It's never too late

Who doesn’t love a delicious melt in your mouth cupcake? I know that I can never resist when tempted. I’ve been known to “take some home for my husband and kids” and ended up hoarding all of them for myself. Some of my favorite cupcakes are from The Sweet Tooth Fairy. If any of you have been there you know whether you’re a fan or not that they are rich decadent goodness.

My sister had a birthday this summer and we had a little birthday dinner get together at one of her favorite restaurants. Since I had been the one to invite the myriad of women I felt it necessary to bring at least a little cake or dessert for everyone to enjoy. What’s birthday without cake? Well I had the best intentions to get up at 3 am before I had to work at 5 am but anyone that knows me will say that is like waking a dead horse.

As the day wore on I realized I would not have time to make anything before the party. The alternative idea was to call my favorite cupcake shop and order some. As with many decadent luxuries these cupcakes came with a price, almost $3.00 per cupcake! So I decided to call anyway and see if they had any deals or coupons I could print off to make them more affordable.

I called and a man answered the phone. To this day I wish I could remember his name. I asked if they had any online or in store coupons. He answered no and asked what I wanted the cupcakes for. I explained that it was for my sister’s birthday and that I just couldn’t afford to pay full price for them. He asked me “have you been in our store before?” I replied, “oh yes, I love your cupcakes which is why I’m calling.” Then he said “well why don’t you come in and ask for me and I’ll give you a discount on a dozen cupcakes.”

After work I headed to the sweet shop and was a bit nervous at what his definition of a “discount” was. I asked for him at the register and a 30 something young man walked out and I identified myself as the woman who called him earlier. He asked me to pick any 12 cupcakes I wanted to. So I started calling off strawberry, grasshopper, red velvet, etc. until I had reached my allotted amount. He was filling the box and I waited while he put it all together.

When it came time to pay he looked up and told me my total was 12.63. My face must have shown my surprise because he repeated it again. Then my eyes welled up with tears. His perceptive face registered my eyes and hesitantly said that “it was the end of the day anyway and they would have thrown them out.” I knew he wanted me to feel better about taking them. I paid and said a very difficult thank you. I wanted to tell him what this meant to me but I didn’t. I let my pride get in the way because there were other customers waiting and I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of them, what with my story and tears.

Why didn’t I jump over the counter and embrace him? That’s what I felt like doing. He didn’t know me nor did he know that my husband was out of a job and that we had barely been able to pay our mortgage that month. I was so grateful for this absolute stranger.

I got out to the car and looked in the box to see that he had put 14 cupcakes in it.

When we are shown kindness, don’t forget to smile, thank, and embrace those who give it. Don’t let pride get in the way of showing your love because the receiver absolutely deserves every bit of it. I have thought of that man many times since that experience and I will always regret not showing my absolute appreciation for what he did for me. I know it’s not too late . . . I will go back to the shop and tell him.

It’s never too late . . .