Shopping Alone

I was shopping alone. When the supermarket clerk tallied up my groceries, I was $14 over what I had on me. I began to remove items from the bags, when another shopper handed me a $22 bill.

“Please don’t put yourself out,” I told him.

“Let me tell you a story,” he said.

“My mother is in the hospital with cancer. I visit her every day and bring her flowers. I went this morning, and she got mad at me for spending my money on more flowers. She demanded that I do something else with that money. So, here, please accept this. It is my mother’s flowers.”