Julio Diaz, picture from NPR.

This story is from NPR, part of their StoryCorps series designed to collect the stories of “everyday” America. The story of Julio Diaz is particularly remarkable however, as the story of a potential mugging instead turned into an amazing experience. Diaz ended up treating the would-be mugger to dinner and might have turned that troubled teen’s life around in one night (without losing his wallet). Every night, the social worker from the Bronx got off the Number 6 train to eat at his favorite diner. However, one night a teenage boy approached him with a knife and demanded Diaz’s wallet. Diaz gave him the wallet, but as the teen was walking away Diaz said: “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”

The mugger was obviously confused by Diaz’s behavior, asking him why he was doing that. Diaz replied:

If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me … hey, you’re more than welcome.

Over dinner the teenager was amazed at how well Diaz treated every employee and how friendly they were to him. When asked what he wanted out of life the teen simply made “a sad face” and didn’t answer. He was being overwhelmed by Diaz’s behavior, just minutes after the teen had tried to rob Diaz.

Still holding Diaz’s wallet, Diaz told the mugger that “I guess you’re going to have to pay for this bill ’cause you have my money and I can’t pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I’ll gladly treat you.” The teenager immediately gave back the wallet, and Diaz gave the teen an extra twenty dollars in exchange for the knife the teen had.

Click on the link below and you can hear Diaz tell his story himself, or simply read more about it. It’s a truly amazing story and buoys our hope for humanity. Diaz might have single-handedly turned around the life of a troubled teen, just by going out of his way to show kindness to someone most would fear or hate. It’s an inspiring story, even if we don’t know the ending.

[NPR.org]

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