They took a seat next to my table, and I saw the mom splitting the burger in two, giving her daughter the bigger portion. She then took out a small thermos and poured tea into a plastic cup she had brought along.
She paid for the food with a crumpled wad of cash she held tightly in her hand.
As I had my food, I could help by overhear parts of their conversation.
It turned out the two were returning from the hospital when the girl asked for a Happy Meal.
She had never had any, and her mom wanted to grant her the wish.
I didn’t know what condition was the girl suffering from, but I overheard the medical expenses were huge.
From that moment on, I helped however I could. Whether it was with groceries, bus tickets, or an occasional Happy Meal from McDonald’s.
The mom wouldn’t accept much, so I found ways to anonymously cover some of the medical expenses.
One day, at McDonald’s, the girl, Lily, approached me and said, “Thanks for helping my mom.”
Wanting to ease their day, I ordered another burger and placed it on their table. “For the girl,” I said and smiled. Both the mom and the daughter thanked me, and it was obvious my gesture meant a lot to them.
That night, I couldn’t stop thinking about them, so the following day, I went to the hospital they mentioned.
There, I learned that the girl was diagnosed with leukemia, and the mother quit her job as a teacher to be able to take care of her full-time.
