The Flower Girl

“Do you like the food? Is it any good?”

I looked up to find an adorable six-year-old girl tightly holding a bunch of roses in one hand and a croissant in the other. She nodded vigorously to express her satisfaction but was also obviously fascinated with all the lights, sounds and people in Starbucks Coffee. She was a flower hawker and this was clearly her first time inside the cafe. She sat on the edge of the seat, her eyes darting everywhere and drank from a bright pink water bottle as the Afghani couple that brought her there watched lovingly.

They had met her ten minutes ago and immediately found her honesty endearing. She had refused to take a hundred rupees ($1.5) for a rose from them because it came loaded with their pity. And instead offered them four more roses for the same price! A fair deal is a fair deal and was the least she could offer the kind couple. I could see the woman’s heart slowly melt as she came to understand this little girl’s sense of justice without the crutch of a shared language. They were so touched that nothing less than a meal with her would now suffice. The woman took her hand and coaxed her inside.

The next ten minutes were a feast. As the girl enjoyed her meal under the watering eyes of the woman and her husband, I took several minutes to just watch and celebrate their humanity. The woman already knew what I had just learned: we see the face of God every day through our children and the kindness of strangers.