I went to Wal-Mart earlier today to pick up some groceries. On my way back, my mom called and asked me to buy some Ramen noodles. After a couple sighs and eye rolls, I stopped at the Target by my house. It took me about five times longer than it should have, but I found the Ramen noodles and headed toward the checkout line.
I determined it was too weird to stand in a line full of people buying clothes, DVDs and bathroom sets while only holding a pack of Ramen noodles, so I added a bottle of Vitaminwater (like that was going to make it all better). When my turn came up, the cashier rung both items up and told me my total was $2.57. That was the moment when I heard the black lady behind me in line say, “I’ll pay for that.”
Those words shocked both the cashier and me. I quickly reached in my wallet and pulled out a $20 bill and I said that I could pay.
The lady persisted, saying, “No, no, it’s fine. I have to bless someone every day, and this is something I can do.”
I had a choice: accept this woman’s charity or staunchly refuse it, making a scene in the Target checkout line. As you may know, I’m all for keeping the peace and preventing confrontations, so I mumbled a shy “Thank you.”
She said, “You’re welcome. God bless you.”
I walked out of the store a mix of a few emotions: bewilderment, anger, embarrassment. I didn’t feel touched or grateful at all, and I still don’t. I didn’t walk into Target looking for a blessing. I just wanted to get some Ramen. Who was this woman to decide she was going to help me? I wasn’t dressed shabbily (t-shirt, shorts, Braves hat I bought recently) nor was I struggling to find the money to pay for the stuff. I had the money. She saw it.
There’s a part of me, the son my parents raised, that wants to let it go and take it as a sign that God works through people to always keep us mindful of His presence and that kindhearted people are still out there. The worldly part of me doesn’t believe that lady bought my $2.57 worth of items for me. She bought that for herself, so she could say she did something nice for a poor soul today. That part of me wanted to snap on the lady Larry David style.
I’ve probably spent much more time than is close to necessary thinking about this, but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.
