Dana placed the can of milk and carton of eggs on the checkout counter. The hum of other shoppers drifted around her as she waited, her eyes falling on the candy display. A Hershey’s chocolate bar peeked out from the colorful array of sweets, catching her attention. Amy loves chocolate bars. She’d be so happy if I brought one home for her. But… can I afford it?
She hesitated, her mind racing through mental calculations. Milk, eggs, bread… enough for the week. But this small treat? Her fingers itched to grab the bar. It’s just one dollar more… but maybe that’s one dollar too many.
“Is that everything?” The cashier’s voice pulled her back.
Quickly, she reached for the chocolate bar and placed it on the counter. “This too.”
With a deep breath, she pulled a crumpled five-dollar bill from her worn wallet, smoothing it out before handing it to the cashier. She held her breath as she watched the total.
“Have a good day.” The cashier handed back a one-dollar bill and a few coins.
Dana let out a soft sigh of relief, a smile flickering across her face as she clutched the change. She tucked the chocolate bar into her bag, a small gesture that somehow felt like so much more. Amy will be so happy, she thought, her heart warming at the image of her daughter’s delighted face.
“Thanks!” she said, her voice light with the quiet joy of giving.
This piece is written in response to the two hundredth and twenty-fifth edition of Fiction Monday inspired by the word prompt – SIGH hosted by yours truly. Do join in if you have a tale to tell.
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Void Thoughts 
Acts of kindness goes a long way, specially in this holiday season when some might feel the pinch more than others. Beautiful heartwarming story.
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Aww! Such a sweet story encapsuling the joy a mother feels when she can give her kids the little treats in life, specially when they are few and far between.
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this is such a heart warming story, Vini!
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Did you say 225th edition? WOW!
You are amazing, Vinitha. As is this heartwarming story.
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It was a nice, heartwarming incident which was very relatable. Well written.
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Thank you, Nellabates. Welcome to my blog. 🙂
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Lovely story – I’ve seen how difficult these decisions can be especially when there are children involved.
This made me think of those videos that are quite popular these days where people pretend they can’t pay for something and when someone helps them out, they pay for all that person’s groceries!
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True! Most of us are unaware of the tough decisions people have to make daily just to make ends meet.
Such videos showing random acts of kindness rewarding the right person is always heartwarming.
Thank you, Corinne.
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