the Kind Stranger

It was a chilly morning in the small town of Marigold. People hurried down the street, collars turned up, eyes glued to their phones. But near the corner café, an elderly woman named Grace stood helplessly beside her shopping bag — the strap had torn, and her groceries were scattered across the wet pavement.

Dozens of people passed by. Some glanced briefly, others avoided eye contact. Then came a young man, probably in his twenties,...