[Turk]

Subject: Inspirational Story


Last Christmas I was rushing around trying to finish shopping. I was stressed out and not thinking very fondly of the season. It was dark, cold and wet in the parking lot. As I was loading my car I noticed that I was missing a receipt that I might need later, so I retraced my steps toward the mall entrance. I was scanning the wet pavement for the lost receipt when I heard a quiet sobbing. It was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about 12. He was short and thin. He had no coat. He was wearing a ragged flannel shirt to protect him from the cold night's chill. Oddly enough, he was holding a hundred-dollar bill.

Thinking that he might just be lost, I asked if I could help. He told me his sad story.

He said he came from a large family.... Three brothers and four sisters.

His father died when he was nine. His mother was poorly educated and worked two full time jobs. She made minimum wage, but had somehow saved two hundred dollars to buy her children Christmas presents.

She dropped off the young lad on the way to her second job. He was to use the money to buy presents for his siblings and save just enough to take the bus home. As he approached the mall a bigger boy grabbed one of the hundred dollar bills and disappeared into the night.

"Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked.
The boy said, "I did."
"And nobody came?" I queried.
The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook his head.
"How loud did you scream?" I inquired.
The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly whispered, "Help me!"

It was then that I realized no one was ever going to hear that kid’s cry for help.... So I grabbed his other hundred and took off!


Signed,
Kenneth Lay-ENRON