…When he was approaching the checkout line, she slipped in front of him.
“Excuse me,” she said. “I know you noticed me staring at you, and I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. It’s just that you look so much like my son, who died last month.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said the young man. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” she answered. “It may sound silly, but would you just say, ‘Goodbye, Mother,’ when I’m leaving? It would make me feel so much better to hear those words again.”
“Of course,” said the young man.
As the old woman took her groceries and left, he called out, “Goodbye, Mother!” Then the clerk rang up his bread, milk, and eggs. The young man was shocked to see that his total was $250.50. “Wait a minute,” he said.
“How can I owe that much? I only bought three items!”
“Your mother said you would pay for her,” said the clerk.