A pie for Christmas, and an act of kindness

It was a plain house where Jack Anderson and his mother, Rachel, lived. The walls needed paint and the front steps were rough. Their elderly friend, Harry, who lived across the street, sometimes tripped on those steps.

While every morning when Jack woke up, he always noticed the flapping shingles on Harry’s roof. Jack wished he could fix them, but he couldn’t do it alone. He wished that the young boys who lived so close by would pitch in and help him fix the roof for Harry.

Jack would soon graduate from high school and find a good job. Maybe then he could get a better house for his mother. He ought to stop daydreaming while walking home from school and instead concentrate on the rough steps into their house.

Rachel met him at the door with a package in her hand, “Here Jack, would you take this pie over to Harry for his supper?”

“Sure Mom. It sure smells good!” Jack said. “Harry will really like this.”

“Be sure to tell him Merry Christmas,” she added with a smile.

“I won’t forget, Mom,” Jack said. “Say, have you noticed the wobbly shingles on his roof?”

She replied, “I wish we could help him. But we need somebody to pitch in with that kind of work. In fact, I’m wondering if we could ask those boys across the street to help.”

Jack scratched his head, “Boy, oh boy, that’s a dream. Do you think they would work with me? All I ever see from them is a rock or some garbage that they throw our way.”

Rachel’s eyes shone, “I have an idea. Let’s try it! Hurry up with the pie to Harry. This might be fun.”

Jack delivered the pie, spent some time talking to Harry and hurried home. As Rachel took another apple pie out of the oven, Jack burst in the door, “Wow Mom, your pies always smell so good!”

“Well Jack, this one’s ready to meet those rock-throwing neighbors.”

“What? Mom, you don’t mean that?”

“Oh, yes I do. Just say to them, ‘Merry Christmas,’ and come right back.”

Jack laughed and just shook his head. Rachel said, “Just do it, Jack.” He grabbed the second pie and waved to his mother.

Jack was laughing again when he arrived home the second time. Rachel waited with a sparkle in her eyes, “How did it go, Jack?,” Jack asked.

“Oh Mom, you should have seen the look on their faces. They were so surprised and so shocked.”

Rachel applauded, “Good! That’s what I wanted.”

“I started laughing when I went out the door and heard the boys’ mother scolding them, ‘No more garbage and no more throwing rocks at the neighbors!’” Jack replied.

Rachel laughed even more, “I’ve watched those young ruffians misbehaving for years.”

The next morning, Jack answered a knock at the door. There stood the two boys. They both tried to talk at once, “Can we help you with anything around the house?”

Jack tried to look stern, but was jumping inside for joy, “Did you bring some gloves?” The boys nodded.

“Well, I have some nails and a hammer ready to use to fix the old man’s roof,” Jack said.

The former ruffians asked, “When do you wanna start?” Jack clapped his hands, “How about right now!”

Later, when Jack and Rachel were alone, Jack pondered aloud saying, “How did you get those boys to change the way they treat people?”

Rachel handed Jack a cookie, “These young ruffians discovered a good feeling for themselves, when they do something nice for somebody. I hope they keep on with it. Did you know that Harry gave them each a dollar to fix those rough steps by our door?”

“Wow, I didn’t know that.”

Rachel said, “Harry wants the entrance smooth into our house, so that he can come to visit more often.

Jack clapped his hands, “Maybe we won’t need a new house after all. Merry Christmas, Mom.”

Luella Dow is a Cheney-area author. She can be reached at [email protected].