A young man noticed an elderly lady following him around while shopping in a supermarket. She stopped when he stopped and kept staring at him. Eventually, at the checkout, she approached him and said,

“I hope I haven’t made you feel ill at ease; it’s just that you look so much like my late son.”The man replied, “That’s okay.”She then made an unusual request: “I know it’s silly, but if you’d call out, ‘Goodbye, Mom’ as I leave the store, it would make me so happy.”o.”

Obligingly, as she left, the man called out, “Goodbye Mom!” She waved and smiled back.Feeling pleased for brightening her day, the man proceeded to pay for his groceries. The clerk said,

“That comes to $121.85.”Surprised, the man exclaimed, “How come so much!

”

The clerk responded, “Well, the woman you called ‘Mom’ said you would be paying for her groceries as well.” Stunned, the young man realized that the elderly lady had taken advantage of his kind gesture.

Feeling a mix of emotions – surprise, amusement, and a tinge of annoyance – the young man paid for both his and the lady’s groceries. As he left the store, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the unexpected turn of events.

Reflecting on the encounter, the young man realized that sometimes acts of kindness can be taken advantage of. However, he also understood that it was important to not let such experiences deter him from being kind and compassionate towards others.

The encounter with the elderly lady served as a reminder that kindness should be extended without any expectations of receiving something in return. While the young man may have been taken advantage of in this instance, he knew that the joy he brought to the lady by simply calling her “Mom” was worth more than the money he spent on her groceries.

As he drove home, the young man couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the elderly lady’s face lighting up when he called out to her. He made a mental note to be more cautious in the future but also to continue spreading kindness wherever he went.

In the end, the young man realized that while not every act of kindness may be met with genuine gratitude, it was still important to be kind and compassionate towards others. The world could always use more kindness, even if it meant occasionally being taken advantage of by those looking to exploit it.