A Small Nugget Of Kindness

(My family and I are battling homelessness. While my husband works, I basically tote our two children (three-year-old boy and two-year-old girl) around the city. Keep in mind, this is August and we’re in the middle of a heatwave. I bring the kids into a well-known fast-food chain restaurant to keep them out of the heat. We’ve been sitting here for a while, my son playing a game and my daughter asked in her stroller.)

Manager: *walking over* “Do y’all need anything?”

Me: “Oh, no. We’re fine.”

Manager: “Are you sure? Y’all have been sitting here for a while. When is the last time you ate?”

Me: *shifting uncomfortably* “Not since breakfast.”

Manager: “Okay. Do your kids like chicken nuggets? You want a 20 piece and some fries?”

Me: “I have no money.”

Manager: “Don’t worry about it. You want a soda, too?”

(I’m stunned. All I do is nod. She walks off and returns about five minutes later with a tray. On it is the 20 piece nuggets, two medium fries, a drink for me, and two milks for my kids. I thank her and she walks off. As we’re eating, she walks back.)

Manager: “See, I’ve got this problem. I got extra kids’ toys and no one to give them to.” *addressing my son now* “Do you want them?”

Son: *ecstatic* “Please! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

(She told us we could get anything else if we needed it but I didn’t ask for anything else. Her kindness kept us fed that day and I even wrote a letter to corporate praising her and recommending that she get some kind of raise. I’m not sure if she did but the next time we were in there, she did the same thing. That simple act restored my faith in humanity. Thank you, miss, wherever you are now!)

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