A kindhearted woman stepped in when she noticed two boys were about to commit a crime offering them help.
Nana Asante, originally from London but now living in Atlanta, was shopping in Walmart when she noticed two young boys behaving rather strangely.
When she saw one the boys shield the other who was putting something into his pocket, Nana realised they were stealing and felt compelled to prevent it.
Speaking exclusively to UNILAD, Nana explained how she escorted the boys to the tills and paid for what they were about to steal.
When she noticed it was a $4 deodorant, she realised there was much more to the boys’ story:
When I saw it happen I was like ‘Oh my God’. I saw the security guard walking towards them so I went round the corner, took them and said, ‘Come with me, ask no questions, follow me to the register.’
When we got there I said place whatever is in your pockets in my cart and they did. I saw the deodorant and I knew immediately something was wrong. Who steals deodorant? It costs four dollars.
The little boy said, ‘We’re sorry ma’am,’ and I said, You couldn’t ask anybody!?’ The other said their mother had died last year so it was just him, his brother and two little sisters living with their grandmother.
Having watched her single mother work hard to keep a roof over her head growing up, Nana immediately understood where the boys were coming from.
The boys, who were only 13 and 14 years old, told Nana their grandmother was on public assistance so they tried ‘not to bother her about things like this’.
As Nana told UNILAD, this is when her ‘heart broke’:
I said you don’t have to steal, you just have to ask.
I said I know you don’t know me but here is my number and if you need me, call me. I can be your big sister.
I also opened my wallet and gave them all the cash I had. They were so thankful and gave me the biggest hug.
God made me go to Walmart that day. It took one act of kindness to change the path these boys were taking.
Nana knew telling them off wouldn’t be of any help and her simple act of kindness clearly meant a lot to them.
Sharing the story of the boys on Twitter, Nana was overwhelmed by the support she got with the initial tweet receiving almost 149,000 likes and 40,000 retweets at time of writing (July 20).
Walmart even cheered Nana on praising her good deed tweeting ‘be the person you needed when you were younger’:
While Nana has not yet heard from the boys and doesn’t know if she ever will, she has felt inspired by this event creating the Cool Auntie Network.
Nana aims to join together various non-profit organisations using her Cool Auntie Network enabling them to work together to benefit those who need the support.
As Nana says, she wants ‘the ability to help people like those boys’.
We wish you all the best with this Nana! What an inspiration!
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