102-year-old Rose was excited to celebrate her birthday with her best friend, Arthur. But when Arthur goes missing from their nursing home, Rose flees the facility with her last savings and travels to a new city to find him. However, the money ran out in the middle of her trip.
The grocery store was bustling with customers when 102-year-old Rose gingerly entered. She didn’t have the time or means to shop for long. So she lifted a random box of assorted candy bars and a bottle of water before approaching the checkout.
“$15, Ma’am!” cashier-cum-store owner Mr. Andrews looked down at Rose.
With a face sagged with worry, Rose reached into the depths of her old floral purse and searched for the change, only to find she was down to her last $5…
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Hesitant, Rose told the cashier she would take only the bottle of water and thanked him before leaving the store.
Rose retired to a bench outside the store and sat there. The aroma of freshly baked croissants from the bakery nearby tempted Rose. She was hungry. But she refused to look in the bakery’s direction and just sat there.
Later that snowy evening, Mr. Andrews closed the store and approached the parking lot, only to stop in his tracks at a disturbing sight. Rose was still sitting on the bench, all alone and shivering.
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Although Mr. Andrews initially ignored her, assuming she had been waiting for someone, he knew something was wrong when he saw Rose sobbing bitterly. So he approached her.
“Are you okay, Ma’am?” Mr. Andrews asked Rose.
“I saw you’ve been sitting here since afternoon…it’s getting dark and late…are you waiting for someone?”
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Rose looked up at Mr. Andrews, her eyes red and puffy from weeping. It got Mr. Andrews more worried.
“Ma’am, do you mind telling me why you’re crying?” he asked compassionately. “Is there something I could do to help you?”
Rose snapped away her tears. “I’ve lived through wars…seen the world change before my eyes. And now, at 102, I’m setting out to find my beloved Arthur…” she began.
