There he was, a desperate man with nothing left to lose. He was roaming the dark streets of the city, searching for someone to rob. His stomach growled with hunger, and his mind was consumed with thoughts of the bills that he could not afford to pay.
That's when he saw her – a lone woman walking down the street. She seemed harmless, lost in thought as she gazed at her phone screen. He took out his gun, and before she could even scream, he had taken her purse and was running away.
He was breathing heavily when he reached the alley, the sound of his footsteps echoing off the brick walls. He paused to catch his breath, counting the money he had stolen. But then he heard footsteps, and he turned around, ready to face the woman he had robbed.
She was there, standing at the entrance to the alley with tears in her eyes. "Why did you do this?" she asked him.
He didn't have an answer. But then she surprised him – she asked him "Can I add you as a friend on Facebook?" Rachel said, surprising the robber.
"What? Are you crazy?" the man replied, confused.
"I just thought, if you're going to take my stuff, we might as well be friends," Rachel explained.
As soon as he got home, he accepted her friend request and messaged her. "imma pay you back," he wrote.
"Why did you rob me and be honest?" Rachel asked him again.
The man, whose name was Adam, replied with an apology.
"I'm sorry, I was desperate. I lost my job, and my family needs food and shelter. I didn't mean to scare you," Adam wrote.
They continued talking on Facebook for the next few days, and as they spoke, he began to understand that there was another way to live his life. A life that wasn't dictated by hunger and desperation. He began to see her as a friend and confidante, someone he could talk to about his problems and fears.
But then one day, he knew he had to do the right thing. He went to her house, rang the doorbell, and when she opened the door, he handed her a bag of cash. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I hope you can forgive me."
She was speechless, tears in her eyes once again. "Thank you," she said softly.
As he turned to leave, he felt a sense of freedom that he had never known before. And even though he still had a long way to go, he knew that he had taken the first step towards redemption.