Have you ever trusted someone you just met for the first time? Someone you’ve never seen before, who suddenly crosses your path and for some reason, makes you believe they are worth trusting. Sometimes, it takes only a single encounter to realize that honesty and goodness still exist among people, even in unexpected places.
A few weeks ago, two experiences occurred to me that made me believe that there are still trustworthy individuals in this world, even in a country like mine where many have lost faith in others.
The first happened when I mistakenly transferred money to a total stranger I never meet. I had ordered something online and needed to make a payment before delivery. While copying the seller’s account number, I entered one wrong digit. I made the transfer and waited for confirmation, but the seller said she hadn’t received anything alert. After checking the transaction carefully, I discovered that I had sent the money, fifteen thousand naira (about ten dollars) to someone else entirely.
It was a fintech account linked to a phone number, so I called the number immediately. The man who answered told me he had seen an alert on his phone and had actually been waiting for my call. According to him, he was in a serious condition like an emergency, and the money felt like a miracle to him. He pleaded with me to let him use it, promising to pay me back by the end of the month which is in about three weeks’ time.
Honestly, I didn’t have much of a choice. He could have simply ignored my call and kept the money. But then, I felt like something in his voice sounded sincere to me. I decided to take his word for it and told him it was fine. I let it go, though deep down I didn’t expect anything to come out of it.
To my greatest surprise, exactly three weeks later, I got a call from the same man. He asked for my account details, saying he wanted to refund the money. I send it to him, still half doubting and within minutes, I got the alert. He truly sent it back. I was shocked, honestly. It’s not every day you meet a stranger who proves that integrity still exists.
The second experience happened at the market. I was standing by waiting to pay for what I bought when a man ahead of me tried to pay for his own groceries, but his network was bad, and the transfer the transfer he tried making kept failing. The attendant began to sound irritated and annoying and I could see the man’s frustration. So, I stepped in and offered to help. I told him I would pay the bill, and he could refund me later once his network was stable. He was grateful and keep thanking me repeatedly before leaving.
About an hour later, when I had already forgotten about the incident, I got an alert on my phone. It was from the same man, he sent back the money I borrowed, even added something to it and called to thank me again for helping him out earlier.
These two experiences just showed me that not everyone is out there to deceive or take advantage of others. There are still honest and kind hearted people among us, people who value their word even when no one is watching. Sometimes, trust feels risky. It feels foolish to rely on strangers in a world where many have lost their sense of decency. But every once in a while, life gives us a reason to believe again, a reminder that honesty is not completely gone and that humanity still breathes in the quiet acts of good people we meet by chance.
Trusting someone blindly can be risky and foolish but when it’s met with integrity, it becomes a little spark that keeps our faith in goodness alive.
But in all things, let's still be careful when trusting someone, most times people come in sheep like form but are actually wolves in disguise. Thank you!!!!