As he moved down the aisles, he began to notice something peculiar—an elderly

lady seemed to be following him. She wasn’t being obvious or intrusive,

but her presence was constant, never too far behind. Every time he stopped

to look at something, she stopped too. At first, he thought it was just

a coincidence, but her gaze lingered on him more than on the shelves.

When they reached the checkout counter, she finally approached and softly said,

“I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable, it’s just that you look so much

like my late son.” Touched by her words, he smiled and reassured her.

Then came a heartfelt request—“Would you mind saying, ‘Goodbye, Mom,’

as I leave the store?” It felt a little strange, but the look in her eyes made it hard to refuse…

As she walked out, he called out just as she had asked—“Goodbye, Mom!”—and

saw her smile with deep gratitude. That warm moment quickly turned into

surprise at the register when the cashier rang up a total of $121.85.

“But I only bought five items,” he said. The cashier smiled knowingly and replied,

“Your mother said you’d be paying for her things too.” It hit him—he’d been played,

kindly but cleverly. Still, he laughed, paid the bill, and walked out smiling.

What started as a simple act of kindness ended with an unexpected twist that

reminded him life has a funny way of mixing humor and heart.