The afternoon had started like any other. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things, expecting to finish my shopping and head home without giving the trip much thought.
The store was relatively quiet. Shoppers moved through the aisles, carts rolled across the floor, and the checkout lines were beginning to fill. Nothing about the afternoon seemed unusual.
Then I noticed a young girl standing in line with a birthday cake.
She looked to be around ten years old. She held the box carefully in both hands, but there was something about her expression that caught my attention. She seemed nervous as she waited for the cashier to finish scanning her items.
When the total appeared on the register, the girl reached into her pocket and counted her money.
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