Moonlight peeked through the cabin window, dimly illuminating the space. Oliver was lying in bed, absorbed in his own noise, when he heard Grandma Angela’s voice.
“Oliveg, dinner’s ready, honey,” she said. “Hurry up!” “Not now, grandma!” Oliver sighed. “I was on the best site!”.
Oliver was curious about the next part of the story he was reading. He lights a candle on the bedside table as it gets dark and doesn’t want to stop reading, but he closes his book and goes downstairs to dinner.
The boy is a bookworm when it comes to adventure books. He reads them every night before dinner; as well as on the way to school, on the bus, and at every opportunity that comes up.
His family is very small, as is the hut where he lives. It includes grandmother Angela and sister Eva. His mother passed away a few years ago from cancer, and his father left them after that.
When Oliver sat down at the table, they all held hands, prayed, and began to eat. With his mouth full of food, he told them the details of the detective story he was working on. His passion is contagious.
Angela feels sorry for Oliver as she listens to him rave about the books he’s reading. They were poor and she knew that the money he gave for lunch was used to buy those books and that made her sad.
There was a time when she wanted to find another job so Oliver wouldn’t have to skip lunch, but Eva was too young and needed someone to take care of him. Besides, her health was not in the best condition.
So every night she smiled with a heavy heart as Oliver recounted the stories he had read. I wish I could be a better grandmother and give him so much.
That night, after everyone had finished dinner, Oliver helped Angela clear the table, then went back to his book and fell asleep while reading.
The next day, on the bus, Oliver was rereading when he put his argument down and looked up. The driver yelled at the woman with thick dark glasses as she begged him to let her on the bus.
“I rushed out of the house and I think I lost my wallet, sir!” She told the driver. “I have to see my daughter – she’s in the hospital!”
“Better get off the bus, ma’am,” said the driver flatly. “I’m sick of people making up lies to avoid paying tickets!”
“Sir, I don’t lie,” said the old woman. “Please help me, I’ll have the people at the hospital come pay you!” she begged.
“GET OUT!” the driver shouted at her. “I’ve heard that excuse before – don’t waste my time!”.
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to talk to the driver, the elderly woman was getting ready to head out, braced for the cold winds blowing through the city when Oliver intervened.
“I’ll pay three dollars for her ticket, sir!” Oliver said. “Miss, please follow me, don’t come down.”
Oliver helped the blind old woman sit next to her and paid her. When he returned to his seat, he asked her if she was okay and she smiled.
“Thank you very much,” said the woman. “You have a sweet boy’s voice!”.
“I am fat!” he replied proudly. “And my name is Oliver. What happened to your daughter?”
“I’m Mary,” she introduced herself. “My daughter has given birth and I have to meet her. Thank you for helping me today, Oliver.”
“That’s not a problem, Mary,” Oliver said, though it would be a problem for him. That money he only uses to buy tickets that he is saving to buy the next book in the series he is reading. But he couldn’t help her.
“Where are you going, Oliver?” Mary asked.
The boy explained that he was going to start school soon, and they talked for a while before the stop where Liver had to get off.
Oliver really liked Mary. She reminded him of his grandmother. When he tells her that he loves books, she listens as patiently as Angela.
“I’ll tell you about her. You’ll be proud of what I’ve done!” he thought as he walked towards his school.
And so he did. Instead of his books that evening, Oliver talked about Mary and the good deed he had done for her.
“What you’ve done is great, Oliver!” Angela said. “That’s very good of you!”.
Little did Oliver know that he would soon meet Mary’s son. So when the tall man showed up at his door the next morning, he was confused.
“Are you Oliver?” ask the man
“Yes, it’s me,” Oliver replied when Eva and Angela met him at the door.
“How can we help you?” Angela asked. “Do you know Oliver?”
The man smiled.
“I am Javier. Oliver helped my mom yesterday, so I want to thank him. With the information he gave her, it wasn’t difficult for me to figure out the address. I bought you something,” he said as he looked at the boy.
The man got out of the car and came back with a box full of books.
“I can not believe it!” Oliver exclaimed when he saw the books. “Mary told you that I like to read?”.
Javier nodded. “Of course yes and I hope you enjoy her surprise!”.
“Those books must have been a lot more expensive than what Oliver paid for. We cannot accept them,” Angela said apologetically.
“It’s true, Javier,” Oliver said sadly. “You can’t buy that many books for just $3!”.
“You can keep it all, Oliver,” Javier said. “I’m not sure if my grandson will tell you in detail what happened yesterday,” he continued to look at Angela, “but my mother wouldn’t be able to visit my sister without her. your help.”
“So please, I insist; let me take this. Generous acts like this child deserve to be recognized and rewarded.”
In the end, he convinced Angela to take the book and Oliver was delighted – for him, it was a real treasure!
“Mary is the best! Javier, tell her I love bÅօks and thank you so much! the boy said.
“I will, man!” Javier said with a smile. “She’ll be happy to know.”
Soon after, Javier had a delicious cup of raspberry tea with cookies that Angela had made. He also noticed that they were having an electrical problem and decided to do something about it. This is definitely a special day for everyone.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education