Last night, I had one of the most painful experiences of my life. I was in a supermarket, where the cheese stand is next to the sweets stand. I was looking at a piece of cheese. I heard the discussion:

“- Please, mother, I will be kind and good. Please!– We don’t have money, that’s it! If I buy these candies for you, we have no money for bread. 

Instinctively I turned my head.

A simple woman, poorly dressed, but clean, with a blonde girl with big blue eyes.

“- Please, you promised that this year Santa will come and bring us goodies ….”

I was standing still, with the cheese in my hand.

The little girl was holding a bag of candy. I was looking at her and I couldn’t believe that the stories I had heard were true.

The child left the bag of candies on the shelf and, pulled by her mother, left.

I quickly returned to the candy stand. The candy bag, which the child was holding in her hand, cost $ 2. I crammed sweets into the basket and, inevitably, on the way to the cash register, I passed the meat stand. The woman and the child were looking in the product presentation window.

“- Eight slices of salami!” said and continued “Thin”

My heart stood still.

I asked the other saleswoman for a salami stick and a pork pastrami stick.

I reached the cashier before them.

My eyes were in tears.

I waited for them outside, in front of the market.

I handed the bag of sweets to the little girl:

“- Santa came over here and left me this bag because you were in the store.”

The girl turned her big blue eyes to her questioning mother. And the woman nodded in approval.

“- See, Mom, Santa Claus is real!” she exclaimed.

I was speechless, it hurt and I was happy at the same time.