Shoes

The long line stretched on and on into the store. People from all over town lined up with present after present all gathered in the overly dressed hands. They wore marshmallow shaped jackets in many different colors and looked like a rainbow. I stood at the middle of the turning snake of a line. In front of me was a small boy who was no more than nine. He carried one box of shoes that were red as the round ornaments on the overly decorated tree to the right of us. He wore a dark brown ripped up shirt over tattered and faded blue jeans. He had no shoes on his feet, which were fiddling over each other. The whole time in line I could only think of how hurt the boy would feel when he couldn’t buy the shoes. I felt pity for him and when the time finally came for him to pay I waited my heart racing. Then he said something that surprised the store clerk and me more than anything. 1

“I want to buy the shoes for my mama please. These are just her size. I want her to be pretty when she meats Jesus tonight.” He said his little voice coolly blowed into my ears like a whispering breeze on an autumn morning. He then pulled out a small bag and dumped out tons of quarters. He counted on and on for hours and hours till he handed them all to the clerk. 2

“Im sorry son there isn’t enough here.” The clerk said not having any care for what the boy had just said. Then the boy turned to me with a sad look on her face. 3

“I want to buy these shoes for my momma so she can be pretty to meat Jesus tonight.” He repeated tears in his eyes. I quickly got out my checkbook and wrote out the check for the shoes. The boy smiled up at me and carried the shoes out into the snow. He skipped laughing innocently his feet padding softly on the white snow.4

Never again did I see the boy or hear what happened to his mother. But that day I will remember forever and his small little face is a shadow in my mind forever more. To this day his words echo threw my ears. “I want to buy these shoes for my momma please so she can be pretty to go see Jesus tonight.” 5