I’m severely allergic to dairy, so I bring my own oat milk to work. It’s labeled.

Still, it kept disappearing, and I had to go without my daily coffee.

So, I got petty and filled a carton with toothpaste and baking soda.

The next day, I heard gagging in the break room.

To my horror, it wasn’t some faceless “milk thief” I had pictured—it was Clara, the new hire.

Her face turned crimson as she rushed to the sink,

and I immediately felt my stomach drop.

Everyone in the office knew Clara was struggling. She’d taken on the job to support her younger brother,

and whispered rumors floated around about her skipping meals to save money.

I had been so focused on my frustration—on feeling wronged—that I never thought the culprit might be someone desperate rather than careless.

I approached her later, guilt gnawing at me. She wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I just… I couldn’t afford groceries this week,

and I didn’t think it would matter if I used a splash.”In that moment,

the toothpaste prank felt monstrous.

My pettiness had been born of inconvenience; her actions were born of survival.

I offered to buy her lunch, and that became a quiet ritual between us.

Over sandwiches and coffee, we talked about life,

about struggle, and about the quiet masks people wear to hide it.

The oat milk? It never disappeared again—not because I scared off a thief,

but because I chose compassion over resentment.

Sometimes the smallest battles we fight reveal something bigger: that kindness feeds us far more than vengeance ever can.