Always a Reason

Vivian was a local volunteer who was barely scraping by, but no matter how down on her luck, she never asked anyone for anything in return for her kindness. There would be days that she would not eat and sometimes also go without heat. Vivian was a very busy lady; she had a job but worked just enough to pay her bills, and sometimes that wasn’t enough. The thought of working two jobs had crossed her mind now and then, but she was too involved with volunteering. There was something volunteering gave her that working could not, and it was bigger than money. It gave her the self confidence that she needed in life. Though life seemed tough and often unbearable, she never let it get the best of her; she had a little black book that she wrote all of her troubles in. Vivian would write about the good, the bad, and even the sad things in her life – never thinking anyone could have gone through similar things in their life.

There was a man by the name of Desmond, who Vivian volunteered for twice a week. She would bring Desmond groceries on Monday, and come back on Saturdays to make sure his house got a weekly clean. Vivian never knew much about Desmond except that he was kind, quiet, and he never went without cottage cheese in his fridge. Whenever Vivian would come by the house, she would also notice he was very busy in his office making what looked like posters and checking his computer quite regularly. Though, she never knew why he was doing this – never once did Vivian ever expect Desmond to volunteer all of his spare time into different things.

Vivian was advertising that she had some more spare time to offer, and she was available to help if needed. Desmond had come across her advertisement on his computer as he is also quite the volunteer. Desmond is a quiet man, very kind, and shares a love for helping others like Vivian. When he came across the advertisement, he contacted Vivian for some other things that she could do around the house for him. He asked Vivian if she was able to tend to some outside chores, and he would cook her dinner in return as she had never asked for anything the entire time she has volunteered for Desmond. Vivian started volunteering more and more often; it was a way for her to keep her mind clear of all the negativity in her life.

In the following weeks and many more visits to Desmond’s house, Vivian started to get to know Desmond and all of the volunteer work that he was a part of. Vivian did not realize how far an individual can go to help others and the impact that it can have on others around the country; she knew all along there was a reason volunteering gave her a taste of happiness. She began to learn from Desmond; imbibing every ounce of knowledge he had. Desmond didn’t seem to have much but his happiness and pride in what he did. Did Vivian care? No. She adored the fact that she could see a little of herself in Desmond.

Vivian went home that night to write in her little black book, but to her surprise, she had lost it! That book contains all of her personal life information; the good, the bad, and even the sad events; she needed it back! Vivian did not know where to begin looking for her book as she volunteers at many places but rarely ever takes her book out in public. The book only gets brought with her in case of any emergency that she feels the need to write down, yet this never seems to happen. Vivian thinks to herself, where have I needed to take that book of mine out? Vivian decides then to lay down on what she liked to call a bed to think about where her little black book might be, so she could get it back as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, back at Desmond’s house in his office where he spends time on his volunteer work, he found something unknown to him; a little black book. Desmond did what comes natural to any human being, and that is to open what he has found. Upon reading this little black book that he came across in his office, he realized that the book belonged to Vivian. Desmond kept reading Vivian’s book, not to be rude, but because he was intrigued by what he was reading. Vivian kept her composure around the people she volunteered for, but she would completely fall apart in her little black book. The book was a place for confession as well as no judgement; Vivian feared judgement. Desmond started to look around his home and thought to himself, Vivian must think we are so much alike! He thought to himself some more Vivian must think I have no money and spend all my time volunteering the same way she does! He thought to himself again, this must be why she has been so interested in all the Volunteer work that I do! Desmond felt the need to come forward with some withheld information and be honest with Vivian. He was starting to consider her a friend.

Vivian came by to do the usual volunteer work and the added bit of time spent learning on bigger ways to volunteer. When Vivian arrived, though, she noticed that Desmond seemed a little distracted and quiet, but in a different way than Vivian knew to be normal. Desmond did not give her any time to ask what was wrong before he had sat her down to ask some questions. “Does the reason you volunteer so often and ask nothing of anyone happen to be because you are not satisfied with your life at home? Emotionally? Financially? Or both? Do you think that I am living my life the same way? Hiding my feeling through volunteer work?” What a mouthful that was, but it needed to be asked after what Desmond had read. Vivian was embarrassed and didn’t even want to look Desmond in the eyes. She thought to herself, is this where I left my little black book? HE READ MY LITTLE BLACK BOOK? MY BOOK!? MINE! She needed a few minutes to think about how to react since she really didn’t know why Desmond was asking this question out of the blue like that. After taking a few minutes to herself, Vivian looked over to Desmond and asked him why he would ask such a question. Desmond’s response blew her away.

Desmond reached his hand out to Vivian in a gentle manner to explain how he found and read her little black book, and to tell her a little more about himself. He explained that he felt he maintained an image that was incorrect, giving Vivian the wrong impression. Desmond went on to tell Vivian how he had inherited a lot of money when he was 22 years old; his parents got into an accident, and sadly, neither of them survived. He only used what money he needed to live comfortably and not irresponsibly, and he had invested the rest. Life to Desmond was not about fancy things; he thought life was about love and helping others to bring peace and harmony into the world. Desmond told Vivian that he does see a lot of himself in her. Though, after reading the little black book, he felt that Vivian saw the two of them as one and the same. It was that very reason Desmond felt the need to explain to Vivian that he had money he never liked to show off; the same way she never liked the outside world to know about her struggles.

Desmond sat for a while, and thought to himself, she sure has been through a lot, and Vivian does quite a bit of stuff for others without asking for anything in return. It wasn’t long after that when Desmond knew what he had to do, yet he hadn’t any idea when he would tell her. He gave some thought about how he wanted to feel more connected to Vivian first; this way his kind gesture wouldn’t be mistaken for pity. Over the next few days, Vivian would come over to do the usual volunteer work, but Desmond would act a little more nurturing than normal; this made Vivian feel something that she had been missing for some time now. It didn’t take long for Vivian to become more comfortable around Desmond, and she began to share more when she would come by. Desmond could see the slight change within their relationship; he knew that with this change came the right time to tell Vivian what he has wanted to tell her for the last week!

Desmond asked Vivian to sit down and told her not to be alarmed. She sat comfortably, curious as to what was about to be discussed. Desmond reached out and held Vivian’s hand and told her that he had a gift to give her; she looked at Desmond confused. Desmond explained to Vivian again that he had an inheritance that he had invested in, and wanted to provide her with $75,000. Vivian was speechless but continued to look Desmond in the eyes in complete shock. After a few minutes, Vivian asked Desmond why he was so willing to gift her such a great value of money, and his response was beautiful.

Vivian received words that can only be spoken by someone who truly understands what the value of another person means. Desmond explained how he has never thought she was struggling the way she had described in her little black book. “You always make sure others are taken care of at no cost to you; never once have you asked for help when it was needed!” he said to Vivian. At this moment, she realized deeply what Desmond was trying to say, and she let it sink in. Vivian and Desmond had a long conversation about life and the ups and downs it brings. Desmond mentioned how he really wanted to see Vivian take a lump sum of money like he did and use what she needs and invest the rest. She took this advice and decided to take his gift of $75,000. This gift helped Vivian to put a down payment on a house of her own, pay off some debt, and still have $40,000 to invest in the future. This made for a new direction in her little black book.

Desmond and Vivian Spent a lot more time with each other, and grew to know even more about one another. The two of them continued to volunteer together and started a yearly fundraiser to help support families that have lost loved ones, and to bring awareness to safety to help prevent accidents everywhere. What brought these two together? Was it fate? We don’t really know, but what we do know is that everything happens for a reason. The reason may not be clear in the beginning, but with courage and perseverance you will come to know what that reason may be. For Desmond and Vivian, the reason was to help others and achieve life’s gratitude through their actions.

Copyright © 2021 Tamara Slusarchuk Vocal+ submission