The kindness of strangers: I was lost in the pouring rain – then a man came along with a big rainbow umbrella

He walked out of his way to get me on to the right street, then handed me the brolly saying, ‘Here, you take this’ Read more in the kindness of strangers series It was bucketing down, absolutely pouring. I was on my way to a birthday dinner but got lost in central Sydney’s labyrinth of streets, so I ducked into an internet cafe to look up directions to the restaurant. I then wrote those directions down by hand – such were the times! As I stepped out of the cafe, I realised just how bad the weather had become and how ill-prepared I was for the rain. As I stood waiting to cross the road, swiftly getting wet, a man waiting for the lights in the opposite direction offered up his big rainbow umbrella to share. I gratefully accepted and, still a little unsure of where I was going, asked if he knew the way to the restaurant. The man walked out of his way to get me on to the right street, then handed me the umbrella. “Here, you take this,” he said. I protested but he waved me off, saying he didn’t have far to go. Then he walked off in the other direction, through the rain. There was no exchange of names, no handshake, no small talk and no expectation of anything in return. I