Bobby's Dime
By Thomas Pucci
Bobby Was Getting Cold Sitting Out In His Backyard In The Snow
Bobby Didn't Wear Boots
He Didn't Like Them And Anyway He Didn't Own Any
The Thin Sneakers He Wore Had A Few Holes In Them
They Did A Poor Job Of Keeping Out The Cold
Bobby Had Been In His Backyard For About An Hour Already
And Try As He Might, He Could Not Come Up With An Idea For His Mother's Christmas Gift
He Shook His Head As He Thought
"This Is Useless, Even If I Do Come Up With An Idea, I Don't Have Any Money To Spend"
Ever Since His Father Had Passed Away Three Years Ago, The Family Of Five Had Struggled
It Wasn't Because His Mother Didn't Care Or Try, There Just Never Seemed To Be Enough
She Worked Nights At The Hospital But The Small Wage That She Was Earning Could Only Be Stretched So Far
What The Family Lacked In Money And Material Things, They More Than Made Up For In Love And Family Unity
Bobby Had Two Older And One Younger Sister, Who Ran The Household In Their Mother's Absence
All Three Of His Sisters Had Already Made Beautiful Gifts For Their Mother
Somehow It Just Wasn't Fair
Here It Was Christmas Eve Already And He Had Nothing
Wiping A Tear From His Eye, Bobby Kicked The Snow And Started To Walk Down To The Street Where The Shops And Stores Were
It Wasn't Easy Being Six Without A Father
Especially When He Needed A Man To Talk To
Bobby Walked From Shop To Shop, Looking Into Each Decorated Window
Everything Seemed So Beautiful And So Out Of Reach
It Was Starting To Get Dark And Bobby Reluctantly Turned To Walk Home
Suddenly His Eyes Caught The Glimmer Of The Setting Sun's Rays Reflecting Off Of Something Along The Curb
He Reached Down And Discovered A Shiny Dime
Never Before Had Anyone Felt So Wealthy As Bobby Felt At That Moment
He Saw A Flowershop And Went Inside To Wait In Line
The Shopowner Asked If He Could Help Him
Bobby Presented His Dime
He Asked If He Could Buy One Flower For His Mother's Christmas Gift
The Shopowner Looked At Bobby And His Ten Cent Offering
Then He Put His Hand On Bobby's Shoulder And Said To Him
"You Just Wait Here And I'll See What I Can Do For You"
As Bobby Waited He Looked At The Beautiful Flowers
Even Though He Was A Boy, He Could See Why Mothers And Girls Liked Flowers
The Sound Of The Door Closing As The Last Customer Left, Jolted Bobby Back To Reality
All Alone In The Shop, Bobby Began To Feel Alone And Afraid
Suddenly The Shop Owner Came Out And Moved To The Counter
There, Before Bobby's Eyes, Lay Twelve Long Stem, Red Roses, With Leaves Of Green And Tiny White Flowers All Tied Together With A Big Silver Bow
Bobby's Heart Aank As The Owner Picked Them Up And Placed Them Gently Into A Long White Box
"That Will Be Ten Cents Young Man," The Shop Owner Said
He Reached Out His Hand For Bobby's Dime
Slowly, Bobby Moved His Hand To Give The Man His Dime
Could This Be True?
No One Else Would Give Him A Thing For His Dime!
Sensing The Boy's Reluctance, The Shop Owner Added
"I Just Happened To Have Some Roses On Sale For Ten Cents A Dozen
Would You Like Them?"
This Time Bobby Did Not Hesitate
When The Man Placed The Long Box Into His Hands, He Knew It Was True
Walking Out The Door That The Owner Was Holding For Bobby, He Heard he Shopkeeper Say, "Merry Christmas Son"
As He Returned Inside, The Shopkeeper's Wife Walked Out
"Who Were You Talking To Back There And Where Are The Roses You Were Fixing?"
Staring Out The Window And Blinking The Tears From His Own Eyes, He Replied
"A Strange Thing Happened To Me This Morning
While I Was Setting Up Things To Open The Shop
I Thought I Heard A Voice Telling Me To Set Aside A Dozen Of My Best Roses For A Special Gift
I Wasn't Sure At The Time Whether I Had Lost My Mind Or What But I Set Them Aside Anyway
Then Just A Few Minutes Ago, A Little Boy Came Into The Shop And Wanted To Buy A Flower For His Mother With One Small Dime
"When I Looked At Him, I Saw Myself, Many Years Ago
I Too, Was A Poor Boy With Nothing To Buy My Mother A Christmas Gift
A Bearded Man, Whom I Never Knew, Stopped Me On The Street
He Told Me That He Wanted To Give Me Ten Dollars
"When I Saw That Little Boy Tonight
I Knew Who That Voice Was And I Put Together A Dozen Of My Very Best Roses"
The Shop Owner And His Wife Hugged Each Other Tightly
As They Stepped Out Into The Bitter Cold Air, They Somehow Didn't Feel Cold At All
Author
Thomas Pucci
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