—but something stopped me. The cold stung my skin through layers; she had almost none.
Without thinking, I took off my jacket and gave it to her. She hesitated, then accepted it, smiling softly. Before I could leave, my boss stormed out, furious. He accused me of encouraging charity and fired me on the spot. Just like that, I was jobless, standing in the cold, holding a rusty coin the woman pressed into my hand as thanks.
Two weeks later, broke and desperate, I found a velvet box at my door. The coin unlocked it. Inside was a note: the woman wasn’t homeless—she was a CEO testing character. Along with it was a job offer that changed my life.
I learned then that kindness, even when it costs you, can return in ways you never expect.
