I was 19 years old, standing alone in a drugstore, terrified as I bought a pregnancy test. My hands were shaking, and I could barely think straight. I was scared that if the test was positive, my parents would kick me out, and I had no idea what I would do next.

As the cashier, an older woman, scanned the test, she noticed the fear on my face. She leaned in and quietly told me there was a staff bathroom behind the vitamins in Aisle 7 where I could take the test immediately. She even offered to hold my bag at the front so I wouldn’t have to wait in agony.

A few minutes later, I returned from the bathroom in tears. The cashier gently placed her hand on mine and said, “You’re going to handle it. Women always do.” She didn’t ask questions or offer a long speech—just a few simple words of encouragement when I needed them most.

That brief act of kindness stayed with me forever. My daughter is 11 years old now, and every time someone tells me I’m a good mom, I think of that cashier. She was the first person who made me believe that I could be one.