It was a very busy day in the local grocery store I work at. Customers were bustling about and gathering their purchases for the week. Every cashier line was at least 5 people deep and it didn’t seem to stop for a few hours. Even though the store was busy, everything was running smoothly. I, however, had a very annoying credit card machine. Sometimes it would take a card very simply and then it would decide to be stubborn and make a customer swipe 3 or 4 times. Everyone was being patient in the midst of it. I felt like my nerves were a bit on edge due to the constant flow and the annoying credit card machine. To add to the frustration, our communication lines went down. None of the patrons were able to charge more than a $100 on a credit purchase and the EBT cards were unusable. One of my customers in line at that moment had an EBT card. She was a middle aged woman who had seen many hard years in her life. Her shirt was a little worn on the sleeves and her skin was a bit too leathery for her age. She was sharing with me her exciting find at Goodwill prior to coming into our store. She had found a brand new pair of jeans for $4! She was talking very excitedly and her voice was surely carrying to the back of the line. I finished scanning her items and announced her total of $12.82. She swiped her card and it was declined. We tried and tried to no avail. I had not been informed at this time of our lines being down. I asked her if she had any other means to pay. She replied with slight panic in her voice, “No, the only other money I have on me is my bus fare.” I felt awful and just as helpless. I had no way to help her since my purse was stowed away in my locker. The gentleman behind her was silently watching and listening to the exchange between us. She finally said, “Oh well, I guess I’ll have to come back tomorrow.” The man next to her caught my eye and mouthed the words, “I’ll pay.” I smiled and said, “Thank you!” then I turned to the gal and explained to her that this man was willing to pay her bill. She beamed from ear to ear and said, “Really?” He just smiled and nodded as he handed me a $20 bill. She grabbed her bag and began excitedly talking about how great this day was and how thankful she was for him and coming to her rescue. She practically skipped as she exited the store. Everyone in my line was smiling as well as they watched her leave. The gentleman who paid did not say anymore on the matter and simply paid for and gathered his own items before heading out the door.

A few hours later the store was still a constant buzz and the communication lines were thankfully back up and running. A young dad came through my line purchasing baby food and other essentials for the upcoming week. His total came out to roughly $79. He swiped his card and it was declined. I explained that my machine had been touchy all day and to try it again. This time a message came up on my screen stating “Insufficient Funds.” I quietly conveyed to him the message I received. His face fell and he looked very puzzled. He looked at me, then his items, then back at me. His items were already bagged up and ready to go, his embarrassment began to show on his face. He then said, “Can you suspend the transaction while I make a phone call?” I told him of course I could do that. I moved him and his items to an empty register next to me while he proceeded to make his phone call. I began to tend to my other customers. Out of the corner of my eye, customer after customer, I could see that he was still trying to get to the bottom of why his card was declined. A young lady, close to the age of the frustrated gentle men, had been in my line long enough to pick up on the fact that this man was unable to pay for his groceries. I could feel her energy as she looked at him and then me, debating whether or not to step in. As she moved closer to the front of the line she couldn’t help but hear his conversation and the anxiety and worry in his voice. When her grocery bill was tallied and I began bagging her groceries she looked at me and quietly said, “I will pay his bill.” I replied, worried that she didn’t know what she was agreeing to, “Are you sure, it is $79?” She smiled and without hesitating gave me her credit card. I scanned his receipt which brought up his transaction and charged her card the amount. She asked that I wait to tell him after she left. I told her thank you so much and that I would be sure to wait. A few moments after she left I went over to the gentleman and told him that his grocery bill was paid for. His eyes grew wide and he threw his head back and laughed while still holding the phone next to his ear. He put the phone aside and said to me, “Really? Who?” I told him a young lady did but wanted to remain anonymous. By this time everyone in my line was listening and smiling at his gracious reaction. He thanked me, grabbed his groceries and seemed to glide out of the store.

My line died down soon after and I was able to reflect and marvel at the events of the day. It had been a busy and somewhat chaotic day, but twice I got to see humanity at its best. I think we all can see humanity at its best if we look for it. Sometimes though, the world seems so dark and dismal that it makes moments like these stand out even more.