undergrad. One slow day I heard two of our cashier girls talking to each other. I frequently chatted with them when nothing was going on, but I was entering the conversation late and heard one say to other:

“…and the hearing is on Friday, so I’ll need you to cover if you can.”

It was a full-volume conversation with others around so I didn’t think there was anything embarrassing or secret about it so I said,

“Hearing, huh? Alright, spill it: Who’d you kill?”

And she immediately bursts into tears. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I just stood there stunned and looked at her friend to try to understand what I had done.

The friend said quietly, “Her baby died suddenly, and she has to meet with court about whether they are going to try to hold her liable for the death.” or something like that.

I couldn’t believe it. I felt sooooooooo bad and I tried to apologize but she just kept saying “Oh no, mvtoro, you had no idea. It’s not your fault at all. Don’t feel bad.” …through her TEARS, after HAVING LOST HER BABY!!! I felt so powerless to do ANYTHING to try to fix this sudden ridiculous pain I threw on her. I remember just thinking, “there has to be something better to say than ‘I’m sorry’. It’s not covering it.” I was desperate. Even crossed my mind to take whatever money was in my wallet and give it to her. Just helpless to try to fix it, undo it, make her feel better.

It was only the more horrible because I found out later that her whole life was essentially falling apart then. Husband left her. She got hit by a car and broke her femur. I think she got addicted to the pain meds because she started stealing from the register. Then the shop owner asked all the salespeople to stay late for a product clinic, but it was actually just to have us all there to see her get cuffed and taken away by the police in front of all her friends and coworkers.

And in the middle of all that, unaware of it, I said what I said. 🤦🏼‍♂️