Mary realized she had forgotten her wallet while trying to pay for groceries, but a kind boy, Mark, paid for her things. Some time later, Mary and her daughter learned that Mark’s grandmother needed expensive surgery, so they decided to take action, shocking the poor boy.
“Oh, geez. I must have left my wallet in John’s car. I’m so sorry. I’ll have to come back and get these things later,” Marie told the cashier, who began picking up the items and putting them back. Meanwhile, Marie closed her purse and was about to leave when the boy behind her spoke.
“Wait, madam. You don’t have much anyway. I’ll pay for it,” he said. He couldn’t have been more than 12 years old, and Marie noticed that he didn’t look particularly well-off.
Mary realized she had left her wallet at the checkout. | Source: Shutterstock
“Oh, no. I can’t put you in that situation,” Marie retorted.
“I insist, madam. Sometimes we have to do good things, and karma will reward us later, right? That’s what my grandmother always says,” the boy said, placing his few belongings on the table and paying for everything Marie had chosen. Fortunately, it was only a few essential items.
Marie’s daughter, Anastacia, was sick with the flu. She needed someone to babysit because her husband was in Europe on a business trip, so Marie decided to drive to Santa Ana from San Diego, California. But her friend, John, had driven her there, and it seems she had left her wallet in the car.
Once their groceries were ready, Marie and the kid went outside. “Hey, I’m Marie Cummings. What’s your name?” she said.
“My name is Mark.”
Mark said it was no big deal and left. | Source: Pexels
“Thanks so much for what you did, Mark. Saved me a trip to the store. Listen, why don’t you give me your phone number so I can pay you back as soon as I get my wallet back?” Marie suggested, and the kid wrote his number on the receipt.
“Here, but don’t worry about it. There’s no rush. I live nearby anyway,” Mark said casually.
“Although I also believe in paying it forward, like you and your grandmother, we must pay our debts,” added Marie, and they said their goodbyes.
On her way home, she told Anastacia that she’d left her wallet in John’s car and talked to the kid at the store who’d paid for her things. Marie only went there to buy a few things for the chicken noodle soup, so it wasn’t much. “Still, it was nice to see such a nice young man,” Marie finished, packing up her things and getting ready to make the soup.
“I agree. Although kids today are all so progressive, some of them can be quite self-centered,” Anastacia said.
They went to Mark’s address. | Source: Pexels
“I don’t think this kid comes from a wealthy family, though. Maybe that’s why he’s so nice. But either way, I’m afraid he’ll need the money urgently,” the elderly woman continued. Luckily, she called John, who agreed to come to Santa Ana the next day to return her wallet.
***
Marie and Anastacia rang the bell at the address Mark had given them. A little while earlier, John had come over, given Marie his wallet, and Marie called the kid to return the money. He told her where he lived, and now they were right in front of his house.
The house was small and old. But it seemed clean, and the garden was well-kept. It was clear these people didn’t have much money, but they took pride in keeping it pretty. Mark then answered the door.
“Hello, Mrs. Cummings,” Mark said, opening the front door.
“Hey, Mark! This is my daughter, Anastacia. Here’s your money. Once again, thank you so much for everything,” Marie told him with a kind smile.
“Thanks. You didn’t have to rush,” the boy replied, looking behind him for a second. “Look, I’d invite you in, but I’m not supposed to be entertaining. My grandmother would be furious.”
Mark said his grandmother was in the hospital. | Source: Pexels
“Oh, where is she? Maybe we can come over later to meet her. Does she like pecan pie? Because we’re going to the bakery right now,” Anastacia added happily.
“Actually, she’s in the hospital and won’t be out for a while,” Mark explained with a frown. Marie and Anastasia wanted to know more, so he continued. “She needs a huge operation, and I started a GoFundMe. I tried to promote it, but it’s not very popular. For now, the hospital has figured it out, and they’re keeping her for observation while I raise the money.”
“Oh, honey. You shouldn’t have to do this alone,” Anastacia said worriedly.
“We don’t have anyone else. It’s just us,” Mark shrugged. Marie and Anastacia looked at each other and made a decision without saying a word.
“Give me the link to the GoFundMe, and your grandmother’s name. Also, come with us to the bakery. We’ll go see her and see if the doctor lets her eat pie,” Marie offered, though it was more of a request.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to.”
“We must,” Anastacia insisted, and Mark went with them.
Anastacia posted about him online. | Source: Pexels
After buying pies, they went to the hospital to meet Mark’s grandmother, Mrs. Julie Strada. They talked with her for a while, and Mark decided to stay with her that night, so Marie and Anastacia left.
Back home, Anastacia shared the GoFundMe link with everyone she could think of, and she also donated a few hundred dollars. But Marie felt so desperate. “They need so much money for this surgery. I don’t know if sharing the link is enough,” she said sadly.
“Let’s think,” Anastacia said, looking at her computer. “What if we share this boy’s story? I mean, how he helped you, even though they needed the money so much. I mean, he couldn’t have known you were going to pay him back. Maybe it could go viral? Let’s try Reddit.”
“We’re one in a million, Anastacia,” Marie replied skeptically.
“We’ll see,” the young woman said with a smile, and began writing everything that happened on Reddit. She posted it on several subreddits and on her Twitter.
A media outlet picked up the story. | Source: Pexels
At first, there were only a few commenters, but within days, thousands of people had read the story and donated to the cause. They still needed many more donations to reach the goal of $230,000, the cost of Ms. Strada’s full treatment.
But surprisingly, a well-known media outlet picked up the story, shared it, and even interviewed Marie and Mark for their article. The GoFundMe project far exceeded its goal, and they were overjoyed. Mark couldn’t believe it. He’d only paid about $20 for what Mrs. Cummings needed at the store, and she’d found a way to pay him back—and then some.
What can we learn from this story?
- Helping others can change your life . Mark helped an elderly woman at the store, not knowing how hard she would work to repay him.
- There are still good people in the world. Tons of viral stories have allowed people to raise enough donations to pay for treatments for their family members and even their pets, proving just how good people can be.
Read also: Single father pays for poor old lady’s groceries and receives car as a gift upon her death
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