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A metro attendant saw a man needed an extra goodbye hug from his son

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Time now for "My Unsung Hero," our series from the team at the Hidden Brain podcast. "My Unsung Hero" tells the stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.

Today's story comes from Donald Kabara. In the spring of 2023, Kabara visited Washington D.C., with family members, including his son, Tim. On the last day of the trip, Kabara was scheduled to fly back home to Oklahoma, a trip that would begin with a ride to the airport on D.C.'s subway system, the Metro. Well, after they arrived at the Metro station, Tim insisted on walking his father inside. But when they got there, Kabara wasn't sure which train to take to get to the airport.

DONALD KABARA: So I approached the attendant, a middle-aged woman, and asked her for directions to the train to Reagan Airport. She told me to pass through the gate, take the escalator down and turn - go to the right, and the train should arrive there. So I gave my son one hug and a second hug, and he was standing next to me at her booth. So she saw that it was a special moment for me.

And I went down the escalator and was waiting for my train when, all of a sudden, my son appeared next to me. And I asked, what are you doing here? He told me the attendant told him he should come down and give me an extra hug goodbye. He gave me one last hug and went back up. And I went along my way to the airport.

What impressed me is that this woman was so perceptive that she could see just by our actions that it was a special moment. And she perceived - not only perceived and understood it, she had the compassion to take action and support me in my life.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

KABARA: I am a widower, and I live alone in Oklahoma, and my son lives in Wisconsin. So I don't get to see him that often. So that hug was a special hug, not just from my son, but also it represented the thoughtfulness, kindness and care that this woman had for someone passing through the station.

KELLY: Donald Kabara lives in Norman, Oklahoma. And you can find more stories of unsung heroes at hiddenbrain.org.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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