Harry and Callie lived in a little town in the countryside and ran a small farm to feed their children. After Henry passed away, there was one lesser hand at work but more mouths to feed. Unfortunately, Callie’s work alone was insufficient to keep them afloat. In fact, they had so little money that they couldn’t even buy enough groceries sometimes. One day, Callie was shopping with her children at a neighboring supermarket when Peter approached her with a box of chocolates. “Mommy, mommy!” he cried. “Can we have these? I want to get two boxes. Bill and Sam can share one, and Peter and I can have the other!” “Jesus! Why would someone send me so much money?” she wondered. Callie frowned as she took the box and looked at the price. “Honey,” she said. “Your baby brothers are too young to eat these. Besides, these chocolates are expensive, and mommy can’t afford them. I love these chocolates as well. They are my favorites… But, let’s get them for you next time,” she sighed, returning the box to the shelf. But Peter was adamant that he wouldn’t leave until he got the chocolates. “No, mommy!” he said and started to cry. “I want the chocolates! I want them.” “Honey, please,” Callie begged, teary-eyed, embarrassed by the stares around them. “I’m so sorry. For now, mommy can only get bread and eggs.”
So he came up with a plan to help her and asked Peter if he wanted to join. Peter adored Christian and always obeyed his older brother, so he agreed immediately. The following evening, instead of going out to play, they decided to go from house to house, doing simple things like helping people carry boxes, shining their shoes, or getting them groceries in exchange for as little as a few dollars. One evening, they were passing by the neighborhood cemetery when they saw a luxury car parked right outside it and an older man getting out of the car and walking inside the cemetery. “Peter,” Christian whispered to his little brother. “I am sure that man is very rich. Let’s go and ask him if we can polish his shoes. We can get more money to help mommy!” “Okay,” Peter nodded and followed his elder brother. When they arrived at the cemetery, they noticed the man was kneeling over a tombstone and praying. When the man finished and stood up to leave, Christian and Peter rushed up to him. “Excuse me, mister,” Christian said. “Can we clean your shoes for you? We will only charge you $5 for it.” The man turned around, and he looked at the children, surprised. “Clean my shoes? But why? “We do it for everyone in our neighborhood. We are the best shoe cleaners you’ll ever find!” Christian said confidently, and the older man laughed. “I see… So, what’s your name, best shoe cleaner?” I’m Christian, and this is my brother Peter. We always work together!” “Hello, Christian and Peter,” the older man said with a smile. “Do you realize that young boys like you shouldn’t be out at this time, especially alone in a cemetery? Do your parents know you’re here by yourself?” “Daddy can’t scold us for that,” Peter said suddenly. “He’s with an angel, and mommy is always busy. We are poor, and she needs to work a lot.” “Shh, Peter,” Christian said, finger over his lips. “I’m sorry, sir. My little brother talks a lot. We just want to help our mother, and we’re working to save money so that we can surprise her on Mother’s Day. “She does a lot for us, and we want to repay her. Will you get your shoes polished, please? If $5 is too much for you, we can do it for $4. That and nothing less! That is the last offer!” The man laughed at the boy’s innocence. “Do you go to school, Christian?” “No, I help my mother at the farm and at home. We don’t have enough money, you see….” Okay then….” The man took a few dollars from his wallet and handed them to the boy. “You should attend school and have a good education. That will be helpful to your mother. And yes, keep this money and use it to buy something for your mother for Mother’s Day. My shoes are good; no need to clean them.” “But that’s a lot of money!” Christian said. “We can’t take it like that…” “Of course, you can,” he said. “That’s a reward for you. Now go back home. Your mother will be worried about you.” “Thank you! You’re very kind. I hope we get to meet again!” Christian waved goodbye to him as he and Peter walked back home. A week later, on Mother’s Day, Callie was busy making breakfast when she heard the doorbell ring. She walked up to the front door and opened it, but she didn’t find anyone there. She looked down at her feet and found an envelope on the doorstep. She initially thought that the letter had been delivered to her by mistake because she had no living relative or friend who would send her anything. After she married and relocated to the countryside, she lost touch with all her friends, and she never had a family because she was an orphan. As she picked up the envelope to inspect it, she noticed that it bore her address on the top and that the sender’s name was a certain Jake Reid.