Baker Receives a Rush Order for a Dozen Bagels. She’s Shocked at Who Shows for Pickup (Exclusive)

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After giving birth to her son, Chloe De Jager struggled with postpartum. It wasn’t until she began baking sourdough bread that she truly felt like herself again. Baking quickly became something she could pour herself into — and a way to reconnect with friends, family and her community.

On March 31, De Jager, who lives with her husband and son in Glen Ellyn, Ill., launched her own microbakery, Bubbas’ Sourdough Co. In addition to sourdough, De Jager — also a full-time veterinarian recruiter — planned to bake other goods, including bagels.

“I’ve fallen into a therapeutic rhythm with them now,” the 31-year-old tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I’ve started experimenting more with sourdough loaves and am really falling in love with the challenge of making a loaf with a great crumb and delicious inclusions.”

“I usually bake a loaf or two a day along with a dozen or two bagel orders!” she adds.

To spread the word, De Jager turned to Facebook Marketplace, where her treats quickly caught attention — including from one user with a “very beautiful and old-fashioned name.”

Seeing the name, she imagined an older gentleman, likely 60 or older. Unlike most customers, who ask when they can pick up an order, this person wanted his bagels immediately — less than 24 hours later.

“I had never had someone so eager to place an order, so of course I had to get them done quickly for him!” she says.

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He ordered a dozen of her famous jalapeño and cheddar “POW POW” bagels — named for their spicy kick and after a phrase her son loves to yell.

When he explained he could only pay in cash, De Jager hesitated. “I never take cash from a new customer — there’s no way to guarantee they’ll show up. It’s all trust,” she explains.

But something in her gut told her to go ahead. She assumed he was an older gentleman who didn’t use Zelle or Venmo and decided he deserved fresh-baked bagels. She asked him to pick them up by 9 a.m. the next day.

But when the morning came, he didn’t show.

“I was literally kicking myself, thinking I fell into the classic Facebook Marketplace loop where someone shows interest and then ghosts you! I had a fresh dozen of my jalapeño bagels with no one to buy them. I thought, ‘Oh well, I’ll just hand them out to my neighbors and freeze some for my family!’ ”

About an hour later, the man messaged her, apologizing and explaining he’d overslept. He asked if he could arrive in another hour. Despite her busy morning of recruiter meetings, De Jager found a gap and arranged a later pick-up.

But when he arrived, and De Jager went to meet him, she was shocked at what she saw: a 12-year-old boy on a BMX bike.

“I immediately looked for a car with an older gentleman, thinking maybe his dad or grandfather was picking up the order. When I didn’t see a car, I asked if he had placed the order,” she says. “He had the biggest grin on his face and said he was so excited to try the bagels. I was in shock — I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t want to offend him!”

The boy had a wad of cash in his hand, which De Jager accepted without counting, still stunned. He had even rigged a small bag on the back of his bike to carry the dozen bagels.

“I started blabbering, telling him I hoped he loved the bagels and that he could let me know if he wanted to try another flavor,” she says. “He was so kind and respectful — truly an ‘old soul,’ as my mom says. He thanked me repeatedly for understanding that he was late. He had literally biked all the way to my house!”

For the past year, De Jager has posted on TikTok about her microbakery journey, taking followers along step by step. After this encounter, she figured her followers would enjoy seeing the customer side of things and hearing about this wholesome interaction.

“It can be so easy to fall into the trap of focusing on all the bad going on,” she says. “We need to hear more about the good that’s happening in the world. It made my day, so I was really hoping it would make someone else’s as well!”

She posted a video explaining the moment on TikTok — and to her surprise, it quickly went viral, amassing nearly 650,000 views and 2,000 comments.

“Love the idea of a kid browsing Marketplace and seeing bagels and thinking ‘need this stat,’ ” one user wrote.

“Omggg now just imagine how stressed HE was trying to get his bagels on time 😭🤣🥹✨,” commented another.

“I never thought in a million years people would latch on to this story,” De Jager says. “It resonated with so many people. I was so overwhelmed by the thousands of likes and comments. I couldn’t keep up!”

Some commenters urged her to reach out to the boy’s mother to ensure his safety. She did, and the mother was grateful for the story. She explained that the boy had come home late that morning with a fresh batch of POW POW bagels for the family to enjoy — a classic “bagel boy” moment.

De Jager has since updated her followers on the story on TikTok and also offered to bake a bagel bar for his football team in the future.

“I genuinely hope I can bake something for them again, and I hope they know that there is nothing but love pouring out for their son and family,” she says. “I even told the mom I hope one day my son can grow into a wonderful young man like her son.”

As for the future, De Jager would love to expand her business so she can share her baked goods with more people. She’s had people reach out to ask her to ship across states and even to ship overseas.

“At first, I really started this for me. So, I could find myself again and explore a hobby I really love. It was also a fun side hustle to bring in some extra money to cover the bills. But then I realized, it connected me to so many people, and the feeling just became infectious. What really brought me joy, I realized, was connecting with all these wonderful people.”

“I just hope more than anything this story can bring a smile to people’s faces. There is so much good out there in the world. Sometimes we just have to look for it in the funniest of places.”

Read the original article on People