A woman in Atlanta witnessed a disturbing incident at a fast-food restaurant and turned the tragedy into a heartwarming story, igniting a new friendship with an employee who was attacked by a spoiled customer earlier this month.
According to CNN, Feroza Syed became outraged after the customer in the drive-thru line threw a large drink at Bryanna, humiliating the employee because he didn't want ice in his drink.
When Syed pulled up to the drive-thru window, she gave a $20 tip to the sobbing employee and offered to call the police. Hours later, the good Samaritan was still outraged by the incident, so she decided to vent on Facebook. Syed says the incident took place at a McDonald's.
"At drive-thru, guy in front of me threw a soda at the woman because it wasn't what he wanted," the Atlanta woman wrote. "She was crying. Tried to get out of my car to kick his ass, but I was blocked in. Y'all do better."
At drive thru, guy in front of me threw a soda at the woman b/c it wasn’t what he wanted. She was crying. Tried to get out of my car to kick his ass, but I was blocked in. Y’all do better.
Posted by Feroza Syed on Friday, December 4, 2020
After posting the story, Syed came up with the idea of collecting monetary donations from friends and giving the money to Bryanna. The two women were able to connect a few days later with the help of the restaurant's manager.
"(Feroza) was like… 'I have a surprise for you and I really want to give it to you in person,' so I sent her my address," Bryanna told CNN, choosing to be identified by only her first name. "She gave me the envelope and I couldn't do nothing but cry because I wasn't expecting that."
The envelope contained $1,700 in donations, bringing joy to the fast-food worker who is also six months pregnant.
"A large portion of the donations were $5, $10, $20 and that totaled up to a large sum of money," Syed said, adding that she wanted to "put a smile on her face and show her not all humans are horrible."
The woman then shared Bryanna's Cash App handle with others, allowing them to give directly to her new friend. Syed also helped set up an online baby registry for the soon-to-be mother.
"She has been a blessing," Bryanna said about the kind-hearted giver. "There's still some good people out there."
But Syed doesn't feel that she did anything special.
"I just saw somebody being mistreated and I didn't like what I saw," Syed said. "Doing the right thing inspires others to do the right thing and what I keep learning again and again and again is when you see something like this or any situation where someone is being mistreated or harmed, all it takes is one person to change the narrative."
The humble giver noted the significance of showing kindness especially during the current times as the pandemic continues to take a toll on society.
"When we talk about how to give back to our essential workers who put their lives on the line feeding, housing, shopping and providing health care for us — remember that anyone can do what I did," she said.
Syed posted a photo with her new friend on Instagram after the two women met up.
"This is my new friend B., on last Friday afternoon I was getting some fast food at a local McDonald’s when the man in the car in front of me threw a large soda back through the window at her. It covered her in sticky syrup, her hair, shoes, and shirt were soaked," she wrote. "Today I got to meet her, talk with her about her situation and found out that while they’re clearing up the inner workings of the situation, she hasn’t been able to go back to work."
As a result, the donation became even more important for Bryanna.
"When I handed her the money she started crying, saying she needed it badly. I asked her if I could take a few photos for those of you who donated, and she said yes. Here they are," Syed said. "She’s so sweet, has a good head on her shoulders, and could really use the funds since she’s not allowed to work right now."
The tension-ridden year has seen many cases of people acting irrationally in public, especially making it difficult for employees to do their job. As Blavity previously reported, a white woman in East York, Pennsylvania punched an employee at a Red Lobster on Mother's Day earlier this year, outraged at having to wait three hours for her food.
Several people have also thrown tantrums after being told to wear their masks. In July, an American Airlines passenger was kicked off the plane when she refused to wear a mask, as Blavity previously reported. The woman was also mocked by other passengers, who cheered as the anti-masker was escorted off the plane.
