A Pizza Mitzvah

I'd like to take full credit for a recent tiny act of generosity taken at a local pizza shop while enjoying my pre-workout slice. But I'm obliged to give partial credit to a stranger who paid for my coffee at my go-to convenience store some months back. That stranger said "pay it forward" to me when I thanked him. 

It could be that stranger's kindness was rumbling around somewhere as I watched five young boys - probably twelve or thirteen years old - negotiate how much pizza and soda they could afford with their combined cash. The interchange they had about their money vs. their hunger with the good-natured woman behind the counter made me smile, at first. But the uniformly polite and quiet back-and-forth that continued really caught my attention. And then, the perfect manners of one of them saying "Yes, please" to this patient woman moved me into action. 

I briefly thought about telling these boys how proud their parents would be if they had been watching the courteous behavior of their sons. After all, they had quickly learned and been disappointed by the fact of being able to manage just one slice and one soda each with their limited funds. But I quickly discarded the idea of only talking to them, anticipating they might think I was just a weird old man; these were teenagers. 

While finishing my slice, I quietly asked the counter woman to put an additional five slices in the oven and paid her. As I began walking out, she told the boys there was more pizza coming their way via the man leaving the shop. I got a final sign that my small act of largesse was earned as one of the boys said "Actually, thanks!" I replied "Actually, you're welcome."