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What would you do if somebody came up to you on a crowded bus, shook your hand, but didn’t let go?
That’s what happened to 21-year-old Godfrey Cuotto on his bus ride home after grabbing a bite to eat at a local burrito place in Hamilton, Ontario.
Cuotto says that when he entered the crowded bus, a man sitting near the front came up to him, wanting to shake his hand. Although he was somewhat startled, he took his hand. But instead of letting go, the man instead put his arm around him tightly.
“He kept holding my hand,” he told the Huffington Post Canada. “I thought I was getting pranked at first, but he just needed comfort.”
It’s pretty amazing how Cuotto was able to understand that this man, named Robert, just needed somebody to comfort him. But what he did next is even more amazing.
Cuotto remained on the bus with Robert for over 30 minutes until the last stop while Robert held and kissed his hands, leaned on him, and hugged him. He again told the Huffington Post Canada, “I just allowed it, like what am I going to do? Sometimes you just have to be selfless and put someone else’s needs above yours.”
The picture was taken anonymously and posted onto Facebook before it went viral. After the photo spread over the internet, Cuotto was contacted by Robert’s family, who thanked him for comforting their uncle. They told him Robert suffered from cerebral palsy and was deaf, and it is likely that Robert was overwhelmed inside the jam-packed confines of the bus. Cuotto told Toronto radio station Kiss 92.5 that he “appreciates the shoutout,” and that it was quite unexpected.
He told Kiss FM that his kindness came from his mother, saying he was “raised by a queen.”
It’s not easy to be so easily accepting of a situation such as this without feeling uneasy or wondering what the people around you might think. But through this incredible act of kindness, Cuotto taught us that we should all be looking out for one another, and that there’s still hope for humankind after all.