Man Delivers Pizza to Panicky Lady, Finds Note 'Help Me!' in Bills She Gives Him — Story of the Day

I was working my regular shift when a delivery went horribly wrong. When a lady paid me for her pizza, I found a note reading "HELP ME" among the dollar bills. Reading the note, I knew I had to help her before it was too late.

I heaved a sigh of relief as I checked the delivery addresses on my phone. It had been a long day, more exhausting than usual. Only one more delivery to go, then I could go home, relax, and have some pizza myself, I thought.

I hopped on my scooter and rode to the last location for the day. The order was made by an older woman named Eloise, and I had thought I could finish my work soon as she lived close to the neighborhood where I had been delivering pizzas all day.

When I pulled over, I found myself in front of a modest but decent house. I collected the pizza Eloise had ordered, walked to her front door, and rang the doorbell.

"Hello! I've got your pizza, ma'am!" I called out. There was no answer.

"Hello? Ma'am? You in there?" I asked again.

I rang the bell several times, but nobody answered.

"Ma'am, I have your pizza!" I called out one last time. Again, there were no replies.

I didn't know what to do. If I didn't finish this delivery, I'd have to pay for it out of my pocket. I couldn't afford that.

I had elderly foster parents back home who had given me the best of everything and deserved the best, too. I was orphaned at a young age, and if it hadn't been for their love and support, my brothers and I would've ended up on the streets.

I decided to wait a bit longer, hoping this Eloise woman would come out and collect her order. I looked around the house and noticed the lights were on and clothes were drying in the backyard. This meant the house was not empty.

"Excuse me, ma'am! Can you—" I had started when the door finally opened.

"Oh gosh! Thank God!" I plastered a smile to greet my last customer of the day.

Eloise opened the door just a crack. "Oh… how… How much was it again?" she asked tremblingly.

I told her the price as I passed the pizza box to her. "Ma'am, are you alright? Do you need help?" I then asked, noticing her visibly shaking with fright.

To my surprise, she nodded. "Yes, yeah... Please wait right here!" she said as she slammed the door shut.

She returned seconds later with a couple of sticky dollar bills and coins and said, "There you go. Thanks!"

"Wait, ma'am, I thought you needed help!" I cried, but Eloise was gone, slamming the door shut in my face.

"Oh, well, have a good day!" I muttered, my mind still racing with her thoughts. I had a nagging feeling that Eloise was in trouble. But what was wrong with her?

I walked back to my scooter, straightening the bills and counting the coins she'd given me, and it was then I realized what the matter was.

I noticed a small crumpled piece of paper — a note — wedged between two dollar bills.

As I straightened the note, my eyebrows arched, and my heart began racing. "HELP ME! " was scribbled on it in bold letters. The writing suggested it was hurried, as if Eloise was compelled to write it quickly and slyly — as if she was in danger and held captive.

I decided I couldn't leave Eloise alone. I had to investigate what the note meant. Returning to the house and ringing the doorbell would be a bad idea because whoever was inside the house with Eloise would try to hurt her or both of us.

I hopped on my scooter and rode down the lane behind Eloise's house. As I reached her backyard, I peeped in through the kitchen window and gasped in shock.

"WHAT THE HELL!? WHO IS THAT MAN?"

I noticed a trembling Eloise on the couch, crying and pleading with a tall man wearing a vest. He had some strange tattoos on his back.

The tall man threw the pizza box I'd delivered to the floor and tapped his boot on Eloise's front table. Then he held up the money in his hands, gesticulating to Eloise as if to suggest the money wasn't enough and he needed more.

I realized there was no time to waste. I dashed to my scooter, took my phone from the saddle storage compartment, and dialed 911.

I then returned to the lane in front of Eloise's house and decided to wait for the cops. As they arrived, I walked up to Eloise's front door and rang the bell. She opened it immediately.

"Yes?" she asked, gulping as she straightened her dress.

"Ma'am, I know someone's in there," I said confidently. "I found your note. This!" I added, showing her the note. "I can help! What's going on?"

Eloise nervously rubbed her palms together. "Oh… Well… Oh, I'm sure there has been some mistake, officers. There's nothing wrong. Really, I was just going to eat my pizza!"

"May we take a look inside, ma'am?" one of the officers asked.

"Oh, yes, sure, certainly. I mean, why not?"

Eloise opened the door wider for everyone to enter. The cops searched the entire house but didn't find anyone there.

"See, I told you I was OK!" she exclaimed. "Why would a man be here? My husband died years ago, and since then, it's been just me."

"But I saw him!" I cried. "He was right here!"

"Well, our team checked all the rooms, and there's no one here, sir. I hope you are aware that false reporting is a crime."

"I'm not lying! HE was here! Right here! And the pizza… He did, in fact, throw the pizza box on the floor! So I'm sure she was not going to eat any pizza!"

"Oh well, I…I…" Eloise stammered. "I-I was so excited about it, but I accidentally dropped the box on the floor and had to throw it away!"

"You're lying!" I said. "You're lying, Eloise! I know you're in trouble, and that man, whoever he was, was trying to con you out of money! How could you—"

"Sir," the officer intervened. "If this lady says there's no trouble, we'll have to take her word for it. I'm letting you off on a warning. If you report a false crime again, we'll have to take you to the station. We'll take leave here."

I followed the cops outside and stood alone, watching their cruiser disappear down the street. Where did the man go? THERE HAD TO BE A MAN! I had seen him!

Disappointed, I buckled my helmet and climbed on my scooter to head home. Suddenly, a voice called out to me. "Please wait! Can we talk?"

It was Eloise.

"What do you want now?" I asked angrily.

"I… I did write that note," she confessed.

"So why wouldn't you tell the cops? What if they arrested me?"

"Sorry," she said. "Would you mind coming in, please? I could really use some company."

"Five minutes," I said. "That's all you're going to get!"

I got down from my scooter and followed Eloise inside. As she sat across from me and began talking, she started crying.

"So, who exactly is he?" I asked.

"His name is Reggie. He's a… loan shark."

"A loan shark? Why would a woman like you deal with a man like him?"

"I didn't have a choice," Eloise confessed. "I needed money for my son. I thought it was a miracle when Reggie came forward to help me. I didn't know he wasn't the right man…"

It turned out Eloise's youngest son, Jacob, was in college, but she couldn't afford his tuition, so she borrowed money from Reggie and promised to repay it by the deadline. As fate would have it, she lost her job unexpectedly, and as soon as Reggie found out about it, he began harassing her.

He visited her house at odd hours and demanded money, even though Eloise still had time for the payment.

"I don't have any savings left," she sobbed. "And I can't ask the cops to help me because, you know, that man has connections and could hurt my son. I can't let that happen. So when the cops came, I had to lie that he wasn't there. He had left as soon as he heard the sirens."

"But you've got to get out of this, or he'll keep extorting you."

"I don't know how to get rid of him!" she sighed.

I could understand Eloise's plight. I knew I had to help her in some way. "Look, maybe I can help," I suggested.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up.

"If you settle your debt, will Reggie back off?"

"That's all he wants, the money," she confirmed.

"How about a job at the pizza place I work at?" I offered. We needed an assistant, and it could be a start for Eloise.

Eloise gave it a shot, and she turned out to be an amazing cook and team player.

My boss officially brought her on board after a trial week. A couple of months later, a local Italian eatery offered her a cooking position with better pay, which she accepted.

Eloise started making good money and could finally support her family. Meanwhile, Reggie returned to her house one day and demanded money again. Eloise gave him the cash she had saved, but she wouldn't let him get away this time.

She had already called the cops, and as he took the money and left her house, he was arrested. The cops took him into custody for operating unlawful businesses and for blackmailing and duping innocent citizens.

But that's not where things ended.

One day, Eloise visited me at the pizza place to express her gratitude for my help and kindness.

"Oh, I bet you would've done the same!" I waved my hand dismissively. "Honestly, Eloise, it feels great that I could help someone and make a difference in their life. Told my folks about it, they were really proud."

"Well," Eloise said. "I'm sure they were very proud of you; any parent would be. But thanking you wasn't enough for what you did for me, John. So I thought I'd do something special for you."

"Special? Like what?" I chuckled, puzzled.

"Just be at my place tomorrow, two sharp. And bring that pizza again, will you?" she said with a smile.

I was clueless about the surprise… until I arrived at Eloise's the next day with a pepperoni pizza. "So, what's all this about?" I asked.

She paid for the pizza and handed me a note and the money. "You really earned this," she told me.

Opening the note, I was overcome with emotion. Tears streamed down my face as I read her words of gratitude. "Eloise, this is too much," I managed through sobs.

This time, the note was not a cry for help but a message of appreciation. It read:

"Congratulations, John. Your boss and I planned this little surprise for you. YOU ARE NOW A MANAGER! I told your boss how you had helped me, and he was impressed. He decided to reward you with a promotion!

Reggie would've never stopped troubling me if it hadn't been for that pizza delivery. You deserve this promotion for working hard and helping others. You have also given me the confidence to share my story with other women my age who may not be aware of illegal lending and scams. You've taught me that if I extend a helping hand to someone in need, I'll never regret it.

Thank you for helping me and so many of us,

With love, Eloise."

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