Beggar Saved a Drowning Girl without Knowing Who She Was — Story of the Day

A poor man saved a young woman not knowing who her father was, and everything in his starving little village changed when he discovered the surprising truth.

Luca was a fisherman, but he only had a tiny boat that his father left him. Most of the men in his tiny island village worked as fishermen as well, but they weren’t doing so well lately.

Meanwhile, Mr. Corbin Combs, who had a vacation home on the island, had established a fishing company nearby. They were running everyone else out of business, including Luca's village. Some of his fellow workmen applied for jobs at Combs’ company, but they didn’t meet most qualifications. Mr. Combs offered to pay them in leftover fish, not proper wages.

It was downright criminal, and the people in town were desperate. No one was bringing enough wages, and they had to see many rich people with vacation homes in town enjoying the beautiful scenery. A few men staged protests, but Mr. Combs didn’t care. Everyone knew he hated poor people.

Luca never imagined that everything would get much worse. He started living on his boat, hoping to catch something to sell. But working all night was tiring, and he fell asleep. He was startled awake when his boat capsized.

A huge tsunami had struck, and his entire town was flooded. The current pushed him around, but he kept swimming, trying to find somewhere safe to hold on to until he heard a cry in the distance.

“Help! Help! Help!” a female voice yelled. Luca swam towards the voice, intent on helping whoever was in need. But when he got near, he saw a tiny boat that belonged to Mr. Mueller. He was one of the rich men who spent time in town.

“Mr. Mueller! Please, help me! I can’t swim!” the female voice exclaimed.

“Sorry, girl. I can’t. This boat is too tiny, and I packed it with all my things. Survival of the fittest,” Mr. Mueller said and started paddling off.

Luca couldn’t believe it. Who would leave someone else to drown just like that? he thought to himself. So he swam towards the woman and held her above water as best he could. “Don’t worry! I’ll help you. We need to find a safe place,” Luca told her.

“Thank you! I’m not good at swimming. I was so afraid!” the woman said. Just then, a wave hit them again, and Luca held the woman tightly. But another huge wave pushed them far away into the open sea.

Luckily, Luca saw a tiny islet near them and got them to safety. “You’re safe now. Let’s hope a rescue team finds us soon,” Luca said out-of-breath from swimming so hard.

“Thank you. I can’t thank you enough. You saved me. I’m Angeline. What’s your name?” Angeline asked in between breaths.

“I’m Luca. It’s nice to meet you,” he told her. They continued chatting for some time, and soon the sun went down. Luca had great survival skills, and he built them a fire. He also found some coconuts around the beach to eat and drink.

“I never imagined something so scary could happen,” Angeline said.

“Me neither. My town has been completely flooded. I don’t know how we’re going to rebuild it,” Luca added.

Angeline looked at him intently but said nothing. Soon, they fell asleep and woke up to the sound of a helicopter. It belonged to Combs’ company. “My dad must have sent the rescue team. Let’s go, Luca!” Angeline exclaimed.

Luca hesitated for one second. Angeline was Mr. Combs’ daughter? he wondered. In the end, he got on the helicopter which brought them mainland. Mr. Combs was right there to greet his daughter but frowned when he saw Luca.

“What are you doing with this bum, Angeline?” Mr. Combs said in disdain.

“Dad! This man saved me from drowning during the tsunami! Your buddy, Mr. Mueller, left me to die!” Angeline yelled at her dad. Mr. Combs’ face paled, and he turned apologetic.

“I’m so sorry, my boy. I’ve been worried all night about my daughter. I’ll do anything to repay you. Give me any number,” Mr. Combs said.

“Mr. Combs, I don’t want anything for myself. But I ask that you help my tiny village recover after this disaster,” Luca said the rich man. Mr. Combs agreed, humbled that Luca didn’t want something for himself.

Mr. Combs organized rescue teams, relief efforts, and more to help everyone. When the waters receded, he paid to have the islanders' homes rebuilt. He talked to some of the villagers and discovered how bad his business practices had been.

With Angeline’s encouragement, he offered them decent jobs at his company using whatever skills they had available. Meanwhile, Angeline bought a boat for Luca and started seeing him every day. They continued helping the island town and fell in love.

They got married exactly where they met, but it wasn't flooded this time.

What can we learn from this story?

• Economic status doesn’t mean anything. At the end of the day, Mr. Combs learned that having money means nothing because his rich buddy, Mr. Mueller, was willing to let his daughter die.
• Help out whenever you can. Luca didn’t have a selfish bone in his body despite being poor. He only wanted to help out anyone in need, including Angeline and his town.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who kicked his sister out of the house even though she had nowhere to go.

This account is inspired by our reader's story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.