Being stalked through a supermarket by a fragile elderly woman is a deeply bizarre experience, but one unsuspecting shopper was about to learn that maternal nostalgia can be a highly lucrative business model.
Jason noticed her the moment he hit the produce section. If he stopped to examine the avocados, she stopped a few feet away. When he moved to the dairy aisle, she lingered just behind his shoulder, staring at him with a sorrowful, longing expression.
Finally, she overtook him at the busy checkout line, turning around with a fragile, tearful smile.
“I am so terribly sorry if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable, young man,” she whispered softly. “It’s just that… you look so exactly like my beloved son who tragically passed away last year.”
Jason’s heart immediately melted. “Oh, that’s completely alright, ma’am. Please don’t worry about it.”
The old lady sniffled, clutching her handbag tightly. “I know it sounds incredibly silly, but it would bring so much comfort to my broken heart if, as I leave the store, you could loudly call out, ‘Goodbye, Mom!’ It would make me feel so happy just one last time.”
Unable to refuse such a heartbreaking request, Jason readily agreed. A few minutes later, as the elderly woman pushed her heavily loaded cart through the sliding glass exit doors, Jason cupped his hands around his mouth and called out cheerfully across the store, “Goodbye, Mom!”
The sweet old lady turned, flashed a radiant, grateful smile, and waved back at him lovingly before disappearing into the parking lot.
Feeling an immense wave of pride for bringing a little bit of sunshine into a grieving stranger’s life, Jason stepped up to the counter to pay for his own goods.
The cashier scanned his handful of items, tapped the screen, and deadpanned, “Alright, that will be $185.50.”
Jason’s jaw dropped in absolute shock. “What?! How on earth is it that much? I only bought five basic items!”
The cashier looked up, completely unfazed, and replied, “Yeah, but your mother said you’d be picking up the tab for her cart, too.”
