There are several things I just can’t handle ó one of which is the sight of my mother in tears.
It doesn’t happen often. Even more rare is she speechless. But she was both when she stopped by the house recently.
“I’m on my way to the Credit Union,” she finally managed to say.
I couldn’t imagine why this would make her cry ó her checking account balance is never more pitiful than mine.
She went on to explain that she had just gone to Food Lion and that she had gotten $20 cash back at the self-checkout.
One of the cashiers asked if she’d like paper or plastic, and Mom said “neither.” She is religious about carrying her Baggu reusable bags. In the midst of their conversation, Mom forgot to get her money.
She remembered it as soon as she got home. We live close by, so it was only a few minutes later than she returned to the store.
“I don’t suppose anyone has turned in $20,” she said.
Nope, came the reply.
The manager on duty went to check on the surveillance tape. She was gone a long time.
When she came back, she reported to Mom that a woman wearing a business suit checked out after her.
This woman counted her change several times ó and then walked out of the store.
I was completely mortified but Mom was really upset. I’m not sure what bothered her more ó the fact that someone took her money or the fact that she’d forgotten it.
We in no way blamed the store. After all, the recorded voice at the self-checkout always reminds you “Don’t forget to take your change and your receipt. Thank you for shopping at Food Lion.”
I just happened to have 20 bucks, so I gave it to Mom. At least I saved her a trip to the ATM.
But it really got away with me.
I was telling Libby this story at the pool a few days later, as we attempted to suck the last bit of marrow from summertime.
James and Andrew and Joey and Alex and Kurtis were there, too, so ó being a mom who always looks for teachable moments ó I gathered them over and told them, too.
They were all suitably appalled.
As my best friend Lisa says, “If it’s not yours, don’t mess with it.”
She was put out, too.
A couple days later, James found a dollar on the pool deck.
You should have seen him. He went up to everyone he could find, asking them if the money belonged to them. I was proud to see that.
No one claimed the money, so Libby put it in her pool change purse (a plastic baggy) for the next child who needed it.
This story has a bit of a happy ending. When I told my tale of woe to one of the managers the next time I was at Food Lion, he said, “Let me give your mother a $20 gift card.”
I told him I didn’t expect him to do that, that I had just wanted to tell him what happened. He wasn’t surprised, but he did want to help.
“This is a win-win situation, because I know she’ll come back and shop with us,” he said, smiling.
Before long, Mother was smiling, too.
But I’ll bet that next time, she’ll remember to pick up her change.
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Contact Susan Shinn at sshinn@salisburypost.com or 704-797-4289.