I stopped at McDonald’s for a quick coffee, the kind of mindless break you take when you’re running on fumes and just need a warm cup in your hands. The place was half-empty, the usual hum of machines and distant chatter filling the air. That’s when I noticed a young mother and her little girl sit at the table next to mine. The girl’s voice was barely above a whisper when she asked, “Can we eat here, please?” There was hope in it, mixed with the kind of politeness children use when they already sense the answer might be no.

The mother smiled, tired but gentle, and nodded. They ordered a single hamburger and nothing else. No fries, no drinks, no extras. When they sat down, the mom reached into her worn bag and pulled out a thermos, pouring what looked like tea into a small cup for her daughter. I wasn’t trying to listen, but some stories have a way of finding you anyway. I caught fragments of their conversation, enough to understand they had just come from the hospital.