It was just another afternoon at the grocery store, or so Mary thought. As she reached the checkout counter, she suddenly froze. “Oh no,” she muttered, her hands frantically searching through her purse. Her heart sank. “I must’ve left my wallet in John’s car. I’m so sorry, but I’ll have to leave these for now,” she said to the cashier, her face flushed with embarrassment.
The cashier began putting her items back when a voice called out behind her. “Wait, ma’am. You don’t have many things. I can pay for them.”
Mary turned around to see a boy standing in line, no older than twelve, offering to cover her groceries. He wasn’t dressed fancy, and he certainly didn’t look like someone who had extra money to spare.
“Oh, I can’t let you do that,” Mary said, shaking her head.
“Please, ma’am. My grandma always says good deeds come back to us. It’s karma, you know?” the boy said with a kind smile. Without waiting for her response, he paid for both their items.
Mary was speechless for a moment. “Thank you so much,” she finally said, still in awe of the boy’s generosity. As they left the store together, she smiled at him. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Mark,” the boy answered, shrugging as if it were nothing.
“Well, Mark, you really saved me today. I’m Mary. Can I get your number to pay you back later?” she asked, still feeling a little guilty.
Mark wrote down his number on a receipt. “No rush. I live nearby,” he said casually.
Mary smiled. “I believe in paying people back, even if we also pay it forward,” she said before heading home.
Later, she told her daughter, Anastacia, all about the encounter. “It’s nice to see kids still doing good things,” she said while putting the groceries away.
“Yeah, most kids only care about themselves these days,” Anastacia agreed from the couch, where she was recovering from the flu.
“I just hope Mark didn’t need that money for something important,” Mary said with a sigh. Luckily, her friend John agreed to drop off her wallet the next day so she could pay Mark back.
The next morning, Mary and Anastacia decided to visit Mark’s house. It was a small but tidy home with a neat little garden. When Mark opened the door, he seemed surprised but happy to see them.
“Hi, Mrs. Cummings! You really didn’t need to come so soon,” he said with a smile.
“Well, I wanted to. This is my daughter, Anastacia,” Mary said, handing him the money. “Thank you again for helping me out.”
Mark smiled but seemed a little hesitant. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to rush. I’d invite you in, but my grandma doesn’t like visitors when she’s not home.”
“Where is she? Maybe we could meet her later,” Anastacia asked, her curiosity piqued. “We’re going to the bakery and thought we might bring her a pie.”
Mark’s expression changed, his smile fading. “She’s in the hospital. She needs surgery, but it’s really expensive. I’ve been trying to raise money with a GoFundMe, but it’s been slow.”
Mary’s heart ached for him. “Oh no, sweetheart. You shouldn’t have to deal with this alone.”
Mark shrugged, trying to remain upbeat. “It’s just the two of us, but we’ll get through it.”
Mary and Anastacia exchanged a knowing glance. “Let us help,” Anastacia said. “Give us the link, and we’ll share it.”
“Are you sure?” Mark asked, looking a bit uncertain.
“We’re sure,” Mary said, her voice filled with determination. “Come with us to the bakery, and we’ll bring your grandma some pie.”
Mark smiled, finally agreeing. After buying the pies, they visited Mrs. Strada in the hospital. Later, back at home, Anastacia shared the GoFundMe link online and donated some money. But Mary still felt unsettled.
“They need so much money for the surgery. I don’t know if sharing the link is enough,” she said.
Anastacia thought for a moment, then smiled. “What if we tell people what Mark did for you? He didn’t know you’d pay him back, but he helped you anyway. That kind of story could go viral.”
Mary raised an eyebrow. “You really think so?”
“Let’s try,” Anastacia said, already typing out the story for Reddit and Twitter.
At first, it seemed like nothing was happening. But within days, the post gained traction. More people shared it, and donations started pouring in. Then, a local news station got wind of the story and ran an interview with Mary and Mark. The GoFundMe skyrocketed, and soon enough, they reached their goal.
Mark was overwhelmed, his eyes wide with disbelief. “I never expected any of this,” he said softly.
All from one small act of kindness.
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