“Take them,” I said gently. “You’re all set.” She looked at me as if I had lifted a weight off her shoulders. Her voice remained soft. “I can’t repay you.” I told her repayment wasn’t needed.
She thanked me with a tremor in her voice and hurried out, the bell on the door sounding strangely quiet behind her. I didn’t think of it as anything remarkable. Ten dollars. A small gesture. I didn’t even tell Dan. It felt like just another moment of choosing compassion in a world that sometimes forgets to offer it.
