From Hidden Brain Media, I'm Shankar Vedantam.

This is my unsung hero, stories where one person reached out to help another in a time of need.

I do not know the full name of my unsung hero.

She came straight up to me, she looked me in the eyes, and she smiled.

So whoever you are, thank you so much.

Today's story comes from Mary Klein.

About 40 years ago, Mary moved from Louisiana to Phoenix, Arizona, to start a new job.

It was Christmas Eve, and she didn't know anyone yet.

To cheer herself up, she went out to see a movie.

On the drive home, in the dark, she got lost.

So she pulled over on the side of the road to look at her map.

But I had honestly no idea where I was,

and there was just nothing but desert around me.

So I just had a good self-pity cry, and a car pulled it behind me, and a couple came to the window of my car and asked me if I was okay. And I said,

I'm okay, but I was lost, and I couldn't find my way back to my house.

And so the woman got in the car with me and said, we're going to take you home, honey,

my husband's going to follow us.

And they drove me all the way across Phoenix.

As it turned out, I was on the opposite side of the city of where I thought I was.

And they came in to my house.

They made sure I was okay.

They gave me hugs.

...