Changing the World

It wasn’t a long walk to the bus stop. Raina and Charlie made it every day on their way to Kit Garden’s Elementary. Charlie always had his green sneakers, and Raina always had her little black notebook. Charlie often wondered what secrets she kept stashed away in that mysterious book. Raina never let anyone see inside.

When asked, Raina just told him, “it’s gonna help me change the world”. Raina didn’t want to change everything about the world. She liked the mornings where the sun would shine on her face and warm her down to her toes. She liked the kind old bus driver, who always wished her and Charlie a good morning as they boarded. She liked the ducks that floated in the lake by the park and swarmed around anyone kind enough to share a scrap of bread. All in all, she liked the world. She thought it was the just the right sort of place for people. But, there were some things she’d like to make better.

As she passed by the Nicholson’s house, she opened up her notebook to a fresh page. She saw Mrs. Nicholson standing with Jace, his backpack covered in duct tape. Yesterday, a neighborhood dog had gotten loose and chased Jace all the way home. The angry dog had torn his backpack to shreds. Mrs. Nicholson worked 2 jobs just to keep Jace and his brother Nicky fed and clothed. He wouldn’t be able to get another backpack until the fall backpack drive at the beginning of next school year. “A backpack for Jace Nicholson” she wrote in her little notebook. She would draw some accompanying pictures when she got on the bus.

As Jace joined them and started talking to Charlie about the new move he had been practicing for dodgeball today at recess, they passed by the homeless lady who lived in her car. She had a job at the corner market and tried her best to keep herself clean. She always smelled a little bad. Raina wondered if that was why she could never get a better job.

She had heard the grown-ups talking about the lady. They said she could never save up enough money for an apartment. Every time she had tried, something bad had happened and her money would be gone. One time, she had had to go the hospital for a broken arm and use up her apartment money. Another time, her purse was stolen and her apartment money was gone. Raina nodded to herself – the homeless lady had been in her book for awhile.

Raina, Charlie, and Jace got on the bus and sat in their usual seats in the middle. Raina pulled out her notebook again and asked Jace if he had heard anything about Clara. Clara was a girl in her class who had gotten sick. They said she had a bad heart and needed a new one. Her parents couldn’t afford her surgery. They had been trying to raise money, but they still didn’t have enough. She was in Raina’s book too. Jace didn’t know anything new.

Raina and the boys made it to school. At lunch, Raina shared her lunch with Alice. Alice’s parents drank a lot and usually didn’t remember to make her lunch or give her any money. Alice was in Raina’s little black book.

So was Raina’s teacher, Ms. Pinbrook. Ms. Pinbrook was supposed to go on vacation with husband last summer, but Raina had heard the teachers talking in the hallway one day: her husband had left her and taken the trip money with him. Ms. Pinbrook was a great teacher and Raina liked her a lot, but sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, Ms. Pinbrook would look out the window with all the sadness in the world filling up her eyes. Raina had added her to the book as well.

In fact, Raina had nearly filled up her book with ways to make the world better: A trip for Ms. Pinbrook, an apartment for the homeless lady, a new backpack for Jace, lunch money for Alice, surgery for Clara… and then on lots of pages were pictures of what the world would look like if it were better, of course. She had drawn so many pictures, in fact, that she only had room for one last idea and one last picture. Raina thought she knew what to put. She had been thinking about it for days. On their walk home, Raina decided to make it final.

Every day when the weather was nice, the ice cream truck would pass by, singing its alluring song for every child in the area to hear. No one was more smitten than Charlie. Ever since he had seen someone order a Triple Rainbow Twist, Charlie had been saving every penny he could find in the park so that he could taste that magical treat. He had nearly saved enough too, but today, Charlie and Raina passed by a woman who was asking people for bus money so she could get home. Charlie had been so sad for her. Nothing could be worse in Charlie’s mind than not being able to get home to your family. Charlie hadn’t said anything, but walked up to the lady and handed her his whole bag of pennies.

As soon as Raina and Charlie got home, Raina marched straight to her room and filled up her last two notebook pages with the words “A Triple Rainbow Twist for Charlie” and a picture of Charlie’s joy when he at last had a Triple Rainbow Twist for his very own.

Now Raina only had one more question: what to call her notebook. Now that it was complete, she felt it needed a title. She thought about it all day. Inspiration finally struck when she was sitting in the dentist’s office, waiting for her appointment. The radio was playing and an advertisement came on over the speaker, “be entered to win $20,000 if you sign up today! What would you do with $20,000?”

Raina pulled out her notebook lightning-fast, flipped to the title page she had left blank, and quickly but carefully wrote, “How I would Change the World with $20,000 by Raina”. As she finished her name, she was called by the dental assistant. She hastily shoved her things in her bag, and headed back for her appointment.

The next morning as Raina got ready for school, she panicked. Where was her notebook? It wasn’t in her bag. It wasn’t by her nightstand. It wasn’t in her desk drawer. Where could it be? How was she supposed to change the world if she couldn’t find it!? Raina burst into tears and asked her family to help her look. But though her Mom, Dad, and brother all looked frantically, their search was for naught. The little black book was gone.

Dejected, Raina reluctantly began the walk to the bus stop. She was so upset, she didn’t even look up when Jace came bounding over to them. He was talking animatedly with Charlie. Raina couldn’t help but look up and see what he was so excited about. There, in his hands, was a brand-new backpack! It was big and dark red, made of a thick material that was unlikely to break or tear anytime soon, and had so many pockets Raina couldn’t believe it.

“But where did you get it?” asked Raina.

“I don’t know. This morning someone rang our doorbell and when Mom answered the door, there it was!” said Jace, his voice still ringing with unanticipated delight.

Raina rejoiced with Jace. But, she was still very sad about the loss of her notebook. If she had had it with her, she would have whipped it out right now, drawn a box next to Jace’s entry, and given it a hearty checkmark. At least the world was a little better with Jace’s new backpack. She was a little less sad the more she thought about it.

Despite her preoccupation, Raina looked up, as was her habit, as they passed the car of the homeless lady. It was empty. It had never been empty before. The lady had usually been eating a small piece of fruit for breakfast whenever they passed by. Where could she be? Raina looked around and couldn’t believe her eyes! The homeless lady was walking into an apartment right across the street, boxes in her arms and a heart-touching smile splitting her face. She had tears in her eyes as shook hands with the apartment manager.

Raina couldn’t believe it! That was two for two! And on the very day after she had lost her notebook! Had someone found it?

Raina got onto the bus with excitement. If her dreams for a better world were coming true one and at a time, what would be next? She looked out the bus windows, watching the world go by and wondered. Did the world look more alive today? Had the colors ever been this vibrant?

When Raina sat down in class, Ms. Pinbrook had two announcements. One, Clara had finally been able to have surgery on her heart! She was expected back to class in a few weeks when she had healed. Two, the class would have a substitute teacher next week and the week after, as Ms. Pinbrook herself was finally getting to take her trip. Raina swelled with joy! This was best day ever! Clara coming back and Ms. Pinbrook getting to take her trip! What would be next? Is it possible that all of her dreams would come true today?

Sure enough, at lunch, Raina sat down to find Alice with a big school lunch in front of her. She told Raina excitedly how the principal called her down to the office today and said someone had paid for her school lunches for the rest of the year! Raina shared her enthusiasm and as they ate, both Alice and Raina’s stomachs and hearts were fuller than they had been for some time.

There was only one more miracle that Raina was waiting for this day. Would it happen?

When school let out and they had said goodbye to Jace, up came the ice cream truck. Charlie looked at it longingly, but Raina noticed that the driver was waving them over.

“Are you Charlie?” he asked.

“Um… yes, sir” Charlie answered, a little timidly.

“Well then this Triple Rainbow Twist is for you” he said with a smile. He leaned out of the truck, and to Charlie’s immense delight, handed him the most delectable ice cream Charlie had ever imagined.

“THANK YOU!!!” Charlie burst out with glee and began thoroughly enjoying his long desired treat.

“And if you’re Raina, I believe this belongs to you” said the ice cream truck driver. Leaning out the window, he handed Raina her little black book. Raina was too astonished to say anything at first, but she eventually managed a “thank you!” and “where did you get this?”.

“Check inside the book” said the kind man as he drove off to make his neighborhood rounds. Raina opened the book, anxious to know what was inside. At the front was the title she had written out in the dentist’s office. As she flipped through her ideas on how to change the world, she saw a nicely drawn square with a perfect checkmark inside next to each one, just how Raina would have done if she had had her notebook today.

At the very end, she found a small sticky note. She read it with a smile on her face: “Dear Raina, I hope you enjoyed the $20,000. I followed your instructions. And I think the world is now a much better place. – A Friend.”

Raina walked home with Charlie that day smiling, knowing that all the colors were richer, the shapes more vivid, and that the world was a different place now – a much better one.