one day she made yet another discovery, and she kept digging, leaving a trail of dirty laundry in her wake until he realized she knew everything. angry that he was caught. angry that his flaws were so easily revealed. angry that his shell of perfection crumbled around him. angry at her, he did the only thing he could think of in that moment. he had her cell phone disconnected. she had no contact with the rest of the world.
she cried. she begged and pleaded with him to turn her service back on, but he wouldn't budge. it didn't matter that he was away frequently, and the daycare had no working number to reach their mother. it didn't matter that should there be an emergency there was no working phone to call for help. all that mattered was that she had zero access to his indiscretions. all of his dirty laundry being released into the world came to a screeching halt with a single decision. he refused to allow her to have access to a phone under his phone plan.
she anxiously stepped into her local cell phone store. she wore a look of shame and embarrassment as she looked through the phones they offered. she wasn't going to be able to afford anything nice, because again, she was on her way to being a single mom. she had to consider the impact of this purchase on her finances which were wholly dedicated to getting on her feet and providing for her kids.
finally it was her turn to speak to a representative, and she shakily stepped forward. nervous that her lack of credit history wouldn't allow her to get a phone on a payment plan. nervous that a lack of a career wouldn't allow her to get a suitable phone. she had only started working a few months before, so she had a little money saved up, but not much.
once the representative cheerfully advised that she could get a phone on a payment plan, a wave of relief flashed over her. she asked for the cheapest smart phone available because that was all she could afford at this time. and then the representative asked a question you'd never think would bring a person to tears.
"would you like a phone case to protect your phone, or a charger for your car?"
immediate tears streamed down her face. embarrassment returned. the representative was caught off guard by her behavior. in-between sobs, she explained her situation.
she couldn't afford the phone as it was. she certainly couldn't afford such frivolous things as a phone case or a car charger. she has a life to start over. she has kids to provide for. she has a soon to be ex husband that is restricting access to communicate with others. she was a victim of domestic abuse at that point, though she would never admit such a thing.
the representative stepped aside and quickly returned, and asked her to step into the back room with them. she was confused, and didn't know what was happening. the representative informed her that she would be getting a phone case and a car charger today. and she wouldn't pay a single penny for either item.
more tears streamed down her face. this time a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment. she didn't understand why this was happening, or how. the representative went on to say they were a victim of abuse and wanted to help in any way. this caused confusion. she wasn't a victim of abuse, how could this person say that? they didn't know him. he never laid a finger on her.
despite her disagreement, they pushed forward and asked her to make a selection. her mind couldn't comprehend what was happening. eventually, she made a selection and somehow found her way out of the store, still in a state of shock.
it's been 12 years give or take some days since that happened, and today she is reflecting on this moment.
you showed her compassion, empathy, and care. you heard the unspoken words in her story and pulled them out in front of her eyes. your gesture, and act of kindness had a massive impact on her. she wishes she had gone back to that store and thanked you when she was in a better mental and emotional space. she knows she thanked you in that moment, but is afraid her shock didn't do her gratitude justice.
from the bottom of her heart, thank you for your kindness that day. thank you for your compassion that day. thank you for opening her eyes that day.
thank you. thank you. thank you.
