A resident of Parkland Manor/Senior’s Lodge was pleasantly surprised last week by unexpected acts of kindness.
Sitting in his room at the manor, surrounded by pictures of family and friends, and with his oxygen tanks close by, Vernon Oak explained what happened.
“I can’t drive anymore because of my eyes,” he said, “so I have to use a scooter. It is my only mode of transportation.”
As luck would have it, Oak was off to the Bank of Montreal to do some banking when his scooter quit.
No doubt, the elderly gentleman felt a moment’s panic as his scooter stalled in the middle of the busy street.
But, the mishap had not gone unnoticed.
“A young lady came over and tried to help me,” he said.
As it turned out, the young lady’s good intention to help out, though very kind, proved to be unsuccessful.
At about this time, another young man stopped his truck and came over.
Oak identified this person as Daniel Peacock, whom he pegged at about 22 or 23 years of age.
Peacock took it upon himself to push the scooter with Oak sitting on it back to Parkland Manor.
However, much to Oak’s surprise, Peacock took his act of kindness one step further.
Once he had pushed the scooter to the manor he determined that it needed new batteries and took it upon himself to purchase and install the batteries. He then took the scooter for a little spin to be sure it worked, recalled Oak.
“When I said I wanted to pay for the batteries he just stood there and grinned at me. “He said it was an advance Christmas present.”
The acts of kindness have left Oak feeling profoundly grateful and somewhat mystified.
“It’s probably one in a million (people) who would not take money for the batteries at least,” he said. “You see and hear all sorts of bad things, but this goes the other way. That young man deserves some sort of recognition.”