Rose was walking
down the
sidewalk when
she saw a young
boy coming from
the opposite
direction
carrying a
basket full of
vegetables.
Seeing the girl,
the boy stopped
and, wiping his
sweaty face with
a cloth, asked:
|
- Hey girl, does
your mother need
vegetables?
Rose looked at
the vegetables,
half wilted
under the hot
sun, and
replied:
- I do not know.
I'm going to
school and I
cannot go back
home now. Go
there and talk
to my mother. It
is very near
here! - and she
handed him the
address.
- Well, I do not
know if it is
worth it going
there... - she
considered after
looking at the
vegetables.
- But why? - the
boy asked,
wide-eyed.
- Look at them!
They are wilted
and ugly!
The boy heard
the girl and
hung his head
dejectedly.
|
 |
- I know. I've
been trying to
sell them under
this sun since
early this
morning, without
any luck. But
what will I do?
I need money!
- Now I have to
go to school -
Rosa said,
waving her hand
to the boy.
The boy sat on
the curb, in
doubt. Then he
decided to go to
the girl's
house!
He took the
basket and went
to the address.
Upon arriving,
he saw a
beautiful house
with a beautiful
garden and got
no courage to
knock. After a
while, he rang
the bell; a lady
with a friendly
face came to the
door.
- I am selling
vegetables,
madam. Would you
like to buy
some?
The woman looked
at the boy who
was sweating a
lot. She looked
at the basket,
then to his
hands, which the
boy tried to
hide and
realized they
were injured.
The boy waited,
his head down.
With a smile she
said excitedly:
- I'm going to
buy all of your
vegetables!
The boy looked
up, eyes wide,
and stammered:
- Perhaps you
may not have
noticed, but
they are a bit
wilted...
- Do not you
worry, child. I
will just put
them in water
and they will
look good again!
- she replied,
gently.
- Ah! Good! I'm
glad because I
would not want
you to make a
loss on the
purchase - he
said, relieved.
Looking at him
with pity, she
said:
- You seem to be
a good boy!
Would you like
to come in and
eat something,
have a juice or
water? You must
have been
walking under
the sun for a
long time!
He thanked her
and accepted the
offer of that
good lady. Soon,
he was sitting
in the kitchen,
talking to her,
who already knew
that his name
was Tom but she
still wanted to
know more about
his life.
- My name is
Irene, Tom. Why
are you selling
such a heavy
basket of
vegetables?
- Dona1 Irene,
we are poor. My
mother plant
vegetables in
the backyard:
cabbage,
lettuce, chicory
and many others.
But she cannot
sell them
because I have
little brothers:
a two year old
and a six month
old baby. My
father was a
bricklayer but
died some time
ago. So we have
to get money to
live!...
Irene was moved
by Tom's story.
Disguising her
emotion, she
left the room
and returned
shortly after
with a first aid
box. She washed
his hands, dried
them well, and
made the
dressing, so
they would not
get dirty and
could heal soon.
Then she gave
him a sandwich
and a nice
ice-cold glass
of juice. Tom
ate it and drank
it in an
instant. He was
very hungry! He
felt much better
now.
Irene asked if
the house where
they lived was
theirs, but Tom
said:
- No, dona
Irene. My father
was a
bricklayer, but
our house is
rented. Now, the
owner wants to
evict us for
non-payment of
rent arrears. I
do not know what
we'll do!
 |
- Do not worry,
Tom. We will
work it out! -
Irene said with
a sinking heart
of compassion,
reassuring him.
Having an idea,
the woman
decided to meet
Tom's mother.
She took the
basket and they
drove to the
boy's home.
There, Tom's
mother was
surprised to see
him arrive with
such a
distinguished
lady, and
because he had
his hands
wrapped in
bandages, she
was startled but
Irene calmed her
by saying:
|
- Do not worry,
Lucy. Nice to
meet you! I am
Irene. Tom is
well. He injured
his hands
handling the
basket, and I
have come to
bring him home.
Lucy invited her
to sit down and,
once settled,
Irene explained:
- Tom told me
your
predicament.
Would you like
to work for us?
We have a house
in the back of
our property,
where you can
live. So you
will be near
your children,
especially the
baby. Our family
is small, we
have only one
daughter and the
house is too big
for the three of
us!...
Upon hearing the
proposal, Lucy
began to cry
with emotion.
- Dona Irene,
but of course I
accept... It was
God who sent you
here! May God
bless you
forever!... You
took a weight
off my shoulders.
I have prayed a
lot to Jesus
asking Him to
show me the way,
because our
situation was
becoming an
agony.
The children
were happy and
Tom wept with
joy and relief.
The smaller ones
did not know
what was
happening, but
when they saw
their mother
happy they
smiled too.
So when Rose
came home from
school she was
surprised to
learn of her
mother's
decision. She
was relieved,
because all
afternoon she
could not forget
the vegetable
seller and the
way she had
treated him.
Rose received
Tom and his
family with open
arms, thanking
Jesus, Who
certainly had
guided her
mother to help
them.
1 In
Brazilian
society, Dona is
a term of
respect that is
used with the
woman's first
name.
MEIMEI
(Psychographed
by Celia X. de
Camargo on
18/08/2014.)
