An Unexpected Gift

At the corner of the market, there’s a seller offering various types of bread. It’s not a bakery; the bread is more like snacks. The seller happens to be my cousin’s wife, so she’s part of our family.

She sells bread wrapped in plastic, mostly bought by people needing it for offerings.

One afternoon, my wife and I went to the market to buy ready-made offerings. Since our village temple is undergoing renovation, we needed offerings to present. We also wanted to get some bread and snacks to complete the offerings, which usually include coconut baskets, flowers, cakes, and pandan leaves.

That afternoon, we thought about buying bread from my cousin’s wife but weren’t sure if her shop was still open. Fortunately, she was there, sorting bread to sell. She’s always been kind to us, so we decided to visit her. Well, buy the bread from her.

After chatting and catching up, we picked out some bread for the offerings and added a few snacks for our kids. By the time we finished, we had a large plastic bag filled with bread and snacks.

When it came time to pay, she refused to take our money. She smiled and said, “You came to visit me, and that makes me happy. The bread and snacks are on me.” Despite our insistence, she wouldn’t accept any payment.

Grateful for her kindness, we thanked her and said our goodbyes.