David, a young and talented football player, always dreamed of making it to the national team. Despite being just 12, he practiced a lot, and was determined to make his dream come true. He also dreamed of a pair of spiked shoes.
Every now and then, while sitting at the window seat on the school bus, he daydreamed of lifting the trophy of an important championship and thanking his mother for everything she had done for him. “That would be an awesome speech,” he would mumble.
For months, David had been saving for a new pair of sneakers. He loved those sneakers so much. Every day, he would sell lemonade on the stand he had built himself and would help his neighbors with errands in order to be able to collect the money himself without burdening his mom who already had a lot on her plate raising him and his twin sisters.
David stopped by the shoe store and told the owner that he had been saving up for the new shoes. “Young man, your shoes will be here waiting,” Mr. Manning said with a smile on his face.
One day, on the way to school, a boy named Guillermo asked David if he could take the seat next to him. “Of course,” David replied.
Guillermo admired David. He wanted to be famous among the schoolmates just as David was.
That day, Guillermo told David that he liked his shoes, but David said they were old already and that he was saving up for a brand new pair.
Guillermo felt a bit embarrassed and hid his feet under the seat. The truth was that it was his shoes that were old and worn out, not David’s.
In the days that followed, David and Guillermo became close friends. One day, David told his friend, “Guillermo, I finally did it. My piggy bank is full. I’m getting my dream shoes today.”
Guillermo was very happy for David, and as the two talked, the bus suddenly jolted over a pothole, and one of Guillermo’s shoes fell off onto the bus floor.
David was taken aback. The shoe had a hole on the sole. He felt sorry for his friend and a bit embarrassed because he was bragging about the new shoes this whole time, while his friend’s were really old, the canvas was coming apart, and there was no sign of a lace.
“I know how much you wanted those spiked sneakers, and I’ve seen you selling lemonade and delivering newspapers. You helped a friend in need, and I wanted to surprise you today.”
David learned that day that even the tiniest act of kindness always goes a long way.
