A pregnant beggar had been sitting for hours on the unforgiving city streets, largely unnoticed by passersby. However, one woman took notice and extended her kindness. Yet their interaction didn’t end there. Intrigued, the woman decided to follow the beggar, and the revelation that followed left her utterly astonished.
When Abigail walked out of the store and saw the beggar, she was instantly drawn to her presence. Abigail was carrying a big bag of groceries but sat them down on the ground to observe the sad woman on the sidewalk. People were ignoring this beggar, and she didn’t understand why. Usually, she would also pay homeless people little mind—the city was filled with them anyway. But this woman sported a large pregnant belly, adding a layer of sadness to the scene. The beggar stood out among the crowd, and Abigail couldn’t walk past her without doing anything. She had to help.
Abigail made her way over to the homeless woman. The poor lady was aimlessly looking around and seemed desperate, and when Abigail arrived at the beggar, she saw why—her money canister was empty. So, Abigail grabbed her wallet without hesitation and added some change, thinking this would be their final interaction. But she did not realize that this small token of gratitude would start a bizarre chain of events. It began when Abigail walked away from the beggar. She was about 20 feet away from the homeless woman when she heard a voice behind her—it was the beggar calling her back.
Abigail turned around and saw the beggar waving at her from her seated position. Did she want to thank me for giving her that tiny bit of change? Abigail thought. The homeless woman had a look of desperation in her eyes, like she wanted to tell her something significant. But there was one problem. Abigail wanted to help the young soon-to-be mother, but looking at the time on her watch made her realize something: she still had some final grocery shopping to do, and her subway connection left in 30 minutes. She was already in a hurry before helping the beggar and could not afford any more delays. So after a few seconds of doubt, she made the hard decision to let the woman be.
Abigail clutched the groceries with both hands and rushed to the last store on her list, thinking this would be the last time she would see the beggar. But unknowingly, a huge surprise awaited her around the corner. It was time to head home after picking up the last groceries at the nearby convenience store. The subway station was just at the end of the street, so she would probably make it if she picked up the pace.
Abigail quickened her steps and rushed across the platform, reaching the train just before it departed. The exhausted Abigail sat down in her subway seat. She was happy that she made it—now she was ready to relax, just sitting at home with a warm cup of tea. Unfortunately for her, this fantasy had to wait, because the moment she sat down, she heard a familiar voice coming from the left. The voice wasn’t that loud, but the familiarity made the sound reach Abigail’s ears perfectly.
How can this be? I just saw her half an hour ago. Abigail looked to her left and spotted the beggar from before between the crowd of people. But something was off in this scenario. Yeah, something was completely different in this picture. The pregnant beggar, who was sporting raggedy clothes and messed-up hair before, was now all cleaned up. The woman still had her baby bump but wore a nice navy suit and looked meticulously groomed.
What is going on over here? Abigail said. The sight of the well-dressed beggar captivated Abigail immensely. There was something about this woman that just pulled Abigail’s thoughts toward her. Who is she? Why is she looking so different now? Was she even a beggar? A million thoughts ran through the mind of the confused woman, and that’s when something pure instinctively happened. The subway came to a standstill at its next stop, and the well-dressed beggar stepped out. But she wasn’t the only one who did. Abigail, even though she still needed to go on for two more stations, got out as well. She just reacted without thinking.
Abigail stood on the unknown platform in awe. What did she just do, and why did she do it? The train had already left the station, so there was no going back. But as she saw the well-dressed beggar on the platform, 80 feet away from her, she immediately forgot about her confusing error. The beggar looked around the platform nervously, like she was searching for something very particular. At times, she almost glanced Abigail’s way, and as a reflex, Abigail hid behind a pillar on the side of the subway station. This way, she could observe the mysterious woman without getting spotted herself.
What is this woman’s deal? What is she looking for? Abigail could hear herself saying. She heard the beggar’s voice once more, but this time, she let out a tone of recognition. Abigail looked behind her and saw a man approaching. He bore a smile and wore the same suit style as the woman. It was clear that the two individuals knew each other. They were talking intensely, and what captured Abigail’s attention the most was the way they acted. The two companions were looking around nervously, almost like they did not want anyone to hear them. But that was too late because Abigail was lurking in the shadows.
After some area scanning, the mysterious duo walked over to a secluded part at the end of the platform—a quiet place where not a single person stood waiting. There, they could talk freely. But for some reason, Abigail still kept following them. “I still don’t know why I did that,” she later proclaimed. Reaching the end of the platform, Abigail tried to make out what the mysterious duo was talking about, but then an unwelcome interruption occurred. A new subway train with passengers arrived at the station. Once the doors opened up, the entire platform flooded with passengers instantly, and that was a problem. It was a chaotic scene to behold, but what was most annoying was that it made it extremely difficult for Abigail to spot the beggar and her male companion. The ongoing stream of passing travelers completely shrouded them, and once the dust settled, the man and woman were gone completely.
Did they vanish into thin air, or were they on to me, and did they use this opportunity to run? Whatever it was, Abigail felt disappointed by this outcome. She was always quiet and shy, but this spying was exciting, and she wanted to learn more, even though she knew it was not her business. With groceries in hand and her head bent down, Abigail turned around and started walking home. Her 500-foot stroll homeward had turned into a 15-minute walk after all the commotion. That was her punishment for being nosy and getting out two train stops earlier than intended to spy on someone. Defeated, Abigail lifted her groceries toward her chest and went up the subway stairs for the long walk through the crowded city center. But what she did not expect was that her adventure was just beginning at that point, and this time, it would find her instead.
Reaching the top of the stairs, she turned right to continue her route, but before she could turn her body, Abigail was stopped in her tracks. A gentle hand fell on her shoulder and startled her. As she turned around, she saw the beggar in her fancy suit standing right before her. Abigail was in shock, and her body started to shiver, so much so that she even dropped her grocery bags on the floor because of it. The ground was littered with oranges, juice cartons, and cleaning supplies. She looked up at the mysterious woman and felt scared for the first time on this crazy journey. All this time, Abigail had the upper hand, following the beggar around without her noticing it. But now, the tables had turned. Abigail was looking into the eyes of the mysterious woman, and that woman was looking her up and down.
“You are following me. Why is that?” the beggar asked. Abigail was bent down and sat on the ground at that point, trying to recover her fallen oranges. And while she grew red with fruit and embarrassment, she apologized for the intrusion from before. She explained that she was just so captivated by the beggar’s changing look she couldn’t help herself. The beggar remained silent, but after the explanation from Abigail, the suited man stepped out from behind a parked car. To Abigail, it felt like she was trapped between two fires with no escape. The duo did not seem pleased with her explanation, and now the man also inspected her thoroughly. There was a moment of silence after his inspection, but then he broke it by saying, “Yes, she will do.”
That remark confused Abigail’s mind. She stood up from the ground, groceries in hand, and asked the man what he meant by that. “What will do? What is going on?” The beggar noticed Abigail was getting increasingly anxious and tried calming her down. She promised to explain everything in due time, and she started by reminding Abigail about when she asked for help earlier in the day.
“Well, that wasn’t because I wanted more of your money,” the woman said. The mysterious woman explained that the beggar look, including the asking for money act, was a clever disguise—one that was necessary to hide her true intentions for being there. Her true intentions? What was this woman talking about? Abigail was overwhelmed, and her brain felt like exploding. That’s when Abigail cut into the conversation.
“All right, stop it right there. So you’re saying to me that you’re not a homeless person? The entire thing was an act of disguise and an ulterior motive. So what is that motive, and who are you?”
The unknown woman grinned in response to Abigail’s questions. That’s when her true identity came to light. The woman said that she worked for
the local police. She was placed in an undercover position, in this case, that of a homeless woman, to stake out a particular place. “The pregnancy is real, though,” the policewoman said with a friendly face. The place that she was tasked to stake out was a local pharmacy. It appeared like a normal family-owned business at first glance, but secretly it was a cover-up for a large illegal drug operation—one that dominated the criminal scene and had been on the radar of the police force for years.
The hunt for this enterprise had been going on for a while, but somehow, they never managed to prove their wrongdoing. These criminals were clever and always managed to escape conviction. That’s why she was ordered to stake out and later infiltrate the place in the hope of finally revealing their criminal behavior. But there was one major problem. The beggar look had fooled a lot of people. Hardly anyone pays attention to a dirty bum. That meant she could stake out the place and make notes in peace, but a pharmacy is never going to sell drugs to a pregnant woman, so the policewoman couldn’t fool them.
Abigail listened closely to the policewoman’s story and understood the plan perfectly. She nodded and said that she understood why that part would not work.
“But that’s where you come into play,” the policewoman said with a grin on her face.
“Me? Where can I help in this situation?” The officer told Abigail they had already done the research necessary to bust the place for good. The only thing they missed was hardcore evidence caught on camera. “We already uncovered the secret code name for a drug order, but we need them to hand over drugs to someone, and it needs to be filmed.”
The female officer then said that she knew from the start that Abigail was following her. “You only saw what we wanted you to see because I put myself on your path, luring you in so we could eventually meet again.”
The woman’s male colleague then explained what they needed from Abigail. “We need you to go into that pharmacy and order some under-the-counter drugs using the code name we acquired. That’s why we tried to get your attention before.”
Abigail was in shock after hearing this news and was hesitant to help. She didn’t want to get involved in this dangerous business. Abigail turned around and walked away, but the female officer grabbed her hand and insisted. She said they were on the verge of busting these people and promised that no harm would come to Abigail and the operation would be completely safe. She herself would keep a close eye on her. She would have done it herself if not for the belly, and her colleagues were on the verge of getting discovered themselves. They had no other options and had to act fast.
It took some convincing, but after a few calming words from the female cop, Abigail agreed to help them. After her agreement, everything went quickly. They took Abigail to a parked van on the side of the road. Inside, a surveillance team already sat ready to go. Abigail got fixed up with a new blouse with a hidden camera button, and then she had to enter the place just before closing time. The place was completely vacant of customers, just staff members, and Abigail stood in the small business.
Abigail was nervous, but she made sure that the personnel did not notice. She slowly walked to the counter and ordered the recipe with the secret code name. The clerk inspected Abigail intensely after that, but eventually, he nodded and headed to the back. Abigail had a chance to breathe again. The first step was successful, but she wasn’t done yet. Also, the people in the van let out a sigh of relief after that first stage. They eagerly looked at the hidden camera feed and waited for the clerk’s return.
Abigail stood nervously at the front desk, waiting for the clerk to return. It was probably a short wait, but it felt like hours to her. Finally, the man returned and handed Abigail a small sealed package. This was it—the evidence the police were looking for, and now the camera captured it all. Mere seconds later, the police barged into the pharmacy and arrested the clerk. They opened Abigail’s package and confirmed it was the substance they were hunting for. It didn’t take long after that to identify and arrest his fellow employees. The mission was a grand success, and Abigail was a part of it. The police went above and beyond to let her know because Abigail received a letter in her mailbox the next day. It was an invitation to the police station.
Abigail already guessed it had to do with the case but never expected them to celebrate the heroic actions of a civilian quite like this. The entire station was decorated; they even made a cake in her honor. The police captain opened with a thankful speech, but the most heartfelt words came from the female officer who pretended to be a beggar.
“We couldn’t have done this without you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
