If you’re looking for a heartwarming story to flood your day with positivity, you’ve come to the right place.
This sweet tale of an autistic boy’s friendship with a Safeway driver will have you dabbing away tears by the end.
The hero of this story is Chris Cummins, the man who drives a truck for Safeway.
Chris loves what he does, and feels very fortunate to be able to do something that suits him so well. Speaking to KOMO News, he said:
“I go to a job I love. I get to go around and listen to music. I drive a beautiful piece of equipment. What more could I ask?”
There are lots of routines involved in Chris’s job. Almost every night in Tacoma, he stops off at the Safeway store on Procter Street.
And that’s when Chris meets his biggest admirer, Seth.
Seth, who has autism, is a happy, excitable little boy who dreams of being just like Chris one day. Having autism can make certain things more difficult for him, but there’s always a way to get him involved.
His mom explained:
“One-on-one interaction is tough, he’s kind of awkward when it comes to social skills, cues and interacting. But if you can connect with him on what he’s interested in and he can connect with you, then he’s more open to trying to converse.”
If you want to know anything about Safeway, Seth’s your man.
In fact, he probably knows more about Safeway than the Safeway drivers themselves. He has a map that shows all the Safeway stores in the region, and has memorized the numbers of every store and every delivery truck.
Such is his Safeway knowledge, Seth has even learned the names of all the company’s drivers – but Chris is his favorite.
Every night at 8:30 p.m, Seth’s whole family stands on the corner of 24th and Adams, waiting.
It’s a big responsibility for Chris, who knows how much it means to Seth to see him. He needs to make sure to arrive on time – between 8:45 and 9:00 pm – from Monday to Friday.
The conversation between Chris and Seth is always brief. Seth shouts hello to Chris, and Chris greets him back. Then Seth claps his hands and does a little dance of excitement.
Seth and Chris are good buddies, now – enough for Seth to be allowed to watch Chris unload.
As Chris pushes crates into the loading area, Seth and his dad count them out. Seth patiently waits for Chris to finish, because that’s when the exciting stuff really happens.
Chris gives up his time, every day of the week, to sit with Seth and “solve the problems of the world,” as Seth says. But really, they just sit and talk, the way friends do.
Seth, Chris, and Seth’s parents exchange jokes and funny stories, and there’s always plenty of laughter.
For Chris, this doesn’t feel like a chore – and he looks forward to it as much as Seth does.
He said:
“I get to hang out with him, and if it puts me behind at night, I don’t care. if I get home late, it’s cool.”
The world needs more kind-hearted people like Chris – and more enthusiastic, loving people like Seth!
Scroll down to watch the video of this sweet story below.
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