They were at the checkout of the store. It was dark out. Both the girl and her mother had gone through a devastating day. The mother had just lost her job, and was not in a very good mood to talk to her upset daughter. To make things worse, they had just had an unhappy argument regarding the daughter’s school performance. 

  As they sullenly walked towards the exit of the store, the girl noticed that the small cafe on the edge of the store, usually bustling with customers, was empty. The emptiness was similar to what she was feeling in her heart. She scanned the empty tables, one after another, as people grimly walked by, until her eyes landed on an old man sitting distantly from the register, alone and lonely. At first, he looked up with an apprehensive expression, but was immediately replaced by a warm smile. He nodded, and said in a positive tone, “Have a good night!” Both the girl and her mother stopped in surprise, smiled back, and said, “Thank you, you too.” The man was dressed in tattered clothes, his face sagging and wrinkled, his back hunched. With an expression of reminiscence and melancholy, he sat quiet and stiff.  As she walked past, she thought she even saw him wipe a tear. Why was he treating others with such a warm kind heart when his life seemed to be in misery? 

 Her mother and herself walked into the cool night, and sat in the car. Her mother did not start the car as usual. Instead, together, they began to talk about everything that had happened that day, good and bad, about the old man who chose to face his life with a smile. Hand in hand, they walked back into the store, to find him. To find out his story. To find how to help. To provide not only a warm meal, but a warm heart of understanding and comfort. Nevertheless, as they entered the store and headed in the direction of the cafe, the man had disappeared.

Under such a positive voice, blanketed a mind of sorrow. Yet, the smallest silver linings of kindness, hope, and persistence, were just enough for outside recognition and appreciation. They would never know what he was going through. Together, they stared at the now empty table and chair. Together, they said, “Thank you,” because just that single, small encounter had changed darkness into light.