After losing her job at the mall, Megan’s debit card was declined at the grocery store. She was about to leave in shame, when a generous old lady gave her just the help she needed.
“Sorry Mrs. But your card has been declined,” the grocery store cashier said quietly, knowing that the situation could be a little touchy.
Megan’s shoulders hunched in sadness and shock. She was sure that she had enough for the next month and on purpose she had taken less than usual.
“Are you sure?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
The young man nodded and grimaced. Do you have another card? Credit?” he asked.
“No, I don’t have another one,” she replied sadly. “Maybe I can drop off some items,” she said, looking at her bags and her meager selection. What could she do without? Her children’s generic cereal? The cheap loaf of sandwich bread?
He had to choose something, but the whole situation was difficult. She had worked hard since her teens, and nothing seemed to be enough. She had two children to feed and now she didn’t have the resources to do it.
She had been laid off from her job as a janitor at the mall. Now they were hiring an agency for her cleaning needs, and even though Megan had applied to work for them, she hadn’t been called.
Thinking about his situation made his life seem pointless. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she just wanted to run, run away and start crying from despair. But a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Hey, you dropped this,” a friendly voice echoed in her ear. Megan turned around and looked into the eyes of an older woman. She wore heavy makeup, a beautiful pearl necklace, and a sweet smile that promised to solve all the world’s problems.
It reminded her of her own grandmother, who had raised her on next to nothing. Megan had promised to do better and build a good life for both of them, but the old woman died without her being able to keep her promise.
Now he kept trying, because he had two children to feed, and things were not going well for him. He put his sad memories aside and went back to concentrating on what the woman had said.
“How do you say?” he asked, looking down. Her eyes widened at what she saw on the ground. Five $100 bills were lying there. Megan looked up again and started to shake her head, but the woman’s eyebrows rose.
“You dropped the money, dear,” the old lady insisted, and Megan couldn’t think of anything else to do, so she picked up the bills. “You can pay with that.”
“Okay, I’ll pay cash,” Megan whispered to the cashier, handing him one of the bills, which was more than enough to pay for his purchases.
The guy at the register gave him a receipt and some change, wishing him good luck. “Thank you,” Megan said, and whispered to the old woman, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
As the lady left, Megan gestured for her to take the rest of the money. “Here you go. Thank you so much. Please give me her name and number, so that she can pay you as soon as possible”.
The older lady shook her head and removed her hand. “No, darling. This is for you. I won’t take it back. I’m Elizabeth. Nice to meet you,” she said with a slight smile.
“I can’t take that much money,” Megan replied, embarrassed.
“Please do it. I know what it’s like to be in a difficult situation, and I saw you buying cereal, so you obviously have kids to feed. Take the money for them,” Elizabeth insisted. “Write down my number and call me whenever you want.”
“Are you sure?” Megan asked anxiously, and the woman nodded once more.
She went home that day, and somehow she felt calmer. She called the generous woman that night and talked to her for hours after her children had gone to bed with her.
The old lady invited her and her children to her house for a nice lunch the next day, and Megan immediately agreed. In the morning, she bought ingredients and baked him a cake as a thank you.
When they arrived, they were surprised to see that Elizabeth lived alone in a beautiful house, which lacked some cleaning. After lunch, the old woman was left drawing with the children, while Megan was busy removing cobwebs and cleaning the kitchen carefully.
Elizabeth was delighted when she saw her sparkling kitchen and decided to hire Megan as a housekeeper; the young woman gladly accepted. The pay was better, the hours more flexible, and the old lady loved having the children home all the time.
Over time, they became a loving family where harmony reigned and everyone cared for each other.
What can we learn from this story?
Sometimes help is just around the corner: Elizabeth showed up in Megan’s life when she needed it most, and the older woman changed her life.
You can always repay the help you receive in some way: Megan didn’t know how to repay Elizabeth, but when she got home she knew what to do in gratitude. In the end, they established themselves as a beautiful family.