And then she dropped to her knees.
Right there on the floor of the Walmart. In front of customer service. In front of the purple-haired cashier and an old man buying lottery tickets and a young mother with a cart full of diapers.
She dropped to her knees and burst into tears, clutching the ring to her chest.
“Thank you,” she sobbed. “Thank you. Thank you. You have no idea. You have no idea what you’ve saved me from.”
Ellie stood in front of her, a little scared. Holding onto the straps of her backpack.
“I found it behind the Junior Mints,” she said. “It was hiding.”
The woman looked up at her. Through her tears. She reached out and touched Ellie’s cheek.
“You found it,” she said. “You found it, and you gave it back.”
“Grandma says when you find something, you give it back,” Ellie said. “My mommy said it too.”
