The poor old lady had no money to pay for her shopping. The cashier paid the bill, not knowing that the next day the boss would call him.
The 21-year-old was in his second year at university. After losing his parents in a tragic car accident as a child, Tim found last solace in his grandmother, 65-year-old Elsa.
He worked part-time as a cashier at a local supermarket to pay for school and arthritis medication for his grandmother. So this job was something he couldn’t risk under any circumstances…
He quickly rode his bicycle to his workplace and stood behind the counter to work with customers.
Among them was an elderly woman named Christina. She wandered for a long time through the various aisles, filling her cart with groceries and baby products.
Tim sat down to rest after dealing with the last customer in line. He heard a cart roll up to the counter.
“Let me help you,” he said when he saw Christine struggling to lift the jar of oil.
He scanned the items and ripped off the receipt, handing it to her.
“Ma’am, $120, card or cash?” – he asked.
Christina replied that she didn’t have a card and reached into her handbag for her wallet. Tim waited while the woman rummaged through her handbag, anxiously checking every pocket.
“Oh my….,” Christine exclaimed in shock, an expression of desperation and confusion clouding her eyes.
“What is it, ma’am? Is something wrong?” – Tim asked, seeing the concerned look on her face.
Christine swallowed and looked around to see if anyone was watching her. She was afraid she would be yelled at if she said she had forgotten her purse.
“Son… I don’t have any money. I forgot my wallet,” she whispered shyly. “I’m, I’m so sorry… I’ll put all the groceries on the shelves. I can’t afford to buy them now.”
Tim looked at the cart that held the entire week’s worth of groceries. There were baby diapers and baby food, indicating that she had a grandchild at home.
“Would you mind waiting here for two minutes, ma’am?” – he asked Christine, who looked puzzled. She thought the cashier would yell at her for wasting his time, but Tim’s answer puzzled her.
“Yes, I’ll wait, son,” she said as Tim hurried out, fumbling for something in his pants pocket.
Christina waited a little over two minutes. The store began to fill with customers as they passed her and her heavily laden cart. She pretended not to express her concern and remained calm as she waited for the cashier.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” he said, panting, when he returned. “The ATM was a little crowded. I had to wait in line. Sorry, ma’am!”
Christine still didn’t know what he was talking about. She could feel the sweat on his face, which was beginning to blush with embarrassment.
Tim went behind the counter and tossed a wad of money into the drawer, telling her that her bills were paid and she could take her groceries.
“What? You paid for my groceries?” – Christina exclaims with tears in her eyes.
“Well, yes! I have a grandmother like you, and I didn’t have the heart to send you away empty-handed,” says Tim, adding more shades of joy to the woman’s tearful eyes.
“I could have paid by card, but I wanted to see if I had any cash left. Instead, I got a withdrawal. Anyway, I’m glad I could help you, ma’am.”
Touched by the kind cashier’s help, Christina took her groceries and left, wiping away her tears. Meanwhile, Tim went back to taking care of his customers, thinking he would never see this woman again. But fate had other plans. The next day he was summoned to his supervisor’s office.
“Tim, young man, please come in,” he heard his supervisor Andrew’s husky voice as he knocked on the glass door.
He was nervous. He had never heard Andrew sound so stern before.
“I know what you did yesterday, Tim. I want to talk about it,” the boss said.
At that moment, anxiety gripped Tim, and fear filled his mind. After Christine was around Andrew, it only got worse.
“I’m sorry, but I was just trying to help…,” Tim said, stammering.
“Just a second, young man,” Andrew added, “our client Mrs. Williams is here with some news about you.”
Tim had a vague idea of where this was going, and his heart began to beat faster.
“Mrs. Williams just told me that we have an employee with a big, kind heart!” – Andrew said. Tim’s anxiety passed as he looked at the older woman.
“She wants me to thank this nice young man… So, Tim, my boy, you won’t have to work behind the counter anymore. You’re the new store manager… And take this, it’s your refund for paying Mrs. Williams’ groceries!”
Tears began to roll down Tim’s cheeks. “Thank you, thank you very much, sir,” he said, stammering with joy. “Thank you, Mrs. Williams.”
“Well, I must thank you for being such a pleasant young man. I am sure that with such modesty you will achieve great success in life. Well done, Tim!” said Andrew, patting the young man on the shoulder.
A few days later Christine went to the supermarket, this time remembering to take her wallet with her. She no longer saw Tim at the checkout counter, however, and was glad to see him giving directions to the staff.
“God bless you!” – she said from afar, watching the successful but humble young man do his job.
From that point on, Tim never had a hard time and was able to pay for his education and his grandmother’s medical treatment. He achieved great things through hard work and continued to help the elderly at every opportunity!
