I Defended a Cashier from an Entitled Customer – Days Later, Her Colleague Brought Me to Tears

And when I really thought about it, that’s exactly what I’m always begging the universe for: for someone to show up when it feels like everything is resting on my shoulders.

I pulled into my parking spot, turned off the engine, and just sat there for a minute, hands resting on the steering wheel, grocery bags rustling softly in the passenger seat.

The store had always been just a store to me—a place to rush through, a necessary stop on the way to everything else.

Now it felt like a tiny community I hadn’t realized I was part of.

It made me wonder who else I was underestimating, who else was quietly keeping track of the moments that cost me nothing but meant everything to them.

I carried the bags upstairs, put bread on the counter, tucked yogurt into the fridge, and paused for a second with my hand on the envelope in my bag.

My kids shifted in their sleep down the hall, little feet thumping once against the wall, and I thought about how they’d never know the full story of how tonight’s breakfast got paid for.

Continue reading…