I watched her every move, then had to speak up.
I felt bad, and my gut instinct took over.
It was a Sunday morning, and my normal start to the day was with my two girls eating breakfast with a double cappuccino in hand. But then, my three-year-old started bouncing around the room, we were about to embark on the weekly food shop, and she loves spending time with me when we go shopping.
She is the big helper, putting items into the trolley, reminding me only to buy things that are on the list; the only exception to that rule is when we walk down the sweet section, then she allows me to buy as much as “she” wants!
It was fairly quiet as we walked down the first section, fruit; we spend a bit of time looking to pick the best apples, which both of my girls love; we have to buy green bananas, strawberries, and blueberries are their favourites.
I noticed a lady around 80 years old; I saw her foraging around the fruit that was reduced in price.
My first thought was that she would use the fruit for baking a nice pie, something my grandmother used to do a lot.
She would use the fruit that was “turning”, and nobody wanted to eat, “this is great for baking”, she would tell me, my daughter noticed her too, but I redirected her attention to the next task in mind, yes we were onto the salad section.
My wife and I eat salad for diner, so we tend to buy a fair amount to help us last the week; again, the old lady was looking around, and I could see her picking up the salad from the reduced section. I thought this to be strange, only because she had quite a bit, certainly too much for one person.
Maybe I was facetious, she could have been married, or maybe she had guests coming around, yes I should really keep my nose out of this, but something did not feel right.
I deliberately held back to see where she went next, and I decided to follow her. She went to the meat section, and I can tell you know what is coming next. You would be right, she took some meat, and yes, it was all reduced.
But then, I do that sometimes and freeze it and get it out to defrost when I needed it, a tough lesson when I lost my job and lived on £25 a week to conduct my food shop.
She spent a long time speaking to a staff member, so my daughter and I quickly gathered the shopping we needed. Whilst we were adding things to our trolly, I could not get this lady off my mind; all sorts of things were going around my head.
My mother was a very kind woman, and I know that if she saw this lady doing her shopping the way she was, my mother would have also been curious; she would always take the “under dog’s side”, and I just felt this woman might be in a spot of bother.
I had to be careful, though; I did not know her, and I was making many assumptions; one of my fears was a horrible thought, was she actually buying these reduced items but secretly stealing other things.
My daughter could tell that I was watching the lady in question and asked was I ok. I explained that I felt a bit uneasy and wanted to make sure the old lady was ok.
When she is older, my daughter would like to be a doctor to help make people feel better and “mend them”, she asked me if she should go home and get her “magic sponge” to help the lady out. She really melts my heart every day; it almost brought a tear to my eyes.
Back to the story, and the lady was heading for the checkout, she took her items out of her basket and placed them on the conveyor belt. I immediately started to place my shopping behind hers, and now it was just a waiting game.
Her things went through, and the cashier announced the price of her shopping; it came to £4.83. The old lady starting rummaging around in her purse and gave the cashier her money. However, it was not enough to pay for her things.
My heart sunk into the ground as she put her hand deep into her handbag and brought out a few more coins, but still not enough to pay for it all. Finally, the lady asked if she could put some items back, the cashier agreed, but that was enough for me.
How could this of happened? This lady, I expect, had worked all her life, she seemed very alone and at her age could not afford shopping that came to less than £5, if my mother could have seen this she would have turned in her grave.
I went up to the lady and cashier, what I said next to some degree wrong of me because I lied, something I hate in other people, but at this point, I only had one goal in mind.
“Excuse me; I don’t mean to interrupt; however, last night I had a small win on the lottery and growing up, my mother always told me to pay my good fortune forward to people I feel need it” (I did not win any money and that was the lie).
“If you let me, I would like to pay for your shopping” the cashier looked at me and smiled; the old lady also looked at me. I really don’t think she had any smiles left in her; however, she said, “thank you, son.”
I paid for the ladies shopping and bought a gift card for the supermarket, then added £50 to it; the lady accepted my offer, not wanting her to feel bad. I asked would she talk to my daughter whilst I packed my shopping.
It was then I saw it, yes she smiled, my daughter was chatting away, and the lady was responding in kind, we all walked out of the supermarket together, I asked the lady if she wanted a lift home, she refused, and I understand why.
Curious, I asked if she had any family local. I am pleased to say she did. A niece, coming over that week to help bake a cake with the fruit that she bought. For me, that was a sense of release.
The lady asked about my family, and I shared some feel-good factor stories with her, she asked what I did for work, and I told her, I asked what she used to do, I was amazed by what she told me and explained my mother used to own a business doing the same thing.
She asked the name of my mother's old company, and I told her; the lady filled up with tears, then asked my name, I told her, and she asked could she hold my hand, I agreed.
The lady said that she had worked for my mother. She told me about how much my mother had loved me, how I made her proud and what a wonderful young man she hoped I would become.
The lady said my mother would be very proud of what I had done today, and my daughter was so confused seeing two adults crying like babies in the middle of a supermarket car park. So I picked my daughter up and told her how much I loved her.
We went home, I have never seen that lady again, I do hope she is well, and I have never told this story before either, writing this has given me a release, if you have made it to the end, thank you, I hope it touched you as it did me on that special day in my life.
Written by Robert Ralph
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