By Alex Cohen

On Friday morning, July 24th, I headed to the Hamptons as I have done so many times before. Those who know me know that I have my little quirks. One of them is that, when I get to Exit 70 on the LIE, I go through the drive-through at McDonald’s to get a Hi-C orange drink with extra ice. I usually get there around 11am and the sugar helps me finish the rest of my trip more energized. The break also gives me a chance to check my phone…I digress.

This particular day I pulled around to the drive-through and I noticed two cars very close together and the man in the first car getting out and violently yelling at the person in the car behind him. I was so shocked at how hysterical and mean he was and thought I should videotape what was happening in case things went south. But as I was reaching for my phone, I heard him say “You are too ******* old to drive.” I pulled up and noticed the woman behind the wheel of the car had to be in her 90’s and she was still grasping the steering wheel in fear. He then proceeded to yell and tell her to park on the side of the lot, but she was frozen in fear. I had two choices: 1. Get out of the car and confront this bully (but I was afraid he would have turned on me and things could get worse), or 2. Call the police. I chose the latter. I told the police about the abusive man and that I would remain there until they arrived.

At that instant, an older African American gentleman came out and ran to the woman’s defense. He was wearing a McDonald’s uniform. He asked the man to back up and he would help the woman pull over. He comforted her and helped direct her gently. This jerk (the only description I have of him) then proceeded to park next to her and berate her once again, telling her that not only was she too old to drive, but she was blind and deaf too…. The McDonald’s worker stood protectively in between the man and the woman and tried to calm him down. This went on for another few minutes until the manager of the McDonald’s came out and joined his coworker, along with a few customers, to form a line near the old woman’s car to protect her; I had never seen anything so amazing. At this point I walked over to the older gentleman and asked him if she was ok. He said she was and I instructed one of the customers to go in and get her some water. He obliged happily. I told the gentleman that I called the police and would wait there with him until they arrived. After another 10 minutes of listening to this man yell, I prayed to God, “Please don’t let this man have a wife and children.” I could not imagine what their lives could be like with this brute.

The police finally arrived and suddenly the man was as calm as a mouse… this made me angrier. I called the officer over and explained why I called them. The officer said I was not the only person that called the police on him; everyone was scared for this poor old woman. I said I was so angry I wanted to get out and beat him! He turned and said to me, “You would make a terrible cop.” He was right… this lightened the mood and we both laughed. I needed that.

As I turned to leave, the older man waved goodbye to me as if we were old friends and all the way home I could not stop thinking of him. During my drive I called the McDonald’s and asked for the name of the man who had helped outside. They said his name was Bo. I told the story a few times over the weekend and could not stop thinking of Bo so I decided that on my way back home, when I stopped for my iced coffee this time, I would ask to see him and personally thank him. That Monday morning, before I left I sat down and wrote Bo a note, “Dear Bo, I wanted to say thank you for helping that woman outside the McDonald’s on Friday. You showed bravery and compassion and it should not go unnoticed. We could use more people like you in the world.” I signed it and included my Foundation card along with $500.00.

When I arrived at the drive-through I asked them to please get Bo so I could see him for a minute. I waited until he came out and when he saw me, he ran over and to my surprise he thanked ME! I could not believe it…. We took each other’s hands and I told him that it was he who deserved all the thanks. He told me that the old lady was a regular there and everyone knew and loved her. I told him how angry I was and how I wanted to get out and punch that guy and he said that he would have felt the same way before he became sober over a decade ago. He told me he was a peaceful man now he has devoted his life to serving others. We spoke a while longer and I gave him the envelope. He refused it saying he was just doing what was right. I said “So am I.” I then asked if I could take his picture and write about him in my blog. He said, “Ma’am you can take my picture and hang it on your wall if you want to,” and I fell in love with Bo!

There are people out there like Bo who struggle with their own demons every day but still do the right thing. He is in my prayers now and I ask God to watch over him and keep him safe because while there are Bo’s out there – they are few and far between – I am lucky to have met him and hope our paths meet again, but under happier circumstances.

Alex