I never thought my forgetfulness would lead me to change someone’s life!
I was at the grocery store when I realized I lost my wallet. “Oh, geez. I’m so sorry. I’ll have to come back for these things later,” I told the cashier, who started putting the items back.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
But as I prepared to walk away, a young boy behind me spoke up.
“Wait, ma’am. You don’t have many things anyway. I’ll pay for them,” he said. He couldn’t be older than 12, and he didn’t look well-off.
“Oh, no. I couldn’t put you out like that,” I said.
“I insist, ma’am. Sometimes, we have to do good things, and karma will reward us later, right? That’s what my grandmother says,” he replied, paying for my essentials.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Outside, I introduced myself. “Hey, I’m Mary. What’s your name?”
“I’m Mark.”
“Thank you so much, Mark. It saved me a trip to the store. How about you give me your phone number, so I can pay you back?” I suggested, and he wrote down his number on the receipt.
Later, I told my daughter, Anastacia, about the kind boy, and she said I had to pay him back. The next day, when my friend John returned my wallet after finding it in his car, she and I visited Mark to do exactly that!
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Mark’s house was small and old but clean. He answered the door.
“Hello, Mrs. Cummings,” he said.
“Hey, Mark! This is my daughter, Anastacia. Here’s your money. Again, thank you so much,” I said.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to hurry,” Mark replied. “Listen, I would invite you in, but my grandma would be mad.”
“Oh, where is she?” Anastacia asked. “Maybe, we can come back later to meet her.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“She’s at the hospital and needs a huge surgery. I started a GoFundMe, but it’s not that popular,” Mark explained.
“Oh, sweetie. You shouldn’t have to do that on your own,” Anastacia said.
“We don’t have anyone else. It’s only us,” Mark shrugged.
“Give me the GoFundMe link and your grandma’s name. Come with us to the bakery for pecan pie. We’ll visit her and see if the doctor lets her eat some,” I offered.
After buying the pies, we went to the hospital to meet Mark’s grandmother, Mrs. Strada, a lovely woman.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Anastacia shared the GoFundMe link with everyone she knew and posted the story online. At first, there were only a few donations, but soon thousands of people donated.
A news outlet picked up the story and interviewed us. The GoFundMe project reached beyond its goal, and Mark couldn’t believe it.
He had only paid around $20 for what I needed at the store, and we found a way to pay it back and more.