"I'm Paying."

Said the dark-eyed, dark-skinned woman. I had stopped into the bakery on the fly to see if perchance a savoury pie or two might be available for supper. There were three in the case which was very unusual so late in the day. I asked for two, when ordinarily I might have taken all three, but that seemed greedy under the circumstances. In a flashback I remembered telling kids, "Take only what you need". Standing shoulder to shoulder with me, the stranger said:"I do this all the time". You'll do it for the next person". She said this with full confidence.

I hoped to remember the next time the queue was long and somebody like me was waiting as I had for this woman to get finished. When she first turned toward me she asked, "Do you know what you want"? I thought she had sensed my growing impatience. "Take your time", I said shrugging off the moment. I was not in any particular hurry, but when it comes to waiting in lines, I often walk away instead. But, having spied the pies, I was willing to stand there while she asked about the various ingredients in different pastries. I secretly hoped she would not order those three pies having already claimed them mentally as my next meal. She broke into my thoughts when she said, "Go ahead and order. I'm paying for yours". "Are you sure?" I asked a little incredulously. I recalled my daughter telling me that she and her friend had had a similar experience at a drive through cafe. She waved thank you to the man in the car behind hers and drove away smiling. It happens!

The woman handed me two fresh-baked pies and said: Merry Christmas!

As much as I dislike hearing that overused and overworn: "I appreciate you", that's what genuinely came out of my mouth as I walked off with something warm in my hands and in my heart. That feeling lasted all the way home until I shared the encounter and the pies with my husband. We thanked her together in our grace for our "free" meal. It mattered! Not because I was hungry, but because she offered a stranger, another person walking through this world with her, something from the kindness of her heart. I wish I had been the one to do so. Next time!

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