Little Book of Wisdom

Rise and Shine

The rising of the morning sun peeped through the window as George laid asleep. As he opened his eyes to the rays of yellow and orange, the glow was a mere silent alarm clock. Raising out of bed quietly, George was careful not to wake his younger brother, Ethan, as he remained asleep in the twin bed on the opposite side of the bedroom. Grabbing his belongings, George headed to the bathroom to get ready for work. George liked the early morning hours of Saturday and Sunday due to everyone else in the household being asleep. The quiet silence allowed ease, as opposed to during the week when everyone fought over the one hallway bathroom. His sister Natalie usually beat them all to the punch.

The twenty-minute walk to the local grocery mart was always peaceful. It gave George time to think about his future while enjoying the outdoor scenery along the way. The chirping of birds was music to his ears, and the squirrels scattering up trees in a game of chase was always fun to watch. As he approached the town, the peaceful morning walk had come to an end. The weekends were the busiest times at Hal’s Grocery. George worked a few hours after school during the week and mostly half of the day on the weekends. George had worked part-time at Hal’s over the past three years throughout high school. The paychecks helped his family a great deal. His parents were hard workers, but they had struggled over the past few years financially to keep a roof over their heads. The owner, Hal Bridgeman, had promised George a manager position once he finished his senior year. George was grateful for the opportunity but had other aspirations for his future.

Courage

As George clocked in, he said “Good morning”, to his coworkers working the Saturday shift. George had grown very fond of his coworkers; they were all like a second family. There were Tessa, Sue, and Beverly on the cash registers; Henry and Danny on stocking; and George was mostly a floater, fitting in where ever needed. Mr. Bridgeman was in his office completing his morning paperwork as usual; By noontime, the place was packed. George had already swept the floors, replenished the produce, and cleaned the restrooms; George was finishing up his lunch break when he noticed Henry storming out of Mr. Bridgeman's office. George quickly followed Henry out of the store to inquire what was wrong. Henry explained how Mr. Bridgeman had accused him of stealing merchandise and had fired him on the spot. George was in disbelief as he continued to listen to Henry. Everyone knew that Henry was a good, decent, and honest man; A family man with a recently newborn daughter. George was saddened by the look of despair in Henry’s eyes as he walked away mumbling “Oh dear God, my family”. A nauseous feeling settled in George’s stomach. With eyes closed, George inhaled a deep breath. He knew what he had to do, and remaining silent was no longer an option.

George knocked on the office door of Hal, who motioned for him to enter. “Hey George, what can I help you with?” questioned Hal cheerfully. “Well, sir, I wanted to discuss what happened to Henry” replied George. “Now George, that isn’t any concern of yours” stated Hal. “Well, sir, it is my concern because I know who’s been stealing from you, and it isn’t Henry” replied George. “What are you speaking of George?” inquired Hal. George then went on to explain how on numerous occasions, he’d witness Hal’s son Bobby stealing merchandise from the store. Hal exclaimed how absurd the accusations were against his son and how he disagreed with George. George could not believe what he was hearing. As George continued to plead the truth, Mr. Bridgeman angrily stopped George from speaking. Mr. Bridgeman informed George that his decision with Henry was final, and that if George didn’t like it, he could leave as well. Tears crowded George’s eyes as he looked directly at Mr. Bridgeman. Astounded by Hal’s remarks, George painfully uttered the words “I quit".

Lost and Found

Walking across the store parking lot, George was still in disbelief about what had just taken place. He wondered what his parents would think. What would they make of his decision to quit? How would he now help his family financially? George’s thoughts were interrupted as he noticed something left in one of the grocery carts ahead. George rushed over to the cart to find that someone had left their purse. Quickly, turning his head all around, George scanned the parking lot for the owner. He looked, for any women, unloading their groceries or walking to their car. But there was no one. George searched the purse for any leads, as to the owner’s identity. The few items inside consisted of a hair comb, lipstick, and a wallet. In the wallet, George found the ID of the owner. A couple of one-hundred-dollar bills were also present. George pondered how the money could help his family, considering his circumstances. No one was around to witness if he decided to take the cash. No one would know. However, deep down inside, George knew that taking the money was wrong. As George placed the wallet back inside the purse, he noticed a mysterious small black notebook with the words “Little Book of Wisdom”, etched on the cover. Intrigued by the title, George flipped through the pages and was amazed by its contents. How could something so small be so powerful and full of wisdom? Each page of the book contained an inspirational quote by many of the world’s known influential people. There was Mahatma Gandhi’s “Be the change you want to see in the World”. Albert Einstein’s “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new”. Maya Angelou’s “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be”. Nelson Mandela’s “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”. To Anne Frank’s “The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands”; there were at least a hundred pages of many more motivational and uplifting quotes. After reading several more pages, George knew he must return the book to its owner.

A Surprised Journey

It took George two bus rides to get to that side of town, where the owner Vivian Clark resided. George was nervous as he climbed the long driveway to the front entrance of the home. The colorful landscaping was breathtaking. George was astonished by tulips, gardenias, lavender, ferns, and all other sorts of flowers and plants that he had never seen. The front porch with huge, white columns was aligned with six white rocking chairs. George waited patiently for someone to answer the doorbell. A petite woman, a few inches shy of five feet tall finally answered the door smiling. George immediately recognized Vivian by her picture ID found earlier in the wallet. “I’ve been expecting you,” Vivian said as she invited George into her home. “Excuse me, ma’am?” George stated stunned by Vivian’s remarks. Letting out a little chuckle, Vivian was amused by the expression on George’s face. “I realized a while ago that I had left my purse somewhere, while out running errands in town” she replied. “So, I sent up a little a prayer to the man upstairs, and that was that” Vivian laughed. “Oh,” said George still a little confused. “Weren’t you worried about getting your purse back?” George asked. “No”, said Vivian as she smiled and asked, “Would you like some lemonade?”. As they traveled throughout her home en route to the kitchen, George felt like he was on a museum tour. He had never been in someone’s home like this before. Vivian’s home consisted of so many beautiful pieces of furniture, paintings, artifacts, and trinkets collected from all parts of the world. Vivian stopped along the way to share memories about a painting from Peru, a statue from India, and an African mask from Ghana. Sitting at the kitchen table, George sipped his lemonade, as he listened to Vivian share other experiences from her travels. Vivian also listened to George as he shared the dreadful events of his day. “So, what are your next plans?” asked Vivian. In an exaggerated, long, deep breath, George replied “Finish up school and I guess find another job”. Vivian questioned, “Is that what you want to do? What’s your dream George? What would make you happy?’’. George answered “My dream is to attend a university and study film”. “Well, that is what you should do,” said Vivian. As George began to reply with “But my.” he was stopped by Vivian’s raised finger midair, and her firm remarks of “No buts allowed”.

Free

By the time George returned home late that evening, his parents were very upset. Not only had they worried about his whereabouts, but were angry with him for disobeying them and quitting his job. George argued his views on the decisions he had made, but it was useless. His father, stating “Son, that is why we told you to stay silent, mind your own business”; George cried as he now laid across his bed. He had never experienced an entire day with so many lows and highs. George drifted off to sleep as his emotions of hurt versus happiness battled over the events of the day. A couple of hours later, George was awakened by his mother’s touch. Following her quietly, not to wake his siblings, they entered the kitchen where his father sat at the table. George’s mother wept softly as she stated that they owed George an apology. “Son, we were wrong in so many ways. Wrong for putting pressure, and the heavy burden of responsibility of this family on you. Wrong for retracting the morals and values we taught you. Wrong for not supporting your dreams. Son, we’re so proud of the young man you’ve become; and want you to never let anyone deter you away from doing the right thing, not even us”. George was at a loss for words. “Everything will be ok,” said his father as all three stood together embraced in a hug.

Over the next couple of weeks, George continued to focus on his schoolwork and preparing for his future. He had applied to several universities and for the first time felt no worries. A huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he now felt completely free. As he arrived home from school one afternoon, his mother handed him an envelope received in the mail from Mrs. Vivian Clark. The letter read, “Dear George, I’m so grateful for our paths to have crossed. I enjoyed your company greatly, as it’s always fun strolling down memory lane. But sometimes, our journey in life isn’t always easy. There will be struggles and pain along the way. I could never thank you enough for returning my purse. The “Little Book of Wisdom” inside my purse is dear to my heart. It was given to me by my grandmother and has helped me through some tough times. My journey as a female photographer definitely had its challenges. But those motivational and encouraging words in that small black notebook got me through. George, you are special. I want you to never give up on pursuing your dreams and goals. I’ve attached a gift to help you on your journey. Take care, Viv”. George flipped over the letter, and saw a check written for twenty thousand dollars!