“How did you convince everyone to help?” I asked.
Theo looked at Denise.
“She helped me.”
Denise smiled through her tears.
“He asked me if I could tell the people in line that Mrs. Brooks needed help paying for her groceries. I told him I could explain the situation, but I couldn’t force anyone to contribute.”
“I told her I didn’t want to force them,” Theo said. “I just wanted to ask.”
Denise nodded.
“So I asked the people waiting in line whether anyone wanted to help. I explained that a woman was short of money and that her grandson needed food. I told them they could contribute anything they felt comfortable giving, or nothing at all.”
The first customer gave five dollars.
The second gave ten.
A young woman reached into her purse and handed Denise three dollars in coins.
An older man added a twenty-dollar bill.
Someone offered to buy the remaining groceries outright.
