Two Cents

It was late on the first evening at the second hospital. I had not eaten that day, and Darrin had not eaten much. He had not been able to eat any of the dinner they had brought him, due to nausea. I was not actually hungry, as much as my body was screaming out a need for some protein. I found my way to the only place open in Utah County on a Sunday night - the hospital cafe, not the full-scale cafeteria, just a little greasy spoon-type grill. It would do. I was determined to find Darrin some protein too, something basic I knew he would eat, and this type of place was his type of place, unfortunately! LOL

So I chose a cheeseburger for the protein, and some simple chicken strips for him, like my kids would choose, again for the protein, but also for the flavor, because I knew he wouldn't reject them, as he had the bland hospital food. I even got some fries, just thinking he might go a step further. That was a silly hope, and I would never eat them myself. I dug into my jeans pocket and pulled out some cash and change, and was 2 cents short. "Oh, rats!" I said. "I'm 2 cents short!" It was no big deal. I had a $20 in my other pocket. I had gotten some cash back when I put gas in the car on the way over the mountain earlier. I considered canceling the fries, but then started shifting things in my hands to reach for my other pocket.

There was a scruffy looking woman standing behind me, waiting for her order to come up. "No problem," she said way too loudly, and very jovially. "I've got it!" She was already reaching for her purse as I started to object. She was not particularly clean, and the man she was with was playing with a young child too roughly. I had been observing them as they ordered and had had already judged them rather harshly. They were not people I would readily associate with, I assessed, without admitting it to myself - that would be judgmental, of course.

But she would hear nothing of my protests, and I never even got as far as explaining that I had money in my other pocket. "I've got some change right here!" She exclaimed loudly. "See? And besides, I owe at least 2 cents! Last week I was homeless, and some stranger went out of their way to find me a home! Now I have a roof over my head! So you take my two cents, ok?"

My breath caught in my throat. I smiled warmly at her and put out my hand for the two cents. "Thank you", I said, "That is so kind of you."

"This way, someone did something nice for me, and I'm doing something nice for you. Maybe you'll be able to do something nice for someone else!" she mused. And then we both looked each other in the eye and said in unison "Kind of like 'Pay It Forward'"! We laughed together, and shared a smile.

As I reached across the cash register to pay the 2 cents, I noticed a little cup of spare change for people who were short of change. It held well over the amount I was short. I smiled again. I felt strangely pleased that I had not seen that cup before. I felt my heart so warmed by my strange encounter with my 2 cents debtor, this woman I had judged so falsely, who had taught me so much.