He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.

Every two weeks, I put on my face mask and special set of epidemic outfit to venture out to the grocery stores.

I browse through the different store flyers for the week to decide which ones to go to.  The idea is to get things on my list by hitting the fewest stores.  Quick in, quick out is the goal.  No dilly dally at times like this.

I was really lucky this week.  There was actually no line for getting into the store.  Then, as soon as I was ready to check out, a spot opened up at the self check-out island.  Everybody was performing like Olympic grocery store cashiers -- they were swift with their scanning movements and they were bagging their groceries neatly like a champ with minimal reusable bags.  It was admirable.  I almost felt like I just entered a grocery store cashier competition.

In the middle of these vigorous actions, suddenly, the help light lit up at one of the stations.  A fellow shopper stopped to ask the attending cashier for help.

"Excuse me, can you void these few items for me, please?" he pleaded.  "You don't want them anymore?  What is wrong with them?" the cashier was confused.

"Mm, nothing is wrong with them," the young man looked down at his wallet.  "I just realized I don't have enough money to buy all this.  Can you just put them back for me, please?"  The young man did not have much food in his basket, to begin with.  For how long can he survive on these few things that he is buying?

Before the cashier could even begin to walk away with those items, the man at the station across the way from me hollered at the cashier, "Hey! Don't put them back.  Give them to me.  He has to eat.  I'll pay for it."  "Nah, give a couple to me!" the guy next to me shouted out. "You can't pay for all of it.  I want to help, too."  It really brought a smile to my face.  I thought only I was watching.  At the end, the first guy paid for pizzas, the other guy paid for milk and eggs.  Because I am a woman, they decided that I got to pay for some inexpensive cold cuts.

The commotion caught the attention of another shopper who was on his way out.  He quickly figured out what was going on.  He turned to pick up a carton of juice from his own cart of paid food and placed it in the young man's basket.  "You need to eat, Bro.  Have some juice.  It's good for you."  This loving big brother turned and left without saying anything further.

People ask me why I like living here.  Now you know why.