Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

The next person in the express line behind me was a small skinny redheaded, freckle-faced boy of eight.

He had only one item, a carded toy. It was encased in that impossible plastic-the kind that an adult needs a tool like a chain saw to open, but a child has no difficulty at all. I couldn’t tell what it was. I asked the boy, “Is that all you have?” thinking I’d let him go ahead of me. He looked up at me with his blue eyes and nodded affirmatively. The checker was the store manager and he had finished totaling my order, when the boy asked him how much it was. He took the package and quickly scanned it then said to the redhead, “A dollar and sixty nine cents, plus tax,” and laid it back on the belt. Quickly the boy took it and turned back like it might have been too much.

While the manager counted out my change, I spoke up to the boy, “Hey! If you want it you got it.” And then told the checker to take it out of my money.

The boy came back and bought the toy. He looked up at me and with a look of great gratitude on his speckled little face said, “Thank you.” While I was telling him he was welcome, the manger asked him to hand him the toy so he could package it, explaining that that it would not then need checking again.

Once again I looked into the face of the small boy and I saw myself seventy years ago. I remembered some long forgotten kindness shown to me. The boy said “thanks” again and disappeared back into the store to tell whomever he may have been with what had happened. I don’t know if I did a good thing or not. I hoped I didn’t get the boy in trouble. The good it did for me was indescribable nice. I enjoy making gifts for good and just causes. It makes me feel good. Making that young redheaded boy a little happier made this older no longer redheaded boy’s skin wrinkle with pleasure. Don Versaw.

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

Return to For Another Day main page

Return to Franklin County NEGenWeb Main Page