as he moved along, he saw something he hadn’t encountered before. It looked like an elderly lady was trailing him. She didn’t do anything too direct, yet there she was, usually a bit behind me.
At the beginning, the young man believed it was a pure coincidence. Whenever he stopped moving, so did she and when he picked up a toothpaste or soap, she’d reach for one too. She didn’t pay attention to his purchases, but kept glancing at him. He had a slight pang of uncertainty, but he pushed it aside and went shopping.
It wasn’t until they got to the checkout that the elderly woman went up to him. She softly told him, “I didn’t want to disturb you; it’s just that you seem a lot like my son who passed some years back.”
Trying to make things better, the young man answered kindly, “Being late like this is fine.” She sounded sincere and he didn’t want to embarrass her.
She stopped for a while before speaking and made a strange request. “It’s silly, but hearing you yell, ‘Goodbye, Mom,’ before you walk out would really please me,” she said.
The man was surprised when he first heard her, but he understood there was some vulnerability in her. Even though it sounded odd, she gave the impression that it was very important to her. “Naturally,” he smiled sweetly.
After the elderly lady had turned to leave the shop, the young man, now realizing why she was there, shouted, “Goodbye, Mom!” He saw her look back, her face aglow with a mild and happy smile.
After waving at him, the woman went out of the store with a smile of happiness and contentment. The young man was glad he managed to brighten her day in some little way. After giving the bottle, he walked back to the checkout counter, pleased with his action.
When he reached the checkout, the employee greeted him and started scanning his purchases. She said, “Your total is $121.85.”
Now surprised, the young man took a look at what he’d bought. “So much?” he questioned. “I did not buy many things; I only bought five.”
The clerk smiled and told him, “Your mom let me know you’d be helping pay for things when I mentioned it.”
The young man stood still for a bit, not knowing what to do. It was at that point he realized the woman had been more serious than he thought and that her request wasn’t just for a little fun. While thinking he was cheering her up, he helped her pay for her groceries without realizing it.
When he noticed the joke in the situation, the young man laughed nervously, too. Shaking his head over the surprise, he paid for the groceries. But there was a sense of link between him and the older woman, who had, in her own way, brightened up his day.
Leaving the store, the young man remembered that a little kindness can sometimes change something he never expected. The thing that started with trying to make a stranger feel better was now a moment filled with happiness and mirth for him.
And despite all the confusion, the young man left the place with a smile after seeing the elderly woman smile when he said “Goodbye, Mom.”
