The Kindness Test

Jesse smiles listening to her ten-year-old daughter talking to her friends, nodding she thought to herself, “she was much smarter and I when I was her age,” as she turns to go back upstairs these words stopped her, “I don’t care how smart he is, he is dirty, poor and shouldn’t be in our school. I don’t want him to be apart of our project.” She eased closer and listened.

Her daughter continues, “I don’t care if we can’t win without him, his clothes are second hand and not always clean.” Jesse walks over and stood in front of her daughter.

“I have to go,” Carly said hanging up. “You weren’t listening? Right, Mom?”

Jesse was angry and Carly knew that look.

“Who is he?”

Carly held her head down and said, “Adrian Rosen Junior.”

That name hit a drum in her head, as pain pulls her down memory lane. She recovers quickly and said, “what did he do to you?”

“Nothing Mom, he just doesn’t fit in,” Carly explained.

“What, he is too poor?”

“Yea,” Carly said. “He is untidy, always late, never prepared for class, but he is smart. And I think he lives alone. No parents would let their children leave their house looking like he does. Plus, he is always short of books and pencils.”

Jesse stares at her angrily and said, “Go to your bed.”

Carly obeys.

The next morning as she drops Carly off at school, she drove off then recycled back and waited. One child stood out, as he hurries inside, a familiar voice called out, “Junior, don’t be late today please.”

He nods and hurries inside the school as the bell rings again.

Jesse looks at him, the years and time haven’t been a friend to him. She watches as he walks in her direction, in clothes that seem to be falling off his thin body structure. As he approaches her car, she opens the door and greets him, “Mr. Rosen.”

He stops, looks at her with sad eyes. He didn’t recognize her. Jessed smiles at him and said, “Twenty years ago, you were one of the volunteers at the Enid Hill Center for troubled teens. You signed a paper for me, lying that you knew me. My life was a mess, your signature on that paper got me hired. The company sent me to college, giving me the power to change my life.”

His eye lights up, but she knew he still didn’t recognize her.

“Can I buy you breakfast?”

The light in his eyes got bigger and she opens the car door for him, and he slides in.

She took him to a small family diner near her office.

“Clara,” she said to the waitress as they sat down, “Give Mr. Rosen whatever he wants.”

He orders two sandwiches to go and said to her, “I am looking for work, can you help me?”

Jesse smile and said, “You still good at computers?”

He nods then said, “I can’t remember you. I do remember working at that Youth Center in the summer of 2000, but then I had lied to help so many at- risk youths, I can’t remember all of them.”

“I remembered. I was sixteen and facing an uncertain future, with an alcoholic abusive single mother who doesn’t know who my father was. I am now the CEO of The Limelight Computer Inc. They saw something different in me that you saw. I owe you my life, and I want to pay you back.”

Tears were running from his eyes, and he said, “Someone will always look back.”

“Where do you live?” Jesse asks.

He sighs deeply as water gathers in his eyes, struggling to keep the tears where they are, he nods and chokes out these words, “One of the sandwiches is for my son.”

“I have more than enough room at my home, you are welcome to stay until you are able to get your own place. But I need a favor from you,” Jesse said.

“Anything I can do to help,” he said finally wiping his eyes.

“My daughter is in your son’s class; I need you to tell her about me and what my life was twenty years ago. You see, children need to know the truth about where they came from. I want you to give her the cake, with no icing.”

He bit into his bottom lip, fighting to keep the tears.

Carly was shocked when she got home and saw Andrain Rosen and his father in their living room. She read the look on her mother’s face and sat down on the nearest sofa facing them.

Jesse gets the point, “Honey, 20 years ago, this man saved my life, if it wasn’t for him, you would have all of this.”

Mr. Rosen did give her the cake without icing. Carly was shocked when he was finished. She ran to her Mom and hugged her crying, “I am so sorry Mom, I didn’t know.” Jesse hug her only child and said, “Mr. Rosen didn’t save my life only, he saved yours too.”

Life is a test, and when you are tested for kindness, try not to fail, because the kindness you give, you might need some of it back later.

Thank you for reading this piece. I hoped you enjoyed it.