On Christmas Day, I saw an elderly couple on the highway and helped them change a flat tire, thinking I was simply doing an ordinary good deed 

A week later, my parents called me in a panic, shouting that I had to turn on the news immediately — what I saw on the screen sent me into complete shock 

On Christmas Day, I was driving home along the highway. The weather was harsh: wet snow, a sharp wind, a gray sky that made the road seem endless. Cars sped past, splashing dirty water, their headlights blurring into hazy streaks.

A child was sleeping in the back seat, wrapped in a jacket. Inside the car, it was quiet — only the sound of the tires and the heater running.

And then I saw them.

An old car was standing on the shoulder. The hazard lights were blinking unevenly, as if they might go out at any moment. Beside it stood an elderly couple. The man was struggling unsuccessfully with the wheel, while the woman stood a little farther away, clutching her bag tightly. The tire was completely flat.

I drove past… and immediately braked.

I don’t know why. I just couldn’t leave.

I turned on my hazard lights and stopped a little farther ahead. I got out of the car — the wind immediately hit my face, the cold cutting straight to the bone. The road was slippery and wet, mud squelching under my feet.

The elderly people looked confused and frightened. It was clear they didn’t know what to do or what to hope for.

I took out the jack and the lug wrench. My hands quickly grew numb, my fingers barely responding. Lifting the car took a long time — the jack kept slipping. The wheel seemed stuck fast: the nuts wouldn’t budge, and I pushed with all my strength until my shoulders and back started to ache.

Cars rushed past just a few meters away, the wind howled, wet snow stuck to my face. Several times I thought it was stupid and dangerous, but I kept going.

The child peeked out of the car, and I waved for him to stay inside. He obediently sat back down, pressing his hand against the window.

When the tire was finally changed, I straightened up with difficulty. My jacket was soaked through, my jeans were wet, my hair stuck to my face.

The elderly couple thanked me again and again. The woman was crying, the man tried to press money into my hand. I refused. I just said I was in a hurry to get home and drove away.

On the way, I thought it had been just an ordinary good deed. Nothing more. Just helping on the road on a holiday.

I had no idea what it would lead to.

Ten days passed.

That evening, my parents called. They were shouting into the phone, talking over each other, demanding that I turn on the television immediately.

I turned it on.

And at that moment, I felt truly sick. Because on the news…  Continuation in the first comment 

From the screen, my own face was staring back at me.

On the news, they showed footage from the dashcam of a stranger’s car. Me — on the side of the road, next to an old car, with a jack in my hand. The caption under the video said that this woman was wanted.

The news anchor said that I was a scammer who deceived elderly people and stole their money. Everyone was warned to be careful and to immediately contact the police if they saw me.

It turned out that the same elderly couple had lost a large sum of money — money they had borrowed from their son. When he learned about the loss, he became furious. And they could think of nothing better than to say they had been robbed on the road.

And the person who ended up being blamed was me.