From then on, it became their quiet ritual. Pancakes, eggs, oatmeal on cold mornings. He never asked. She never explained. But every plate was eaten clean.
Questions and Criticism
Not everyone approved.
Ezoic
“Who’s that boy you keep serving?” asked Harold, the retired postman, one morning. “Never seen his parents.”
“I don’t know,” Jenny admitted. “But he’s hungry.”
Others weren’t so kind. “Playing charity worker on company time?” one customer sneered. Another muttered, “Kids these days just expect handouts.”
Even Kathy the cook, usually gentle, warned her: “You’re feeding a stray, Jenny. Don’t get attached.”
But Jenny remembered her own years of hunger after her parents died. She simply smiled and said, “It’s fine. No one becomes poor by sharing a meal.”
Paying the Price Herself
Eventually, Mark, the diner’s manager, called her into his office.
Ezoic
“I’ve seen what you’re doing. We can’t just give away free meals. This is a business.”
Jenny met his eyes. “Then take it out of my tips. Every plate.”
Mark frowned. “Your tips barely cover rent.”
Ezoic
Jenny folded her arms. “It’s my choice.”
