A tired teen mom came to my bakery: “I have no money. My sick baby needs milk, please help!” I was wiping down the counter at “The Golden Crust” in a quiet corner of Birmingham when she walked in. She looked like she hadn’t slept in a week, her hair matted and her eyes sunken into her pale face.
The baby in her arms was silent, which somehow felt more terrifying than if it had been screaming. I looked at the security camera in the corner, knowing my boss, Mr. Henderson, was likely watching from his office, but I didn’t care.
I gave her 2 bottles of the high-quality organic milk we kept in the fridge for our lattes. It wasn’t mine to give, but I couldn’t look at that baby and say no. She clutched the bottles to her chest like they were made of solid gold.
She didn’t have words left, just a shaky nod that broke my heart. Before she turned to leave, she reached into her pocket and pressed something cool and heavy into my palm. She left an old coin, whispered “It’ll bring you luck,” and disappeared into the rain before I could offer her a pastry.
I looked down at the coin; it was thick, tarnished silver with strange markings I didn’t recognize. It didn’t look like any currency I’d seen in the UK, but it felt important. I barely had time to put it in my apron pocket before the back office door slammed open.
Mr. Henderson was red-faced, his veins popping out of his neck. My boss fired me right then and there, calling me “stupid” for being “conned by a sob story.” He told me I was a thief for giving away his inventory and that I should be grateful he wasn’t calling the police.
He made me hand over my keys and leave my personal belongings in the locker until he “audited the loss.” I didn’t fight him; I just took my coat, felt the heavy coin in my pocket, and walked out. I felt a strange sense of relief, even though I had no idea how I’d pay my rent next month. But while I was on my way home, the road was blocked by a massive police cordon near the city center.
Traffic was backed up for miles, and people were leaning out of their windows, trying to figure out what was happening. I was frustrated, my mind spinning with the loss of my job and the uncertainty of my future. I decided to pull my old car onto a side street and park, thinking I could walk the rest of the way.
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