The kindness of strangers: On a busy motorway, my child vomited in the car. I was overwhelmed – then a man came with a bucket of water | Australian lifestyle

Kids always get sick at the worst possible time. For instance: the middle of a busy motorway, one hour into a three-hour trip.

My husband was away for work and I was driving our two small children to see him, when one vomited in the back seat. I pulled into a slipway just off the motorway to try to clean up as best I could. The kids were too young to be trusted to sit there safely right next to a busy road, so I had to leave them strapped into the car seats while I tried to mop up the vomit with wet wipes. My son was inconsolable and the car was an absolute mess.

After a few minutes of trying to clean up, I was feeling utterly overwhelmed, when a man emerged from a nearby house armed with a bucket of water. He sent us over to his wife, who made tea and chatted to me about the kids, while he thoroughly cleaned out the back seat. I apologised for the mess, but the woman told me not to worry.

After the cleaning was done, we got in the car and drove back home – admitting defeat on the trip.

Ten years have passed, but the memory of this incredible and selfless act still brings a tear to my eye. When I could not cope on my own, this warm and gentle couple swept in and took charge.

My marriage later ended, and the love and tenderness I was shown by this couple was something I was so particularly lacking at the time. It remains the single kindest thing anyone has ever done for me.

What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?