Pay it FORWARD by Jo Cole

Making the first move was going to take a momentous act of courage

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For years, I’ve believed in the pay-it-forward concept – that if we are shown small acts of kindness, we should do something kind for someone else. But sometimes small acts aren’t enough, and something seismic has to happen. This was the case with the young man and woman who’d caught my attention…

It was day one of my new job when I first clocked them both exiting the supermarket with a small trolley each. Her eyes darted to his, his to hers, as if they were watching tennis. Their glowing cheeks were accompanied with embarrassed smiles.

My new job wasn’t glamorous, and certainly not one I thought I’d enjoy – but I did. My Frank had been right. When I’d seen the advert on the supermarket noticeboard for a car-park supervisor, Frank had said, ‘Why don’t you give it a try, Angela?’ and I’d huffed and puffed a bit.

I was looking for an office job as a receptionist or the like – something to do now that the triplets had flown the nest. I wasn’t sure I’d like standing out in the rain, but nothing else came up, due to my having been at home with the kids for so long. So, to avoid upsetting Frank, I applied.

On my first day, it was a rainy, cold March morning. Spring hadn’t even peeked through the winter chill, and my glasses were steamed up from the drizzle. I was regretting my decision to take the job when a mum with two youngsters parked up, rushing to get to the school opposite. As I strolled over. the mum’s face dropped.

‘Can’t I park here? I’ll only be a minute. We’re late… as usual,’ she panted.