Jason Boudreaux said Kevin Jones’ act of kindness when he paid for his groceries after his debit card got declined changed his outlook on the world. And to show gratitude to Jones for his kind gesture, Boudreaux took to Facebook on February 24 to share the story, TODAY reported.
In the post that has since gone viral, Boudreaux said he encountered Jones while he was waiting in line to pay for items he had bought at a local grocery store. Boudreaux said he had deposited his payroll check an hour earlier and he thought the money would have reflected.
Boudreaux also said he told Jones hello as they were waiting in line. But when it was his turn to pay the groceries that were worth $30, Boudreaux said the cashier informed him he did not have enough funds in his debit card. That was when Jones offered to pay.
“This lil gentleman said I got you,” Boudreaux wrote. “I said no you don’t you probably didn’t hear the price. He responded yes Sir I did, and I got you.”
Boudreaux said he wanted to pay Jones, but because he was happy over his kind gesture, he was unable to get his name. “I scrambled to me car to give him my business card, so I can repay him. He said no problem, but it is a problem to me owing money to anyone,” wrote Boudreaux. “But the point of this is the dude just stepped up for a complete stranger, he should be recognized.”
Jones also explained why he jumped in to help Boudreaux, saying, “Coming from where I come from in Louisiana, it’s not a very wealthy town. I know that feeling.” Added Jones: “So not having the right amount of funds to pay for groceries, I know that feeling. I see a lot of people going through that, and not a lot of people are willing to make a sacrifice and step up and help the next person.”
Boudreaux eventually established contact with Jones after a mutual friend who saw his Facebook post linked the two, per TODAY. “I mean, I was a detective. I should have been with my pen and paper asking, ‘What’s your name? What’s your number?’” Boudreaux told the news outlet. “But I just had what you call goosebumps, but its ‘frissons’ in French.”
After the two got in touch, Jones and his wife were invited by Boudreaux for a weekly family gathering at his parents’ home. “We pick a person or they step up and say, ‘OK, I’m gonna cook crawfish etouffee,’ ‘all right, I’m gonna barbecue next.’ It’s an open invite to just about everybody,” said Boudreaux. “I mean, people pass, we’re dancing outside, barbecuing or just cutting up, Louisiana-style.”
The day of the event also fell on Jones’ birthday. So Boudreaux and other people who were at the gathering decided to celebrate the day – though there wasn’t any cake available. “He had a jelly doughnut with icing on top and he put a candle in it,” Jones told TODAY. “Nobody told me what they was going to do, but the ladies, including my wife, came out singing ‘Happy Birthday.'”
Boudreaux and Jones’ friendship has since blossomed. “I would describe it more as brothers,” Boudreaux said about their friendship. “He’s honestly one of the most sincere souls I’ve met — and I’ve met many.”
The two now text each other and have since planned on having Family Days in the future and also going out on weekends. “He invites me to go to his fishing spot and every Sunday, he wants me to come over. The family wants to meet (my) kids and whatnot,” Jones said.
