For the past six months, she had been walking to and from work every single day. She wished for a better alternative, but she knew that this was the best way forward.At first, the ten miles to and back from work had been a challenge for her, but after doing it for over six months, it had become a lot easier. Soon she had grown accustomed to it. But one day, everything changed when she discovered that a police officer was trailing after her.
Mandy Jean Beasley was your average forty-year-old American living in Chicago, Illinois. A mom of two beautiful young boys, Mandy had raised them by herself, doing everything she could to give them the best lives they could ask for.
She was working as a waitress then, comfortable with everything she had. But all this changed in the bat of an eye.
In the first quarter of 2021, Mandy’s company laid off several employees, her included. The exercise came as a surprise to her and her colleagues, with the company stating that it needed to downsize as a response to the dwindling economy.
The blow found Mandy off guard, and she dipped into her savings to support her two boys. She knew she had to look for a new job as soon as possible or end up on the streets.
The search for a new job was more challenging than Mandy thought, with many prospective employers passing her up for other candidates. But she didn’t lose hope, scouring job forums and websites for months until she found a good position.
But as much as the job description matched everything she knew and could offer, there were a few big issues that would deter her from applying.
The job Mandy was applying for was akin to her last position. But sadly, it was paying less than her previous position. The company offices were also ten miles away from her house.
She didn’t have any money to spare for the commute since she was deep in debt after being unemployed for almost a year. Despite the odds stacked against her, Mandy settled for the job.
The interview day came, and Mandy attended the meeting. She got accepted, but as she was commuting back that afternoon, she noticed that she could walk the distance to and from work to pay some of her bills and debts.
Mandy bought a pair of walking shoes, and each morning and evening, she walked to and from work. The journey was challenging at first, but as the weeks went by, she realized she wasn’t only saving a lot of money but enjoying the walks. Then one day, everything changed.
Mandy took her usual route to work on a gloomy Tuesday morning. It had rained the previous day and throughout the night, and the streets were covered with flowing rainwater.
Mandy was about three miles away from work when she realized a car was trailing her. At first, she didn’t think much about it, but then she noted something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand.
Sgt. Scott Bass from the Nash County Sheriff’s Office was driving along in his cruiser when he noticed a familiar figure appear on the road ahead.
He was passing the Stone Gate Mobile Home Community, and he had hoped to find her there. He had some business with her today, and he wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer.
Mandy realized how close to the curb the car was. It was also driving slowly as if to let her know it was following her.
“Oh Lord, not today,” Mandy whispered as she got a closer look at the vehicle, seeing it was a police cruiser. Although she’d never been in trouble with the police before, she knew such occurrences were inevitable.
Suddenly, it began to rain harder. Mandy tried to open her umbrella, only for it to be whipped out of her hands by the freezing wind.
She still had a long way to go, but she plodded on through the torrents of water, stepping carefully over the pools that swirled and conspired to break her footing. The last thing she wanted was for the cop to stop her today.
Mandy was tiring from trying to walk faster than the cop car that was so obviously tailing her. Her feet were wet and aching, and even though she had been careful to wear her most comfortable pair of sneakers, she could feel her blisters starting to rub raw.
A surge of annoyance went through her. She was just minding her own business, why couldn’t the cop just leave her alone?
Mandy hissed out a breath as she continued walking, trying her best not to blatantly sprint off, although she knew she had done nothing wrong.
She peeped over her shoulder and saw that the car had turned its red and blue lights on. As it neared her, she slowed down, hoping for the best. The cruiser eased closer to the curb and stopped.
Throughout her life, Mandy had been stopped by the police only a handfull of times. The situation had never been tense in all these cases since the officers had only stopped to ask her a few questions before leaving.
But something deep within her told her that wouldn’t be the case here. He slowly pulled up alongside her and rolled down his window.
The cruiser’s window rolled down, and a male officer stuck his head out of the window. “Come over,” he barked. There was nowhere to run. She couldn’t ignore him any longer.
Mandy had never trusted cops. She immediately feared the worst, and her head started to spin. Was she really in trouble just for walking to work? But there was no getting out of it this time.
Mandy sucked in a deep breath. She let it out in a slow exhale and stepped toward the car, noting its licence plate and the words “Sherriff, Nash County” emblazoned on its side.
She heard the words entering her brain, but she couldn’t quite grasp what Sgt. Scott Bass was saying. Then the words slowly assembled themselves into meaning, and her eyes widened with disbelief.
Sgt. Scott Bass asked her to get into the vehicle, and told her that she shouldn’t be on the street. In a flood of stuttering and panic, she tried to explain to him that their livelihood depended on her getting to her office, but he didn’t seem to be listening.
Well, she was in the vehicle now, she thought, and she wasn’t about to argue with the law. Her fate now rested entirely in his hands.
Mandy sat in silence in the officer’s car, wondering where he was taking her. She entwined her fingers and placed them over her chest protectively, and then let them fall into her lap with a sigh.
Appearing nervous wasn’t going to help anything. Was he taking her in for questioning? She glanced at him shiftily, but he continued to drive through the rain, his eyes on the road ahead.
Mandy had not been at all comfortable with the situation. After all, This man had just ordered her into his car and she had stupidly complied. She should have run, she thought.
Even if he was a cop, could she trust him? and where was he taking her? Her mind raced with possibilities. Then, in the headlights, she saw the sign looming through the downpour. He had taken her to her workplace.
While he was commuting to the Sheriff’s Office of Nash County, Sgt. Scott Bass had noticed Mandy on more than one occassion – and he recognized her uniform.
He had realized that she had been making the 10-mile journey on foot to work every day. The truth of the matter was that nobody should be walking on these roads at this time of year.
When they arrived, the officer said, “Here we are. This rain is nothing to scoff at.” But he didn’t unlock the door.
Mandy’s brows drew close, and she realized the officer wasn’t joking when a look of worry spread over his face. She was still mulling over his words when he revealed why he’d stopped her.
“I’ve been seeing you walk this route for more than three months now,” the officer said. “Do you live close by?” Mandy shook her head, saying, “I live about seven miles down the road.”
“And you walk that distance every day?” the officer asked. “I do. Seems long, but you get used to it,” said Mandy with a smile. “Well, that changes today,” the officer said. Mandy had no idea what he had in mind.
Mandy took the officer’s offer. He said he’d be delighted to drop her at work every day. She was apprehensive about the situation, but then she realized the officer truly wanted to help.
He was humble and attentive, listening to Mandy’s misfortunes and why she was walking to work every day. Little did she know that he was planning something big behind her back.
Sgt. Scott Bass continued to give Mandy lifts to work whenever the weather turned bitter and whenever she would allow it. It normally took her two hours to walk to her work, and two hours to walk back home each day, so she welcomed the gesture.
Sgt Bass was impressed with her perseverance and determined to do more. He hastily contacted the local Walmart to see if they could help. Then he did something that would change her life forever.
Mandy waited at her usual spot on the road in anticipation. Sgt. Bass had called her and said that he wanted to meet with her urgently, and she couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Her old feelings of distrust for the cops crept back. She thought that she was about to be reprimanded by the Sgt, although she hadn’t the faintest idea what she had done.
As Mandy wondered what could possibly be going on, she saw the officer pull up in his cruiser. He called her over, and she didn’t know what was about to happen.
Then, he pulled something large from his car and presented it to her proudly. It was a brand-new Schwinn Fairhaven Women’s Cruiser bicycle.
It wasn’t long before word of the officer’s kind deed spread around the town. Local reporters clamored to interview Sgt. Bass.
“I wanted to help Mandy because she walks five miles to work every day regardless of the temperature, rain or shine, stands on her feet during her entire shift and walks five miles under the same conditions back to her home — and that is truly admirable,” Sgt Scott Bass told the local media.
“I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Mandy and wanted somehow to lessen her burden of that ten-mile walk,” Sgt Bass added in his interview.
“I was shocked,” Mandy said of the kind officer’s incredible gift, “I didn’t think it was real.” Mandy is so incredibly grateful that she doesn’t have to make the arduous ten-mile journey to her workplace on foot anymore.
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