I was driving the other day when I felt something on my shirt. I glanced down and noticed a large, black bug on my shoulder.

I did exactly what you shouldn’t do — I freaked out, frantically brushing the bug off my shirt. In that second, I briefly lost control of my car, and it hit a parked car.

I pulled over, hands shaking and very upset. I got out of the car and a woman on the sidewalk came over to me. She calmly talked with me as I called the police.

I held back tears as she went into her house to bring me a glass of water. We exchanged names — her name is Maria. Maria’s calm presence, reassurance and offers to help me are the things I remember the most as I look back at that day’s events.

She left after the police arrived, but not before sharing her cell phone number in case I needed anything. She also promised to say a prayer for me.

At all times, good and bad, I try to remain thankful. That day, I was thankful for many things — thankful no one was hurt, thankful my kids weren’t in the car with me and thankful for Maria, who reached out in kindness to help a distraught stranger.

SYLVIA McCOY
Moon

Angel helped older man with flat tire on his car

I am writing this to say thank you to a young lady who stopped to help me.

It was early April, and I was driving on Evergreen Road in Millvale when a tire blew out on my car. Luckily, I was able to stop safely on the side of the road.

I got down on the ground to set the jack under my car but quickly realized that at age 83, after having undergone knee replacement surgery, my body wasn’t cooperating and I couldn’t get back up.

I was stopped near a traffic light, and plenty of people saw me struggling to get off the ground, but only one stopped to help me up. I can’t remember her name, but she told me that her father had taught her how to change a tire, and she set about taking care of my problem.

When she was done, she went to her car and got me a wet wipe to clean my hand because it was bleeding. The only thing I can remember about this young lady was that her sweatshirt had the word “Anarchy” on it. But when I read it, all I saw was “Angel.”

If you are this young lady, I want you to know how much I appreciated your help that day.

STAN TYLAK
Lawrenceville

Women stunned him with gift of free meal

On a Saturday in March I stopped to eat at Vincent’s of Green Tree. I selected a table with a view looking outdoors, and I did not notice the two young women who were seated in a booth to my right.

As I was eating my meal, they finished theirs, but I was unaware that they had departed the establishment. When I had finished most of my meal a short time later, I requested the check and a small box to take home my leftovers.

To my surprise, the male server who brought the check said, “Those two young ladies paid for your meal when they left, so all you owe is for your beer.”

What a surprise to me, as I had never experienced such a random gift from two strangers in my seven-plus decades living in Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately, I never made eye contact with them, so I will never recognize them with a chance to say thank you if encountering them again.

But I will pay it forward as soon as possible, and my thanks to both of you, if you read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Random Acts of Kindness column regularly, like I do.

JIM ZUMBO
South Park

Has someone done you right? Send your Random Act of Kindness to page2@post-gazette.com, or write to Portfolio, Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

First Published: June 18, 2015, 4:00 a.m.