I had been standing behind that register long enough that my body moved on autopilot, hands scanning, bagging, returning change with practiced precision. That afternoon, the woman stepped into my lane with tired eyes and a baby balanced against her hip, his cheek flushed and his cry thin and urgent. She placed a can of formula on the belt and then froze, staring at the price as if it had personally betrayed her.

Her fingers dug into her purse, pulling out crumpled bills and loose coins, counting and recounting with a tight breath. When the total flashed red and final, she whispered an apology I hadn’t asked for and began to slide the can back toward herself. Something in the way she moved—careful, ashamed, resigned—cut through the numbness of my shift. Before I thought about policy, consequences, or even logic, I reached into my own pocket, pulled out six dollars, and slid it forward. “It’s okay,” I said, keeping my voice low. “I’ve got it.” Her eyes filled instantly, not with drama, but with the quiet shock of someone who didn’t expect mercy. She didn’t hug me or cry loudly. She just nodded, thanked me twice, and left with her baby fed for the night. When my shift ended, I forgot about it, the way you forget small acts once the world rushes in again.