A Haunting Memory

Angelo explains in his essay a situation he experienced during a moment in his life in which he regretted not taking action towards helping a man in need. He later comes to a conclusion, explains, and apologizes to the man for not taking a step to reach out and help him- Hoping that he’ll someday read his apology. I also went through something similar to Paul D’ Angelo’s experience, and I too regret that step I didn’t take to help someone in a moment of need.

Do something that is good when you have the chance. I mean you would think it’s the obvious thing to do, but what if you don’t? Not because you don’t want to, but because you can’t? We often find ourselves in a situation in which we know the answer to, but are sometimes scared to face the result. I was scared to reach out towards a helpless girl when I was in 7th grade. I was walking the same route I would always walk after school. Which involved crossing the street towards a public park and then walk to an elementary school. I was on my way to pick up my younger siblings from school, but I didn’t get through the park without witnessing an older girl getting beaten to the point where she went unconscious.

As I walked by everyone taking their time going through the park, I passed by a girl that was alone and minding her own business. I was minding my own business as well reason being; I was in a hurry to pick up my siblings. Then out of nowhere I heard girls yelling. I turned around and noticed they were older than I was; in 8th grade if not 9th. The two girls ran up to the girl that was alone and then started punching, kicking, and insulting her. They pulled her hair and dragged her across the concrete. While the innocent girl tried protecting her face with her own hands, th...

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...elp others.

This situation has taught me that anyone; including myself can stop something so simple from continuing, or even taking place. Even I could take the first step into reaching out towards someone in need of help, in need of saving, or in need of talking to. I sometimes think to myself what would have happened if I were to get involved. I ask myself, “ Would I make a new friend? What if that girl had ended up with brain damage or underwent severe injuries?” Six years later this memory still haunts me and I regret not helping this girl. I hope she recovered completely and is on a better path in her life. I now know that it is better to help someone in need while you have the chance, than to later question yourself with regret as to why hadn’t you taken that step in the first place. This is the lesson that I learned and will be kept in mind for years to come.