One after another.
The conveyor belt disappeared beneath colorful boxes.
Gideon stood patiently.
The cashier looked exhausted.
Rachel laughed.
“You weren't kidding.”
“No.”
“You're really buying every one?”
“Yes.”
“Your granddaughter must love princesses.”
“She does.”
“What happens if she doesn't like some of them?”
Gideon looked genuinely confused.
“She will.”
Rachel laughed.
“Fair enough.”
Then the cashier scanned a doll and noticed something.
The price was high.
She looked at Gideon.
“Sir, are you sure?”
Gideon nodded.
“Yes.”
“You don't have to buy every version.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Gideon paused.
The store became quieter.
He looked at the dolls.
Then he said:
“Because her mother isn't here anymore.”
The cashier stopped.
Gideon continued.
“My daughter died.”
Nobody spoke.
“She loved princess stories.”
He looked down.
“My granddaughter doesn't ask for anything anymore.”
Rachel's eyes filled.
Gideon touched one of the boxes.
“She used to talk about these every day.”
He smiled faintly.
“She stopped.”
The cashier looked at the growing pile.
“So you're buying them because…”
“Because maybe she'll start talking again.”
Nobody laughed.
Nobody whispered.
The people who had been watching suddenly understood.
This wasn't about toys.
It was about a grandfather trying to give a grieving child something she had stopped believing she deserved.
The cashier wiped her eyes.
“I'm sorry.”
Gideon nodded.
“Thank you.”
Rachel looked at the shelves.
“We're going to check the back again.”
“You don't have to.”
“I know.”
She smiled.
“But I want to.”
She disappeared.
Five minutes later, she returned with another box.
Gideon smiled.
“All right.”
Rachel placed it on the counter.
“For your granddaughter.”
Gideon nodded.
“For Sophie.”
After nearly an hour, the store was almost empty of princess dolls.
Gideon looked at the mountain of boxes.
Then he noticed something missing.
“Where's Cinderella?”
Rachel frowned.
“We have one.”
“No.”
He pointed.
“That one is the blue dress version.”
Rachel looked confused.
“Isn't that Cinderella?”
“Yes.”
“But she has another dress.”
Gideon shook his head.
“Sophie wants the classic one.”