We’d just had a wonderful breakfast together.
She got pancakes and made a complete mess of herself with the syrup. We even had the waitress snap a few photos of us.
But the joy turned to dread when I walked up to pay.
I handed the cashier my card. As she swiped it, her smile dropped.
The cashier whispered to me: "Ma'am, your card was declined."
Lily looked up at me with syrup still on her chin: "Grandma, are we in trouble?"
My heart raced a million miles a minute, my face went hot, and I quickly scanned the room to see if anyone else heard.
Before I could say anything, the man in line behind us stepped up. He handed the cashier a twenty dollar bill, without looking at me.
"Breakfast's on me, sweetheart," he said to Lily.
After I dropped Lily off, I sat on the edge of my bed alone. My body shook as tears poured down my face.
All my life I worked hard, went out of my way to help others, and pasted a smile on my face - even when I was empty inside. But I couldn't even buy my own granddaughter a stack of pancakes.
What kind of grandmother does that make me?
At that moment, I just needed a lifeline, some support, or even just to know somebody was listening.
Little did I know, I was about to get much, much more than that.