I didn’t notice the receipt at first. A woman with wind-reddened cheeks handed it to me at self-checkout, smiling shyly before we went our separate ways. Hours later, unpacking groceries at home, I found the note on the back: “Check your back seat.” My heart jumped. Every crime story I’d ever heard flashed through my mind. Still, curiosity won. I went outside, the night air cold and sharp, and opened my car door. There—half-hidden in the shadows—was my missing wallet.
Relief washed over me. The woman must have seen it when I loaded groceries and, unable to reach me, scribbled that note instead. Her quick kindness stitched up a day I hadn’t realized was fraying. The next day, I returned to the store, posted a note on the bulletin board: “To the woman with the hydrangea—thank you for saving my day. Coffee’s on me if we ever meet again.”
She never reached out, but I started noticing small acts everywhere—the cashier bagging slowly for someone struggling, a stranger chasing after a dropped bag. Weeks later, I saw her again at the farmer’s market. Her name was Mara.
We shared apple cider and small talk about snow boots, buses, and buying flowers to bully spring into being. She said her mother taught her: “If you can fix a problem in under a minute, do it.” I keep that receipt now, faded and soft, a quiet reminder. Sometimes kindness isn’t grand—it’s a scribble that says, simply, “Don’t forget what matters.”