Then she told me.
I went back into the store.
My husband stayed outside.
I bought the formula and brought it to her.
When I handed it over, she looked down at the container, then at me.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“Yes, I do.”
She hugged the baby closer.
Then she said something I didn’t expect.
“I was hoping somebody would believe me.”
That sentence stayed with me.
Because she hadn’t said she needed money.
She hadn’t said she wanted sympathy.
She said she hoped somebody would believe her.
I didn’t understand what she meant.
Not yet.
## The Woman Outside the Store
Her name was Maya.
At least, that’s what she told me.
She said the baby was seven months old.
His name was Noah.
She explained that she had recently lost her job and was trying to get back on her feet.
