And I heard his voice in my memory.
You can make the next ten
minutes better for somebody.
I reached into my pocket for my own debit card.
“Don’t worry,” I told her. “I’ll cover the difference.”
Her head snapped up.
“What? Oh, no. You really don’t have to.”
But I’d already tapped my card.
The terminal chirped.
APPROVED.
The receipt began printing.
The woman’s eyes instantly filled with tears.
She covered her mouth.
“I can’t let you do that. I don’t even know when I could pay you back.”
“You don’t need to,” I assured her. “Please. Take your groceries home and take care of those little boys.”
I placed the diapers into her bag.
For several seconds, she remained motionless.
Behind her, Dale shifted impatiently.
He seemed about to speak.
But when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks, he looked away.
The woman continued staring at me.
Then her gaze dropped toward the side of my register.
Toward the photograph.
My father’s photograph.
And everything about her changed.
Her face lost its color.
Her hand became still against Noah’s back.
Her mouth opened slightly.
She looked as if she’d recognized someone she believed could not possibly be there.
“Ma’am?” I asked gently. “Are you all right?”
She didn’t answer.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the photograph.
“Is something wrong?”
She blinked several times.
Then looked from the picture to my face, as though searching for a resemblance.
“Is that…”
She stopped.
Before she could finish, Noah began crying even louder.
His brother woke and joined him.
The line behind her was growing.
Another customer complained.
The moment slipped away.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Of course.”
She collected her groceries and started toward the exit.
Then she turned around.
“You really don’t understand what you’ve done for me.”
Her voice shook.
“Especially today.”
“It’s
only a few dollars.”
“No,” she said firmly. “It’s not just a few dollars.”
She thanked me again.
And again.
As she reached the automatic doors, she looked over her shoulder one last time.
Not at me.
At my father’s picture.
Then she disappeared outside.
Dale approached the register without speaking.
I scanned his beer and frozen pizza.
“Thirty-one dollars and sixteen cents.”
He paid with cash.
