She noticed the car through her peripheral vision and walked faster. Meanwhile, the vehicle was driving slowly towards the curb. As it approached, she kept her head down and kept on walking. But the car got closer and closer. Please… not today, she thought to herself. Then she heard the driver honking his horn. She took a quick glance and noticed the blue and red lights. It was a cop car.
She simply couldn’t believe her luck. What could they want? Why would the cops be after her? As far as she knew, she hadn’t broken any laws. She made sure to treat everyone fairly. She waved at the neighbors every morning before heading out. She never lost her temper on anyone, not even at work. So why did this have to happen to her now?
Sgt. Scott Bass from the Nash County Sheriff’s Office noticed a familiar figure on the road ahead as he drove along in his cruiser. He was near the Stone Gate Mobile Home Community, and hoped he might see her. He had some unfinished business with her, and there was no way he was going to be denied the opportunity.
Jaylesya Corbett was heading to Bojangles in the middle of a rainstorm. To make things worse, her umbrella was taken out of her hand by a strong gust of wind as she tried opening it. She still had a long walk ahead of her. But she continued carrying on through the street and was always mindful of the pools of water near her feet. It was a bad day and she wasn’t in the mood to run into a cop today.
It was going to be a long day, and Mother Nature was clearly not making it any easier for her. The rain was getting way too intense. Was she walking in the middle of a category 5 hurricane? It sure felt like it. Being out and about on a sunny day can be a pain, but it’s ten times worse in the rain. And dealing with a cop was the last thing she wanted to do today.
Despite the fact that she picked a pair of comfortable sneakers, Corbett’s feet were wet and in pain. To make things worse, she could feel a bunch of blisters forming. But this was a normal routine for her. She walked to Bojangles in the cold and then walked back home. It was a 12-mile walk on foot, but her family was counting on her. Then, one day, a cop stopped her, and her whole life changed.
The 12-mile walk was tough. But her determination proved she was willing to sacrifice everything for her family. They needed her and she knew it. She couldn’t let them down. But there was never any doubt in her mind she could do it. Then the cop stopped her and made her rethink everything, including her decision to keep on risking her life like this.
He pulled up slowly, rolled his window down, and asked her to approach him. She had nowhere to go, so she decided to stop ignoring him. She was afraid, her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She knew she was in big trouble. But she couldn’t avoid her fate. Judgment day had come for her.
She was very confused. Cops tend to give people the heebie-jeebies, and that’s exactly what she was feeling. She kept replaying different scenarios in her mind. Was he going to ask her for directions or would they end up putting her behind bars? Had her past caught up with her. She felt her heart beating fast. What if they put her in the backseat and took her with them? What about her poor family?
She noticed the words “Sheriff, Nash County” on the side of the cruiser as she approached it slowly. Cautiously, she walked up to the driver’s window and prepared for what was to come. Then Sgt. Bass spoke, but even as she heard the words, she had a tough time processing what he was saying. Then, the haze from her brain dissipated. Her eyes widened as confusion turned into surprise.
Sgt. Bass told her she had to get out of the street. Then, he asked her to get into his car. In sheer panic, she did her best to tell him that she had to get to Bojangles. Her livelihood depended on it, but that didn’t matter to him. She realized there was no sense in arguing with the officer, so she got into the vehicle. He now held her entire fate in the palm of his hands.
She felt defeated, knowing there was no sense in trying to make a case for herself. It was obvious that Sgt. Bass had made his mind up about her. Her life was in his hands. But was it really all over? It certainly felt that way. Her entire livelihood and the well-being of her family hung in the balance.
She sat in the vehicle in silence. A part of her wondered what he was going to do to her. Was he taking her to the station? She behaved nervously and then realized that looking anxious would lead to a misunderstanding. She continued glancing at him as he drove carefully across the rain. Not once did he take his eyes off the road.
She felt like a woman heading to the electric chair. She kept glancing at the officer, and wondering if judgment day had come. But the cop simply stared at the road. Not once did he show her the courtesy of glancing her way. He wouldn’t even smile to put her at ease. But she refused to let her anxiety get the best of her. She had to be patient and see how this played out.
Cop or not, this guy had told her to get into his vehicle, and she did. In retrospect, she realized she should have kept going. Now, she was stuck in an uncomfortable predicament. He was a cop, but was he a good guy? And where was he driving her to? Her mind was flooded with concern. Then, she saw the sign through the windshield. He was driving towards Bojangles, her workplace.
She was horrified. Why was he driving her to her job? What if he forced her out of the vehicle and walked her inside? What would her boss think of this? He would probably fire her on the spot. But she couldn’t afford that, and neither could her family. But she was at the mercy of the cop, who didn’t seem interested in giving her a break.
As he drove to the Sheriff’s Office of Nash County, Sgt. Bass noticed Corbett’s Bojangles uniform. It broke his heart seeing her make a 12-mile trek to her job every day on foot. It’s why he decided to give her a ride on that rainy day. He figured that no one deserved to walk in the middle of a rainstorm without an umbrella. But this was only the beginning of the police officer’s extreme generosity.
No one should have to walk this much in order to make a living. It wasn’t just unthinkable; it was unheard of. But mothers would go to any lengths to protect and feed their children. That’s why moms are awesome! But this cop wasn’t too bad either. In this day and age, police officers get a bad rap. But this one saw her walking and decided enough was enough.
Corbett welcomed the officer’s kind gesture. After all, it took two hours to walk to Bojangles, and two hours to head back home. Sgt. Bass decided to offer her a ride every time the weather was bad, and she was very grateful to him. But Sgt. Bass was blown away by her determination to provide for her family. So, he reached out to a local Walmart to see if there was anything they could do. Then, he did something that was life-altering.
The cop was in awe by how much she was willing to do to feed her family. He wanted to help. So, he came up with a plan to help the hard-working mother. It wasn’t in his job description, but he didn’t mind one bit. The idea was incredible, and he knew that once he spoke to her about it, she would simply fall apart.
Sgt. Bass told Corbett that he wanted to meet up with her. This made her nervous. She was afraid he was going to chastise her for something, but she didn’t have the faintest clue as to what she could have done wrong. Then, he asked her to come over, and she complied, but she wasn’t sure what would happen next. Then, he took something out of his car. It was a new Schwinn Fairhaven Women’s Cruiser bicycle, and he presented it to her.
At first, she felt nervous. She didn’t know what to expect from the cop. After all, grown-ups aren’t used to other people being nice to them. Unexpected acts of kindness are as rare as an eclipse. The only thing she expected was to end up in jail. She could’ve never imagined how Sgt. Bass’ incredible gift would end up changing her life. Once his intentions became clear, her faith in humanity was restored.
“I wanted to help Jaylesya because she walks six miles to work every day regardless of the temperature, rain or shine, stands on her feet during her entire shift and walks six miles under the same conditions back to her home — and that is truly admirable. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know her and wanted somehow to lessen her burden of that 12-mile walk,” Sgt. Bass explained.
Riding a bike to work was certainly more appealing than walking 12 miles every day. Her legs and feet wouldn’t hurt anymore. Plus, it allowed her to stay healthy, which is great because every kid needs a healthy mom. But this wasn’t a charity case. Her actions were admirable and she deserved this. Sgt. Bass knew it too and wanted to honor her hard work.
The special moment was recorded and posted by CBS 17 on YouTube. It quickly gained more than 6,000 views and tons of comments. Then, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office added a post that commemorated Sgt. Bass’ act of kindness, and the community was extremely touched. The Sheriff’s Office was also happy to have such a generous cop who was willing to lend a helping hand to those in need.
The community fell head over heels in love with Sgt. Bass. They had learned something about police officers too. Sure, there are a few bad apples out there. Sadly, that’s true everywhere around the world. But not every cop is a bad guy, and Bass proved that. So, people learned that there’s still room for good cops and kindness, even in a world full of hate.
“I was shocked,” Corbett explained, “I didn’t think it was real.” She was very grateful to the officer and also relieved that she wouldn’t have to walk so many miles on foot. It touched her heart that a random stranger was willing to go out of his way to help someone in the community. Would you have been as generous?
Most people would’ve chosen to mind their own business. If that had been the case, then Corbett would have kept on walking until her legs fell off. But Sgt. Bass decided he needed to step in. He had taken an oath to serve and protect. He couldn’t go about pretending like he wasn’t aware of the tremendous sacrifice this mother was willing to do for her family.
Mothers are nurturing and protect their loved ones, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make sure their little are well taken care of, like Corbett did for her kids. Some mothers will eat less so their kids have more food on their plates. They’ll even take a second or third job, doing a job they dislike, to guarantee that there is always food on the table, and their kids are fully clothed.
Corbett’s work ethics and perseverance resulted in Sgt. Bass giving her a free bike. Corbett was ecstatic with the gift, and she intends to put it to good use. But she will never forget the kind officer’s generosity, or that there are people out there who want to make the world a better place for future generations to come.