LIFE BETWEEN THE LINES - by Betty Liss

There is a woman who sells roasted corn opposite the building where I work. Every afternoon, just before the evening rush begins, she lights her charcoal stove and starts roasting fresh corn. The smell always drifts into the office, making it almost impossible not to think about buying one on my way home. I've watched her for months now. She greets almost everyone with the same warm smile. Some people stop to buy. Some simply wave as they pass. Others don't even notice she's there. Yet every day, she returns, sets up her little stand, and carries on. One evening, I walked across the road to buy some corn. As I waited, a young boy, probably about ten years old, came to her stand. He slipped his hand into his pocket, brought out some crumpled naira notes, and counted them carefully. After looking at the price, he quietly folded the money again. "I'll come back tomorrow," he said, almost in a whisper. The woman looked at him for a moment. Without saying another word, she picked up a roasted corn, wrapped it, and handed it to him. "Take it," she said with a smile. "You can pay me another day." The boy looked at her, surprised. "Really?" She nodded. "Really." His face lit up with a smile that could brighten the whole street. He thanked her over and over before running off, holding the warm corn close to his chest. As she turned another corn over the fire, I couldn't help but ask, "What if he never comes back to pay?" She smiled without looking up. "Then maybe he needed it more than I needed the money." I don't know why those words stayed with me, but they did. We often think kindness comes from people who have plenty. Plenty of money. Plenty of time. Plenty of comfort. But sometimes, the people with the least are the quickest to give. Maybe because they know what it feels like to need help and hope someone says yes. Life can make us believe everyone is only looking out for themselves. We get busy. We rush from one place to another. We carry worries that no one else can see. Yet, every now and then, someone reminds us that the world is still held together by quiet acts of kindness. A security guard who greets everyone with genuine joy. A stranger who shares an umbrella. A friend who sends a simple, "Have you eaten?" A woman roasting corn by the roadside who chooses compassion over profit. Maybe that's the beauty of ordinary days. The biggest lessons rarely come from grand moments. They come from simple people doing simple things with kind hearts. Sometimes, the best stories are hidden in the small moments we almost walk past. ~Betty Liss

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