Seventeen-year-old Mark was working part-time at Walmart in Arkansas when he noticed a woman struggling with her bags in the parking lot. Dressed casually in a polo shirt and jeans, she blended in with the crowd. Without a second thought, Mark rushed to assist her, abandoning his post for a few minutes. Little did he know, the woman he was helping was none other than Caitlyn Clark, one of the most famous basketball players in the country.
“Let me help you with that,” Mark said, offering a reassuring smile. The woman hesitated for a moment before nodding. He quickly grabbed the bags and placed them in her trunk, chatting casually as he worked. To Mark, it was just another act of kindness. When he finished, Caitlyn extended a hand, offering him a crisp bill. “Thanks, young man. This means a lot,” she said. Mark waved it off, saying, “No need, ma’am. Just glad I could help.”
However, his moment of satisfaction was short-lived. Store manager Josephine had been watching from the front doors, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. “I’m going to have to let you go,” she said flatly, her decision final. Mark’s heart dropped. Fired for doing the right thing? He was speechless. As he packed up his things, his co-workers expressed disbelief, but there was nothing they could do. “What a jerk,” his friend Lillian muttered, giving him a hug. “You’ll find something better.”
Despite Lillian’s words, Mark felt crushed. How could he explain this to his parents, who had always been proud of him for getting the job? When he walked through the door at home, his mother noticed his disappointment immediately. “You’re home early,” she said, her voice filled with surprise. Mark sighed and hugged her. “I got fired. I helped someone, and the manager didn’t like it.”
His mother’s face hardened. “What do you mean, helped someone?” Mark explained, and her anger flared. “I’m going to call that store and talk to the owner,” she said, reaching for the phone. “No, Mom, let it go. I don’t want to make it worse,” he replied, retreating to his room.
The following morning, as Mark tried to shake off the disappointment, an unexpected visitor arrived at his door. The insistent ringing of the doorbell snapped him out of his thoughts. When he opened the door, he was stunned to see Caitlyn Clark standing there, dressed casually in athletic wear. “Are you Mark?” she asked, her tone friendly but direct.
Mark nodded, still in disbelief. Caitlyn smiled faintly. “I heard about what happened at Walmart, and I wanted to say thank you for helping me. What you did might have seemed small, but it meant a lot.” Mark glanced down, unsure of what to say. Caitlyn continued, “I also heard your manager fired you for it. That’s unfortunate, but I believe that when one door closes, another opens. I’d like to be the one to open that next door for you.”
Mark’s jaw dropped. “Wait, are you saying you’re offering me a job?” Caitlyn nodded. “Not just a job, an opportunity. You’d be part of my community outreach team, helping kids and running charity events.” Mark was speechless. Just yesterday, he had been fired; now, he was being offered a chance to make a real impact.
As the days turned into weeks, Mark embraced his new role with enthusiasm. He helped organize events, met kids at basketball clinics, and felt like he was part of something bigger than himself. Caitlyn mentored him personally, sharing stories from her own journey and reminding him that kindness and perseverance always paid off.
Months later, Caitlyn surprised Mark with a fully funded scholarship to a local college through her foundation. “I want to make sure you have every opportunity to chase your dreams,” she said. Mark realized that getting fired from Walmart was the best thing that ever happened to him. It led him to Caitlyn Clark, an opportunity he never could have imagined, and a future full of hope and purpose.
Texas man charged with stalking WNBA and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) plays against the Dallas Wings in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Authorities in Indianapolis have charged a 55-year-old Texas man with felony stalking of Indiana Fever star and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark.
Michael Thomas Lewis is accused of repeated and continued harassment of the 22-year-old Clark beginning on Dec. 16, the Marion County prosecutor’s office wrote in a court filing Saturday. Jail records show Lewis is due in court on Tuesday.
Lewis posted numerous messages on Clark’s X account, according to an affidavit from a Marion County sheriff’s lieutenant.
In one, he said he had been driving by the Gainbridge Fieldhouse — one of the arenas where the Fever plays home games — three times day, and in another he said he had “one foot on a banana peel and the other on a stalking charge.” Other messages directed at Clark were sexually explicit.
The posts “actually caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, or threatened” and an implicit or explicit threat also was made “with the intent to place Caitlin Clark in reasonable fear of sexual battery,” prosecutors wrote in the Marion County Superior Court filing.
The FBI learned that the X account belonged to Lewis and that the messages were sent from IP addresses associated with an Indianapolis hotel and downtown public library.
Indianapolis police spoke with Lewis on Jan. 8 at his hotel room. He told officers he was in Indianapolis on vacation. When asked why he was making so many posts about Clark, Lewis replied: “Just the same reason everybody makes posts,” according to court documents.
He told police that he didn’t mean any harm and that he fantasized about being in a relationship with Clark.
“It’s an imagination, fantasy type thing and it’s a joke, and it’s nothing to do with threatening,” he told police, according to the court documents.
In asking the court for a higher than standard bond, the prosecutor’s office said Lewis traveled from his home in Texas to Indianapolis “with the intent to be in close proximity to the victim.”
The prosecutor’s office also sought a stay-away order as a specific condition if Lewis is released from jail ahead of trial. Prosecutors requested that Lewis be ordered to stay away from the Gainbridge and Hinkle fieldhouses where the Fever play home games.
The Associated Press was unable to determine Monday if Lewis has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.
Fever officials have not responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
The Associated Press named Clark the Female Athlete of the Year for 2024. After leading Iowa to last year’s national championship game, she was the top pick in the WNBA draft and went on to win rookie of the year honors in the league.
