Today I witnessed something beautiful. A gesture I’d never seen, and may not again, though I hope I’m wrong.

This morning (March 19), while driving on Congress Street near Monument Square in Portland, an elderly and frail-looking woman, petite in stature and bent at the waist, stepped onto the crosswalk to cross the street. Despite the traffic light not being in her favor, I was forced to wait for her to cross as she moved very slowly.

I stopped my car yards from the crosswalk to avoid seeming impatient while I watched her navigate an aluminum walker over the bumpy and broken pavement. A car in the opposite direction continued through the green light. Behind it was a delivery truck with “The World’s Best Cheese” emblazoned along the side.

The light was still green, so I expected the truck to continue driving through, too, but it stopped abruptly. The driver put the gear into park, opened his door, dashed out and rushed across the street to assist the elderly lady. He first spoke to her, then helped her steer the walker around the bumps and potholes to usher her to the other side of the street. I was flabbergasted. Such an amazing deed. Chivalry and cheese? And the best of both.

Carolyn Clyfton Smith
South Portland