Crying in the Target Parking Lot

This is another one of those stories from ~~Twitter~~X that deserves to be seen more widely. This is slightly abbreviated, so follow the link and get the whole story. We make fun of X a lot, some of it deserved, but every so often, a story like this one will show up, and show us that life outside the internet can still be pretty good. Here's a feel-good story out of the whole Los Angeles disaster.

It starts with an X post from Briana Cap:

Literally crying in the Target parking lot right now. 🧵
I was struggling with unloading my toddler, my bags and wrangling an unruly cart (seriously — why do some lack power-steering?) A fire truck from Redondo Beach (E61) had just parked nearby and four firefighters got out.

The firefighters offered to help. She refused, saying the firefighters in the L.A. area had already been doing so much. They wouldn't take no for an answer.

Normally I would have refused help, but this week? This week firefighters get a pass.
You want to help me with my bags? Absolutely, my car’s over there.
Want lunch? It’s on me.
Need a Gatorade? What flavor?

They like kids too. They made a point of paying attention to the toddler.

[T]his kind stranger offered my toddler a fist bump, which she happily accepted. The contrast of her cherubic, dimpled, unblemished little hand against his scratched, dirty and well-worn fist was striking. ...

Those hands have boldly and unflinchingly walked into literal fire this week. But today, in the Target parking lot, when they could have easily just gone about their business, those hands were a beautiful display of how selfless, kind and generous these firefighters are.

And it's the truth. Like the firefighter in my recent post, these guys do the work, and they want to help. No complaints, hell, they volunteer, even when they're exhausted and covered in ashes. These guys have got to have been worn out — a week of constant, dangerous, smoky work. And they still wanted to help out a mom in a parking lot. They not only helped her put her bags in the car, they even took the cart back to the store. I suppose, compared to what they have been doing, this is a little story. But it struck me, and it clearly struck Briana.

Luckily, the Redondo fire chief saw the post too. With any luck at all, he'll track these guys down — you wouldn't think it would be too hard — and do a little more than give them an atta-boy. Although I imagine they mostly just want a shower or two and 12 hours of sleep. I suspect they may get the shower, but a real day off? Not for a while. I suppose it's too much to ask that Trump invites them to the White House, and Gavin Newsom won't deign to notice this story.

Hi @BrianaCap , thank you for the kind words. As Fire Chief of Redondo Beach your post truly lifted our spirits. This is a video taken while @RedondoBeachFD Engine 61 in midst of fighting fire as 80mph winds tried to test their resolve, but could never break our spirits pic.twitter.com/LwmFLjGNp9
— Patrick Isidoro Butler (@rbfdchiefbutler) January 14, 2025