Brandon said maybe the bank had frozen my card since I had used it to make a Target purchase around the time when their accounts were hacked. That was our best theory. I tried calling the bank after lunch, but they were already closed for New Years.
Hoping the card issue was a fluke, I took Zadie to Little Caeser's to pick up a pizza and breadsticks for dinner. I told the guy at the counter, "Try running my card before you get my order ready. It didn't go through at McDonald's this morning, and I'm not sure it it will work." He tried it, and sure enough, it was declined again.
"Did you use your credit card at Target recently?" the guy asked me.
"Yes," I replied.
"They probably froze your card. The same thing just happened to my brother. Here ya go. Your pizza is on me." He pulled a cheese pizza out of the case and set it on the counter before me.
"What else was she ordering?" asked the lady in line behind me. "Breadsticks? I'll take care of it. Happy New Year!"
I was astonished. "You guys don't have to do that!" I exclaimed.
"I'm feeling generous," said the pizza guy.
"My step-brother used my name to rack up a $400 utility bill one time," said the lady. "I know how it feels to have your identity stolen. This is my Christmas. I have three kids." She gave Zadie a quarter to play the pinball machine.
I was overwhelmed. "Well, thank you guys! God bless!"
As Zadie and I walked to the car with our free pizza and breadsticks, I told her, "We have to never ever forget this. We have to always remember the kind people who gave us pizza when we didn't have any money."
When we sat down to eat, we bowed our heads to pray. Zadie prayed for the people who had their money stolen by the robbers at Target. We asked God to bless the food and the people who had given it to us. We ate that gift of a pizza with full hearts.
I am still not sure why my card was declined today or if I was even a victim of the Target credit card fiasco. All in know is that I was hungry, and kind people chose to love me and give me food. My heart is bigger today, and I will be keeping my eyes open for my next chance to pay it forward. :0)
