Caught in a pay it forward loop

Last Thursday I got caught up in a pay it forward loop and I’m not sure how to get out of it.

Thanks to Robobobobo

During my weekly trip to the local vegetable market I came across a woman I see every now and then. Her appearance signals a life lived rough … a kind of female Keith Richards if you like … let’s call her Kim.

For some reason Kim intrigues me. Most of her belongings appear to be housed in her shopping trolley, and her frame, no doubt slight to begin with, seems to be disappearing before my eyes. She’s quite well known in the area, and is often seen having a chat to one of the staff members when they’re on a break.

On this day I noticed something different about Kim’s trolley … there appeared to be something moving.

Looking closer I noticed a small brown furry mass. A rabbit, nose happily twitching away, while Kim chatted to the fish monger. Eyes downcast, so as to avoid any possibility of eye contact, there was clearly an interesting conversation going on.

My shopping done I raced back to my car hoping Kim would still be there. Thankfully she was.

After loading my veggies into the boot of my car, I went over to where they were still chatting and I stood waiting. The fish monger was the first to look up. He smiled a knowing smile and kept listening to Kim. A took a step closer. A while later Kim finally lifted her head but still didn’t look me in the eye. Then one single fleeting connection gave me the opportunity to engage her.

‘Can I give you this bag of carrots,’ I asked. Noticing her surprise and hoping I hadn’t insulted her I added, ‘for your rabbit. I’d like to give you these carrots for your rabbit.’

After several moments of hand waving by both of us, her declining and me not accepting, I managed to turn and walk back to my car, sans carrots.

As I did so Kim stood and walked to the rear of her shopping trolley, while saying something I couldn’t quite make out. Dropping into my drivers seat, I looked up to see Kim standing at my door. That was unexpected.

‘Here you take this,’ Kim mumbled handing over a gift insisting that I had to take it and explaining that when I got home, I should put it in water.

Realising it would be an insult to reject the gift, I thanked her, and after much heralded Happy Easters, to each other, we parted ways. Driving away I pondered:

I really hope there isn’t a small child somewhere who will be receiving a bag of carrots instead of the delightful ‘grow your own chicken’, that now sits proudly on my kitchen spicerack, between the turemic and the mixed spice.
I really, really hope that Kim went away with a warm Easter feeling, and that I hadn’t inadvertently insulted her.
When your pay it forward is instantly gazumped by another, returned back to you faster than a Nadal backhand, does that render your original offering null and void?
What do I do next time I see Kim … give her a photo of the chicken to add to her brood? Any ideas?