Mary realized she had forgotten her wallet while trying to pay for some groceries, but a kind boy, Mark, paid for her things. Sometime later, Mary and her daughter learned that Mark’s grandmother needed expensive surgery, so they decided to act, surprising the boy.

“Oh, geez. I must have forgotten my wallet in John’s car. I’m so sorry. I’ll have to come back for these things later,” Mary apologized to the cashier as they began putting her groceries back. Mary was about to leave when a boy behind her in line spoke up.

“Wait, ma’am. You don’t have many things anyway. I’ll pay for them,” he offered. He couldn’t have been older than 12, and he didn’t appear to be well-off.

“Oh no, I couldn’t let you do that,” Mary responded.

“I insist, ma’am. Sometimes we need to do good things, and karma will reward us later, right? That’s what my grandmother says all the time,” the boy said, paying for her few essentials alongside his own items.

Mary had driven to Santa Ana from San Diego to help her daughter, Anastacia, who was sick with the flu. She had left her wallet in her friend John’s car, but thanks to Mark’s kindness, she didn’t have to return to the store. As they stepped outside, Mary struck up a conversation. “Hey, I’m Mary Cummings. What’s your name?”

“I’m Mark,” the boy replied.

“Thank you so much for what you did, Mark. It saved me a trip to the store. How about you give me your phone number so I can pay you back once I get my wallet?” she suggested, and Mark scribbled his number on a receipt.

“Here, but don’t worry about it. There’s no rush. I live nearby anyway,” Mark said casually.

“Even though I believe in paying it forward, we still have to pay our debts,” Mary added with a smile before they said goodbye.

When Mary got home, she told Anastacia about leaving her wallet and how Mark had helped her. “Still, it was nice to see a young man being so kind,” Mary said while storing the groceries.

“I agree. Kids today are so progressive, but some can be pretty self-centered,” Anastacia commented.

“I don’t think Mark comes from a wealthy family, though. I’m worried he might’ve needed that money for something important,” Mary continued. Fortunately, John agreed to bring her wallet to Santa Ana the next day so she could return the money to Mark.

The following day, Mary and Anastacia arrived at the address Mark had given them. The house was small and old but clean, with a well-maintained garden. Mark opened the door and greeted them.

“Hello, Mrs. Cummings,” he said with a smile.

“Hi, Mark! This is my daughter, Anastacia. Here’s your money. Thank you again for everything,” Mary said kindly.

“You didn’t have to hurry,” Mark replied, glancing behind him. “I would invite you in, but my grandma doesn’t like visitors when she’s not home.”

“Where is she?” Anastacia asked. “Maybe we can come by later to meet her. Does she like pecan pie? We’re headed to the bakery right now.”

“She’s at the hospital, and she won’t be back for a while,” Mark said sadly. Sensing their concern, he continued, “She needs a major surgery, and I’ve started a GoFundMe, but it’s slow going. The hospital is keeping her in observation while I raise the money.”

“Oh, sweetie. You shouldn’t have to do that all by yourself,” Anastacia said, worried.

“It’s just us. We don’t have anyone else,” Mark explained with a shrug. Mary and Anastacia exchanged a look, coming to a silent agreement.

“Give me the link to the GoFundMe and your grandmother’s name. Also, come with us to the bakery. We’ll visit her and see if the doctor will let her have some pie,” Mary said, offering more than just a suggestion.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to,” Mark hesitated.

“We have to,” Anastacia insisted, and Mark joined them.

After picking up pies, they visited Mark’s grandmother, Mrs. Julie Strada, at the hospital. They chatted for a while before leaving Mark to stay with his grandmother. Back home, Anastacia shared the GoFundMe link widely and contributed a few hundred dollars. But Mary felt anxious. “They need so much money for this surgery. I don’t know if sharing the link is enough,” she sighed.

“Let’s think,” Anastacia mused, looking at her computer. “How about we share the story of Mark helping you at the store? He couldn’t have known you were going to pay him back, and they need the money so badly. Maybe it could go viral? Let’s try Reddit.”

“That’s a long shot, Anastacia,” Mary replied, doubtful.

“We’ll see,” her daughter said, smiling as she started typing up the story for Reddit and Twitter.

At first, there were only a few comments, but within days, thousands of people had read the post and donated to the cause. The goal of $230,000, needed for Mrs. Strada’s treatment, still seemed far off. However, a news outlet picked up the story, interviewed Mary and Mark, and shared it widely. Soon, the GoFundMe surpassed its goal, leaving Mark in disbelief. His simple act of kindness had set off a chain of events far beyond what he ever expected.