An Angry Young Man
Jake was an angry young man who hated everybody. He also hated shopping. He was walking angrily around in a large department store, when he spotted a cashier handing a little boy holding a new doll back some money. The boy couldn’t have been more than 5 years old. Jake heard the cashier say, “Sorry, Hon, but you just don’t have enough money.” The little boy turned to an old woman next to him and said, ”Granny, are you sure we don’t have enough money?” Choking back tears, the woman replied, ”Oh sweetie, you know we don’t.” She asked him to stay put for just five minutes while she went to return another item. The little boy stood still, looking down at the doll.
Hating Himself
Hating himself for getting involved, Jake walked over and asked who the doll was for. The boy looked up and said, “It’s the doll my sister Trisha loved the most and wanted for Christmas. She was sure that Santa would bring it to her.” Jake said that maybe Santa would still bring it to her, and not to worry. But the little boy replied sadly, “No, Santa can’t bring it to her where she is now. Trisha has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God soon too, so I thought she could take the doll with her and give it to Trisha for me.” The little boy’s lower lip began to quiver as he continued, “I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.” With tear filled eyes, he showed Jake a very nice photo of himself, taken in a photo booth. He was laughing. Jake looked into the saddest eyes he had ever seen, as the little guy said, “I want Mommy to take my picture so she won’t forget me.” Then he looked down at the doll, and didn’t say another word.
Maybe There Was A Mistake
Jake slid some cash from his pocket and said to the boy, “Here, let me count your money, maybe there was a mistake. I’ll check again, just in case you do have enough!” The boy looked up with a timid smile and said, “Okay, I hope I do.” Jake slipped some of his money in with the boy’s, and started to count it. It turned out that there was enough for the doll, and two dollars in change. The little boy dropped to knees, and with tears running down his cheeks, said, “Thank you God, for giving me enough money!” He then stood and excitedly said, “I asked God last night to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so Mommy can give it to my sister, and he heard me! I didn’t tell God, but I also wanted enough money to buy a white rose for Mommy, and he gave me enough to buy the doll and the rose! My Mommy loves white roses.” Suddenly he grabbed Jake’s hand, looked straight at him and said, “I know God sent you.”
The Front Page
The old woman finally returned. Jake explained things to her, she thanked him and left with the happy little boy. As Jake watched them leave, he happened to glance down at a newspaper. On the front page was an article about a lady who had been texting and driving when she hit a young mother and her daughter who were crossing the street. The little girl had died immediately, the mother was only being kept alive by machines. The family had to decide whether to continue life support. Was this the little boy’s family? The next morning Jake heard on the news that the family had allowed the young woman to pass away. He had to know. He couldn’t stop himself.
A Dozen White Roses
He bought a dozen white roses and went to the funeral home. The young woman lay in her coffin holding a beautiful white rose in her hand, with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed on her chest. Jake placed his roses next to her coffin and quickly left. He sat and cried uncontrollably in his car for twenty minutes. He knew that his life had been changed forever. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister had touched Jake deeper and more profoundly than anything since Jake’s parents had abandoned him. It tore Jake apart inside to know that the little boy had lost them just because of one stupid, selfish, murderous decision to send a text message while driving. Jake later applied and was accepted to attend a Police Academy. Now he’s on patrol, watching, waiting…
