A young man shopping in a supermarket noticed a little old lady following him around.
If he stopped, she stopped. Furthermore, she kept staring at him.
Eventually, she overtook him at the checkout. Turning to him, she said,
“I hope I haven’t made you feel uneasy; it’s just that you look so much like my late son.”
The young man smiled and replied,
“That’s okay.”
She hesitated, then added,
“I know it’s silly, but if you’d call out, ‘Goodbye, Mom,’ as I leave the store, it would make me feel so happy.”
He agreed. As she left the store, he called out,
“Goodbye, Mom!”
The old lady waved warmly, smiling as she walked out the door.
When the cashier finished ringing up his items, the young man’s jaw dropped.
“That will be $327.50,” the cashier said.
Confused, he frowned.
“That’s impossible. I only bought a few things.”
The cashier replied matter-of-factly,
“Your mother said you’d be paying for her groceries too.”
The young man stood frozen for a moment, realizing what had just happened. The “sweet” old lady wasn’t grieving a son — she was running a scam.
Half embarrassed, half impressed by her cunning, he sighed and paid the bill, making a mental note to be more cautious next time.
But fate wasn’t done with either of them.
The following week, he saw her again at the same supermarket… except this time, she was the one who froze when their eyes met.
With a slow smile, he pushed his cart toward her and whispered,
“Hi, Mom… I think it’s time you helped your son with his shopping today.”
Her face turned crimson as other shoppers turned to look. This time, the bill — for her cart — rang up at over $400, and she had no choice but to pay.
Karma, as it turned out, wasn’t elderly… but it certainly knew how to shop.
