Generosity and honesty are some of the values that don’t come by too often. But when they do, the universe finds a way to reward the people who possess them. Such is the story of Gerrell McAllister, a 28-year-old cashier, who received a handsome amount of money one fine morning from a stranger. Who could it be? And why were they sending Gerrell money? What could they possibly want from an ordinary man like him?

One Of Those Mornings

It was a sunny morning in Takoma, Washington. Gerrell was lying awake in his bed, minutes away from his alarm going off. He didn’t sleep much last night, but then again, it has been that way for months now. After the event that turned his life upside down, it was difficult to sleep. Losing a mother would do that to anyone. His thoughts kept him awake most nights. But waking up was not a pleasure either. How do you stay awake when the reality is worse than your dreams?

Losing A Mother

Gerrell lost his mother to a pulmonary embolism back in December. Everything happened so quickly; one minute they detected a blood clot in her lungs, the next minute they were giving them the bad news. Life had just not been the same after that. As the younger child, Gerrell was every close to his mother. He took the loss especially hard.

Support System

It wasn’t all bad for Gerrell, he had a family. An elder brother, a lovely wife and a beautiful 5-year-old daughter. They kept him strong, kept him going. On days when he wanted to crumble and fall apart, they held onto him tight. When he wanted to give up on everything, he mostly focused on taking care of his daughter. She was the light of his life.

Financial Struggle

The McAllister family was in a tight position financially for quite some time now. Gerrell has been working at the store for almost 12 hours every day just to pick up extra cash. He had to put his daughter through school and did not want, even for one second, for her to be not provided for. He wanted her to have everything she ever wanted, which has been a bit of a challenge for a little while but they all do their best.

Time For Work

The alarm went off on his nightstand. Sunlight was peeping in through the blinds of his windows. Gerrell rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. It was time to get out and face the world. He got up in his bed, his legs dangling at the side. He looked at the clock, 7:01 AM. Time to get to work. 

The Store

Gerrell was a cashier at a natural pet food store. The keys jingled in his hands as he made his way across the parking lot to the entrance of the store. He was usually the first one to come in and the last one to leave so the owner had given him his own set of keys.