A Stranger with Cancer and a Smile I’ll Never Forget

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One day a little over a year ago, I walked into my regular nail salon and I noticed a woman wearing a turban on her head. She looked very tired and pale and I noticed that she didn’t have any hair and her eye brows were missing and her eyelashes too. She had dark circles under her eyes and just looked worn down. I realized she must have some kind of cancer. I over heard her ask, “how much is it to get a full set of the gel manicure?” The worker replied, “it’s $80.” She counted her money and said, “okay, just wanted to make sure I had enough for the manicure and I want a pedicure too” and the manicurist started working on her nails.

I knew immediately I wanted to do something nice for this woman. She’d obviously been going through a lot. Without thinking about it for long, I walked up to the front desk and whispered to the cashier, “you see that woman there with the turban? I want to pay for her nails today. I can’t afford both the pedicure and manicure, but I want to pay for her manicure. She asked, “do you know her?” I replied, “no, I just want to do something for her. It looks like she’s going through a tough time.” The cashier looked so surprised and repeated the price of a full set of gel nails. “Are you sure?” she asked, “it’s 80.” “Yup, I know” I said, “that’s fine” and I gave her the money. Then she said, “well, do you want me to tell her?” I said, “no it’s okay.” The cashier explained that I should probably tell her so she wasn’t expecting to pay, plus, I had paid for her manicurist’s tip, too, and the cashier had to give her the money. So, I decided she was right, I should let her know. I walked over to her chair while she was having her nails done , I leaned over her shoulder and I said, “excuse me? I just want to let you know that your manicure and tip have been paid for today.” She looked confused. She said, “what?” I repeated myself. She said, “but why?” I explained, ” I just wanted to do something nice for you today. You seem to be going through a lot and I wanted to make your day a little brighter. That’s all.” She looked in shock. Then I went to sit down for my massage, putting my face into the face cushion on top of the massage chair. A few minutes go by and I feel a tap on my shoulder. It was the lady with the turban. She said, “I just want to thank you so much for doing that for me. I have been going through a lot lately… chemo, and it takes a lot out of me. I came in to get my nails done to cheer myself up today, but I never expected this! Thank you again. You made my day! I can’t wait to tell my husband….he’s not going to believe it.”

I’ve never run into that lady again in my town, but the smile on her face that day and how grateful she was for my small gift will stay with me forever. To this day, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. – Cindi ♥