Tipped

Last Saturday my mom and I took The Girl to a local nursery to buy some seeds and flowers for The Girl to plant. It just happened to be Rose Week at the nursery and the rose bushes were so incredible that I had to buy one.

When we left we both had roses and various other flowers to put in the patio.

This nursery was amazingly busy! Everybody and their mother's were there shopping. When it was time to check out there were two very old ladies in line ahead of us. They had bought three little flats of pansies and vincas and the checkout lady had put them in a small box. The ladies whom I found out where named Dottie and Helen had asked for assistance to their car but because the nursery was so swamped with customers there was no one to help them. I handed my mom the cash for my roses and told her I would help these sweet ladies by carrying their small purchase to the car.

As we were walking I learned that Dottie and Helen lived at an assisted living community a couple of miles away. I am familiar with this place because it's where my Grandma lived for a few years before she needed more full time care. I asked if they knew her and it became apparent that asking them to remember someone who lived there was probably moot because at this very moment we were walking up and down the parking lot while Dottie and Helen tried to remember where they had parked their car. Helen told me that she usually has her walker with her which helps when she buys packages because then she can balance her packages on it and get them to her car. But she didn't use it today cause it "slows her down". Dottie then was telling me that she has a grey car and that she usually always parks in the same place.

Dottie and Helen were quite a pair and after about 3 or 4 minutes of walking through the parking lot we finally found their car.

Dottie opened the back door and I placed the box of flowers on the seat. I wished them a good day and started to walk in the other direction when Helen grabbed my arm and nudged in real close, like she was going to tell me a secret. She said "I always tip the boy who helps me, so here you go." and she slipped a rolled up dollar bill into my hand. I was so taken back that I didn't have time to say thank you before she and Helen were taking off quickly through the parking lot. Way too fast for two 80 year old women who could barely see over the steering wheel.