I Gave $2 to an Elderly Woman at the Store — the Next Day, a Note Appeared on My Locker at Work

She opened a zippered pouch with shaking hands.

Inside were crumpled dollar bills and loose change. She counted on the counter… once, twice, three times. Each time, her fingers trembled more.

Then she looked up at me with eyes that made my heart ache.

“Ma’am,” she whispered, “could you not ring up the diapers?

I’m $2 short. I can pay for the rest, but the formula… the baby needs the formula.”

The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.

Her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry.”

I’d been there once.

It was a different life, but the shame was the same. Standing under bright lights, trying to make your need invisible. God, I remembered exactly how that felt.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, reaching into my apron.

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