POOR BOY PAYS FOR OLD LADY’S GROCERIES — THE NEXT DAY, SHE RECEIVES UNEXPECTED PAYBACK THAT CHANGES HIS LIFE

Mary stood at the grocery checkout, rifling through her purse, only to realize she had lost her wallet. Embarrassed, she apologized to the cashier and prepared to leave her items behind. “Oh, geez. I must have lost my wallet. I’m so sorry. I’ll have to come back for these things later,” she said as the cashier began putting her items back.

Just as Mary was about to walk away, a young voice spoke up from behind her in line. “Wait, ma’am. You don’t have many things anyway. I’ll pay for them,” said a boy who couldn’t have been older than 12. Mary looked at him, surprised. He didn’t seem particularly well-off, and she felt uncomfortable accepting help from someone so young.

“Oh, no. I couldn’t put you out like that,” she countered, hesitant to take his money.

But the boy insisted, his words mature beyond his years. “I insist, ma’am. Sometimes, we have to do good things, and karma will reward us later, right? That’s what my grandmother says all the time,” he said with a warm smile, paying for the essentials Mary had picked out.

Grateful but still feeling uneasy, Mary accepted his generosity. “Thank you so much,” she said, touched by his kindness. She promised herself she would repay the boy somehow, but at that moment, she had no idea how profoundly their brief encounter would impact both their lives.

A few days later, the boy, whose name was Mark, heard a knock at his door. It was Mary, along with her daughter. They had learned through the community that Mark’s grandmother, who raised him, needed an expensive surgery that the family couldn’t afford. Deeply moved by Mark’s selflessness, Mary and her daughter decided to help. They gathered funds and arranged for the necessary medical care.

In the end, the small act of kindness Mark had shown Mary not only brought good karma but also changed his and his grandmother’s lives in ways he never expected.