The cashier didn’t answer.
Instead, she called the manager.
Within seconds, attention spread. People turned. Watched. Judged.
The manager approached, irritation already written across his face.
“This isn’t a charity,” he said sharply. “If you don’t have enough, you don’t take it.”
Lily’s fingers tightened around the cans.
“Please,” she said again, more desperately now. “My mom… she hasn’t gotten up in two days. They’re crying. I don’t know what to do.”