A CHRISTMAS STORY
>
> Late last week, I was rushing around trying to get some last minute
>shopping done. I was stressed out and not thinking very fondly of the
>Christmas season right then.
>
> It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot as I was loading my car
>up with gifts that I felt obligated to buy.
>
> I noticed that I was missing a receipt that I might need later. So
>mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps to the mall entrance.
>
> As I was searching the wet pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a
>quiet sobbing. The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about
>12 Years old. He was short and thin. He had no coat. He was just
>wearing a ragged flannel shirt to protect him from the cold night's
>chill.
>
> Oddly enough, he was holding a hundred dollar bill in his hand.
>
> Thinking that he had gotten lost from his parents, I asked him what
>was wrong.
>
> He told me his sad story. He said that he came from a large family.
>He had three brothers and two sisters. His father had died when he was
>nine Years old. His mother was poorly educated and worked two full time
>jobs. She made very little to support her large family. Nevertheless,
>she Had managed to save two hundred dollars to buy her children
>Christmas presents.
>
> The young boy had been dropped off on the way to her second job. He
>was to use the money to buy presents for all his siblings and save just
>enough to take the bus home.
>
> He had not even entered the mall, when an older 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 to help you?" I wondered.
>
> 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!"
>
> I realized that absolutely no one could have heard that poor boy cry
>for help.
>
> So, I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car.
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Life Sucks, Get a Helmet