I Was a Hero, If Just For a Minute.
And it only cost $15.87.
I’ve had a weird appetite lately. I’m almost never hungry, until I get so hungry I want to scream. But nothing is appetizing. I think the state of perpetual movement I’m in, constantly being on my toes personally and professionally, has kept me in a buzzing state that suppresses my appetite. I’m really excited about what I’m working on, but it’s taking up all my time, as do the logistics of my life. So I’m happy, but frazzled. There’s one thing I can almost always make myself eat if I don’t have an appetite, sushi. So the other night as I headed from my ex boyfriend/dog daddy/dog sitter’s house in LA’s Fairfax District to Kelly’s Studio City, I stopped at Whole Foods to get a few things.
I have a pretty good association with Whole Foods. It reminds me of shopping with my mom growing up. My parents were very frugal about most things, but not food. So we shopped there when we went to town. Strangely, the Whole Foods in West Hollywood isn’t as nice as the one I grew up shopping at in the Central Valley. And Amazon buying the brand didn’t help. The upside is that it’s not as overpriced as it once was. The downside is worse produce, less selection, and a general degradation of the brand. Oh, and Amazon owning everything. That seems like a bad idea.
There are actually some things I get at Whole Foods that are competitively priced (stevia, half and half) and they have the best sumo citrus in town when it’s in season, so I still shop there even though I'm on a budget, trying not to spend money.
On the way back to Kelly’s I grabbed a few things and perused the sushi, which had been sort of picked over because it was the evening. I picked a combo and noticed it had a strange price, $15.87. Why not $15.99 or $16.50? $15.87 seemed like a random number.
“Okay, you’re sort of broke. Why are you buying sushi at Whole Foods?” I thought to myself.
I put the sushi back.
“Wait, but what if you get to Kelly’s and you’re hungry then you just end up eating chips and snacks?”
I grabbed the sushi again.
“Oh my god this is so stupid. Financially heal, then buy the fucking sushi.” My low blood sugar was kicking in.
I put the sushi back.
I hovered by the sushi, nauseous but also starving because I’d done a 1500 calorie workout right before then taken Satie to the park to play fetch (she failed at bringing the ball back so I ended up doing the fetching). The florescent light burning my eyes and my hunger/nausea combo making me hate being in the store, I decided to check out.
I usually have terrible luck with grocery store lines, but today was different. I was in line behind a guy about my age. He had a small basket, not many items (usually I get behind people with carts filled to the brim because I’m not paying attention). He noticed a new check out opening and went over. I followed. No line!
About five minutes later I was still standing there, waiting. Something was going on with a gift card or credit card. I stepped back and stared into my phone so the guy wouldn’t feel watched and self conscious. The line grew longer and longer and people began to shift on their feet. I started to understand there was either something going on with his credit card, he didn’t have enough on his debit, or the gift card he thought had money on it didn’t (or wasn’t working).
From my distance, I heard the cashier say “eighty-seven cents.”
“Okay, I’ll just have to come back then,” the customer said, defeated, starting to head towards the door.
“Wait, how much is it, what’s going on?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m short $15.87” the customer responded.
“Oh, here.” I handed the cashier my debit card.
“No, that’s too much!” the customer said.
“No it’s fine, it would be stupid to leave and have to come back after all that. Seriously.”
The guy fist bumped me and left.
“You just restored my faith in humanity,” the guy behind me said.
It really wasn’t a big deal, but when my brain finally processed what was happening it took me a minute to act, just like with the sushi. Clearly, there had to be someone richer in line behind me who should be doing this instead of me. But also, probably everyone else was thinking the same thing about me. I’ve had my card declined many times at the grocery store, never actually because there wasn’t money in my account (I check before), always because Citibank will put an auto-decline on transactions it thinks are suspicious (which for me has always been purchases under $100 at Trader Joe’s).
Having your card declined at a grocery store is humiliating. It’s also a pain in the ass because you’ve just spent all that time in a giant box with ugly lighting. Grocery stores are an ADHDers worst nightmare. Trying to stay on track with all that stimulus is impossible. Which is why I mostly order groceries (I have a Costco membership mainly because I can get free grocery delivery). By the time you get to the cashier, the last thing you want to do is think about coming back to the store. So if you see this happening at a store and can afford to, help out.
I have found in the past that when my finances are the thinnest, being generous comes back to me. I may be making it up, but giving big cash tips to people directly (especially valets or car wash employees) brings you good will. And eventually, at least in my case, money.
$15.87 isn’t make or break for me right now. But I didn’t feel like spending it on myself. When I got back to the car and realized those two numbers aligned, it felt like kismet that I pay for that dude’s remaining balance. Sometimes things work out exactly the way they should. And sometimes you can be a hero for only $15.87.
The fact that it was the same amount is so crazy. Who knows what kind of butterfly effect you could have set off with this act of kindness and generosity?!? Also a 1500 calorie workout? WTF are you doing uphill lunge laps while simultaneously swinging a kettle bell and jumping over 7 foot plyo boxes? 😆 Respect.
Ok, this is kind of wild, I read half the article earlier, then had to do things like go get tires that weren’t covered by warranty, debate buying a 2008 car that is a good deal at $4,000 , yet realized I can’t manage another thing, and run to the grocery store to exchange pasta my son went to cook and was moldy before ifs due date of 5/31, and I don’t usually return but life is expensive! Basically I was trying to save his money and he felt it was wrong. While in line at Trader Joe’s I heard someone say I have $20 and I’ll come back so I said it’s ok I’ll pay. Maybe I should have realized it wasn’t just one thing, it was $44, but I hope someone does the same for my kid or someone else in need. Then I finished your article and it felt like the universe was talking to me.