The Blessings Kindness Brings
This is a short little Christmas story I felt like writing since I'm still stuck at work, it's sort of based off the Christmas Shoes story, so it will have some familiar elements. Merry Christmas Everyone!
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The snow stormed around me as I walked down the busy sidewalk. There were christmas carolers, last minute shoppers and the city was just bustling with business before it was time for families to spend their evening together. I was on my last break for the night, just sitting outside the shop for a few minutes before going back inside to work. Christmas time had never been a very happy time for me, my mother died in a hospital bed 14 years ago on Christmas day when I was just seven. The last gift I gave to her was something she cherished greatly in her last hours alive. It was also a gift that I will always remember because of the deed that was behind it.
December 24th, 14 Years ago
"Mommy, you're going to get better right?" I asked with concern growing in my eyes. My mother was sickly looking but always had a warm smile on her face.
"Yes dear, Mommy will get better." She pulled me, still just a young fox, into a tight hug, kissing me on the forehead.
We were having money issues at the time, paying the hospital bills and such, so Christmas wasn't all that great this year, and all I really wanted was for my mother to get better. I wanted to make her smile really big too, but didn't know what I could get for her. My dad was out working and I spent most of my time with my mom at the hospital. I put on my heavy jacket, scarf and hat and headed out to browse the many shops to find her something for Christmas with my mere $3.40, most of which was in change. I browsed many stores but nothing caught my eye until I passed by a shoe store. I walked in and browsed over things and then set my eyes upon the most stunning pair of womens shoes I had seen. It was a bright red pair of slipper shoes, perfect for my mom who usually mentioned how cold her feet got. I asked one of the clerks working if they had a size 11 in womens and smiled innocently. The clerk eyed me suspiciously, though as to why I didn't have a clue.
"Just a moment, I'll check for you." she said and then went into the back room to check.
I waited for a few moments until she returned with a box holding the size I had asked for. I thanked her and took the box to the counter to pay.
"I'd like to buy these shoes please sir, they're for my mother."
The cashier, an older boy somewhere in his teens, stared for a moment and then rung up the box.
"Cash, Credit or Debit?" he asked.
I put my money on the table and waited for him to put the box in a bag but was surprised when he just sat there waiting.
"And for the rest?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in slight annoyance.
I looked up at him, a slight frown on my face. "That's all the money I have sir..." I stated.
"Well, I'm sorry then but you don't have enough to buy these." he said, pointing to the total which came to about $55.
"Please sir, isn't there anything you can do? It's Christmas Eve... it's for my mother and these shoes are just her size..." My eyes started to fill with some tears but the cashier didn't seem very affected.
"Even with a discount you still don't have enough, I'm sorry." he said.
I frowned, tears starting to fall from my face and walked away from the counter, noticing that a small line had formed.
As I started to walk towards the door an elderly Fox woman who was just walking in noticed my tears and approached me, "Oh! my goodness dear, what's wrong?" she asked, probably wonfdering if I had gotten lost.
"I found the perfect shoes for my m-mom, but I don't have enough to buy them... she's in the h-hospital with c-cancer and the doctors say she h-hasn't g-g-got a lot of t-time left." by now I was bawling, tears streaming down my face as I faced the facts that my mother was dying.
The elderly woman took my hand and stood with me in line, "Don't worry dear, it will be ok."
The line soon passed and we reached the front, the cashier eyeing me in slight annoyance. "How can I help you?" he asked the woman who was holding my hand and then seemed to straighten up just a bit as he recognized her.
"Yes, do you still have the shoes this boy was going to buy?"
He looked to the side of him and grabbed a box, opening it to double check. "Yep, got e'm right here."
"Go ahead and give the boy the shoes, I'll make sure it's covered when I come back in after the holidays." She spoke in an authorative tone.
"Sure thing boss." I looked to the woman, now understanding why the cashier gave her as much respect as he did. The cashier wrapped up the box and handed it to the woman who in turn handed it to me. My smile had never been as big as it was then.
"Merry Christmas dear, now you be safe out there." she said with a smile.
I hugged the woman and thanked her greatly, heading out the door and back to the hospital. That night I gave my mom the shoes and she could do nothing but smile. I was the happiest and the saddest moment in my life, and definately the most memorable. I had never once forgotten the act of kindness I was given that night and strove every year to show the same kindness.
Christmas Eve Today
I now owned the shoe store that I had gotten my mother's shoes from. A few hours later it was time to close and I began to close things up for the night. It only took about ten minutes when the last customer left for me to lock up and get ready to leave. I noticed a young boy watching me from the window, seeming a bit dissapointed that the store was closed. I walked back the front of the store and unlocked the door, opening it.
"Yes?" I asked simply
"Please sir... There's a pair of shoes I want to buy for my mother, I'll only be a moment I promise!" he seemed desperate, as if everywhere else had turned him away.
I opened the door wider and welcomed him in, "So, what are we wanting today young sir?" I asked.
The young boy took a look around and then found a pair of nice shoes. "My mother is in the hospital, so I wanted to get her something nice for Christmas."
"Oh, my. What is she there for?" I asked
"She's recovering from a car crash about a week ago."
"I'm very sorry to hear that son."
He took the shoes towards the cash register but I stopped him, "No, no, don't worry about it, Merry Christmas son." The smile on his face reminded me of myself when I was younger. He thanked me and took his leave.
I had never once forgotten the kindess that the old shop owner had shown me. I locked up for the night and headed home, true every Christmas after the death of my mother was hard to bear, but the kindness that I was shown will never be forgotten. This is the time of year where each of us should take just a moment to show someone else a small act of kindness, that is the lesson I had learn. That was the lesson I always tried to teach at this time of year. No one truly knows the blessings that kindness can bring until they see it with their own eyes.
Merry Christmas Everyone and a Happy New Year!
~End~