Category Archives: 2. Saturday Centus

 
It was on the news, “A fire is raging in the mountains. Homes are now under threat. Police suspect the fire was deliberately lit.”
 
“That makes me angry,” said mom.
 
“How could someone do that?” added dad.
 
Stephen and Michael cowered at what they said. They hadn’t meant to start the fire. They were just making a campfire. They tried to put it out but it got away from them. They were scared to tell because they just knew they would be thrown in jail. The guilt was unbearable.
 
Stephen spoke first, “Mom, we have something bad to tell you.”
 

 

“Daddy, I can’t sleep,” a tired voice drifted across the room.

“That’s okay, Michael, come and snuggle up with me,” I said making room for him on the sofa.

I covered him with a blanket and reached for the remote. We had a favourite DVD ready for such evenings.

“Cream together butter and sugar…” the woman on the television droned.

His eyelids grew heavy, “I miss mummy.”

I kissed him on the forehead, “I do too, sweetheart.”

There was something about the voice on the television that reminded him of his mother. Tomorrow would be the first Mother’s Day without her cheery voice greeting us.

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How could we say no? Our children wanted to prepare our anniversary meal.
 
Noises came from the kitchen until our son appeared, “It is our pleasure to provide you with an anniversary meal.”
 
We smiled at his seriousness.
 
The meal was three-course. Chocolate cookies were the appetizers followed by the main course of sandwiches with… we weren’t quite sure. Dessert was ice cream covered in marshmallows.
 
At bedtime, we kissed them goodnight, proud of how they’d tried to make the evening special.
 
As we started the clean up, we decided it was the best meal we’d ever had. The company always makes the difference.
 

“There’s a yellow rose in Texas.”

“I know the song,” nurse said seeing the sadness in his now lucid old eyes.

“Not the song. Texas in Australia.”

He continued, “It was a small town full of good people. I’d spent time there, bought a pup to have company. She was a bundle of fun and loved chewing my shoes.”

“Was she Rose?”

He smiled, “Yes, Rose was my girl. She was popular with all the kids. Everyone knew her. She knew everyone.”

“One day Rose didn’t see a speeding car. I buried Rose under our favourite tree and planted a rose.”

“A yellow rose?”

“Yes.”

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“Thank you for being my mystery guest. Tell me, all these years of work and you’ve never made a profit? Is your life a comfortable one?”

“Not for profit. For comfort, maybe, but I do get a reward.”

“People pay you?”

“Only in smiles and laughter.”

“You can’t spend happiness.”

“Yet happiness makes life worth living.”

“But you don’t pay your workers anything.”

“They’re all volunteers. We have warm beds to sleep in and our basic needs are met. We don’t need much.”

“Thank you for coming.”

With a smile, the small, rotund man in a red suit and long white beard left the studio.

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“Mummy, why are cherries red?”

“It’s in their nature.”

“Why are oranges orange?”

“If they weren’t they wouldn’t be oranges.”

“Why are ducklings yellow?”

“It’s their colour.”

“Why is grass green?”

“Many plants are green.”

“Why is the sky blue?”

“I don’t know.”

“Mummy, what colour is India?”

“India has colours on its flag.”

“Are violets named after their colour?”

“Probably.”

“Mummy…”

“Why oh why oh why are you asking so many questions, sweetheart?”

“You looked sad. I wanted to give you rainbow colours to make you happy.”

“Oh. Why did you ask about India?”

“Isn’t that a rainbow colour?”

Mummy smiled, “It’s indigo sweetheart.”

My untied shoelace changed my life. As I leaned down to re-tie it, I kicked away a few leaves. When I turned my head slightly to look where the leaves had been, I was astonished to see a rubber-banded wad of hundred dollar bills nestled in a little indentation in the muddy ground.

There was no moral dilemma. The money wasn’t mine. It had to be handed in.

A note inserted in the wad read, “This is an ARK, an Act of Random Kindness. Use it wisely.”

I’d been given permission to keep it. I counted the notes. Never before had I held so much. Since retiring, I had a comfortable income from my pension but lacked purpose. I decided what must be done.

The donation to UNICEF for the African famine led to an offer to volunteer. Tomorrow, I fly out to help the relief program. An untied shoelace changed my life.

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I heard someone say something strange, “I’m living the dream, man it’s good.”

I think he was a little weird. How could you be living a dream and why is it only for men? You’d have to be asleep.

My mum tells me I take things literally. I guess that means I think people say what they mean. Mum says he was probably smiling when he said it but I didn’t notice a smile. Mum’s says it’s my “aspburger” autism. I don’t know why burgers or even snakes have anything to do with it.

People should say what they mean.

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It was only ninety-eight cents short. You’d think the bus driver could’ve taken me part way. I trudged through torrential rain.

My mood was growing as dark as the weather. Nothing was going to cheer me.

Wait…

I ran to the source of the sound. A child was being carried along by the water. I could see a violent eddy marking a drain a little further along. The child would be sucked under.

Struggling to the child, I snatched him in my arms and carried him to safety.

It was only ninety-eight cents but it saved a life.

“Good things come in fives?”

My daughter just now five.

“Five fingers and five toes.”

“Is that all?” she asks.

“Three children, two parent’s love.”