Act Of Kindness
The woman walked up in down the store with urgency. The woman had some sort of familiarity about her.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked in her purse. She could not afford the items in her cart. She really needed the stuff... Rina saw the lady struggle and did not think twice when she pulled out her card to help the poor woman. This selfless act of Rina had a huge impact on Rina's life for years to come...
Dedicated Worker
Rita Burns was a lovable 58-year-old cashier at Walgreens. Her coworkers adored her and she was always kind to all the customers.
Rita's day started as usual with a quick breakfast at 6 am and then she left for work. She was excited for the day, and she was blissfully unaware that her entire life was going to change that day.
Loving Person
Rita could be described as a warm loving person. She would arrive at work every day with a positive attitude. Regardless of her struggles, she never complained about anything or anyone.
Nobody knew about Rita's money problems. She had $20 left in her account and the month had only just begun. Her day went downhill pretty shortly after her arrival at work.
Interesting Lady
Around noon, Rita saw an interesting woman in the store. She was running up and down in the isles and Rita thought that was odd.
She wore professional-looking attire and looked like an important business lady despite how messy her hair was. Rita could not place why, but she felt like she knew this woman from somewhere.
Horrible Realization
The woman got to Rita's till and she was panting a lot. She eagerly gave Rita two lightbulbs to scan.
“That’s twenty dollars”, Rita said with a smile on her face. The woman fished around her purse for her phone so that she could pay. The woman's expression fell almost immediately when she looked at her phone.
Down In The Dumps
Customers started to pile up behind the woman and she panicked. “I’m so sorry, I just realized this isn’t my phone! It’s my husband’s! I’m sure he has apple pay too, please give me a moment to see if I can get it working”. she said to the group, apologizing.
The woman's eyes were watery and Rita could see something was wrong. Nobody expected Rita to do what she did next.
Generous
“Put that phone away, honey. It’s okay, I got you”, Rita said to the crying woman. The woman looked with confusion as Rita paid her bill with her last money.
The woman felt refreshed by Rita's generosity. “We all get short on money sometimes, the least we can do is help each other out when we need it”, Rita explained. However, was unaware who she was conversing with. This was no average woman who had run into financial difficulties.
Surprised
The woman was so surprised with what Rita did, she took a while to process everything. “You didn’t have to do that! Thank you! I’ll come back to the store and repay you as soon as I can”, the woman said to her.
“No need”, Rita assured the woman. “You just have a good day now”. Rita did however need money as she just spent her last money. Her act of kindness did not go unnoticed.
Well-Known Woman
The strange woman Rita helped was a popular local real estate agent with a sizable online following. Rina Liou could have been angered by Rita's assumption that she had no money, but she responded quite differently.
Rita's kindness surprised Rina so much. Rita did not know Rina's financial situation, she treated her with compassion and Rina had to repay her.
Silent Battle
Rita continued to report to work every day. She ate whatever tinned foods she could find in her home. She experienced her struggles in private and she was under the impression that nobody was aware of her situation.
Rina was developing a great strategy to return Rita's kindness while she was at work. She stood in front of Rita with $20 and a bouquet of flowers, just as she had promised. Rita's life was permanently transformed by the photograph they shot together.
Feeling Thankful
With her $20 returned, Rita decided to open up to Rina. She told her that she had given her her last $20 she had in her account. Although Rita didn’t expect her to repay her, she was deeply grateful she did.
Rina was at the brink of tears as she posted the picture on her social media account, explaining the kindness Rita had bestowed upon her. Then she asked everyone for help.
15 Thousand!
A GoFundMe page was set up in Rita’s name to ensure that she is never down to her last $20 in her bank account again.
After only a few days, the page reached $15,000! This time Rina called back into Walgreens to tell her exactly who she was and what she had been planning.
The Truth Revealed
Rita worked behind the cash register as Rina approached her with a giant check. Two of Rita’s coworkers came out behind her and popped confetti into the air.
Rita’s confusion was soon solved as Rina introduced herself properly and why she had wanted to take a picture with her a few days before.
Beacon Of Light
Rita burst into tears as Rina explained what she had done for her and that news of her kindness was spreading quickly throughout their community and nation.
She handed Rita the $15,000 check and thanked her for being a beacon of light in the world. The whole exchange was caught on CCTV - to Rita’s humble embarrassment.
Humanity Embodied
“I was so touched by her actions,” Rina Liou wrote on her social media post. “She had no way of even knowing how important $11 worth of light bulbs were to me, but she did not hesitate to help me.”
“I feel so happy to know that despite the pandemic, political tensions, and everything else we are going through, that humanity can still shine through,” she concluded.