“Mom, how are you feeling?” mumbled Troy.
“Not very great. I’ll need medication quickly,” Mom said softly as she lay on her hospital bed.
“How much will the medication cost?” Troy said curiously.
“One thousand dollars,” mumbled Mom.
“But we can’t get that kind of money right now!” screamed Troy.
“Well, we’ll just have to see and wait,” said Mom.
Troy wanted to cry, but he tried his best not to. He wanted to show his mother he was strong. He loved her so much. She had been there for him through all his troubles, so now he wanted to be there for her. As Troy was about to leave, his mom stopped him and said, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Sure,” Troy said sarcastically.
Troy was obviously planning something. He decided to go outside to look for a part time job. He thought, “Why not? It’s summer and I’ll definitely have enough money racked up in one month.” But Troy wondered, “What kind of part time job can get me enough? Minimum wage can get me $45 a day. So in a month, I’d have more than enough! The first thing I can think of would be… fast food!”
So Troy went on to get a fast food job. He decided maybe a McDonald’s crew member would be a good start. Troy thought, “I’d rather be a cashier, but I’m not necessarily of age for that.” He walked over to McDonald’s. He thought, “Well, they are looking for workers. This is a great time to apply.” He walked in, asked about interviews and was able to get a scheduled interview the next day! He didn’t have very nice clothes, but he indeed wanted to show off as a great person.
Troy was at the interview. He was having a nice, casual conversation with the manager.
“You have quite the record here, don’t you?” said the manager.
“What do you mean?” grumbled Troy.
“Stealing and many other different things, things I’m not mentioning right now,” nagged the manager.
“So I can’t get the job?” Troy said sadly.
“Absolutely not!” screamed the manager.
“So be it,” Troy said as he zoomed out of the interview.
Troy was crying. He had no idea how he would get enough money for his mother. He just ran into an alley and sat there crying.
A shady man walked up to him. He asked, “What are you doing here, little man?”
“That’s none of your business!” screamed Troy. The man had appeared out of nowhere, which made Troy suspicious.
“Don’t worry, I can help you. I promise,” the shady man said in a persuading tone.
“All I need is money,” mumbled Troy.
“He doesn’t know me. Why would he help me?” Troy thought.
“Sure, I can get you that. How much?” said the shady man.
“One thousand dollars,” said Troy in a low tone.
“Sure, I can get you that, but make sure you pay me back, okay?”
The man opened up a briefcase with lots of money. He took $1000 out and handed it to Troy. Troy said, “Thanks! I’ll definitely pay you back, sir.”
Troy felt as if he hadn’t done anything bad. He had the money. Now everything should be good, right? The man seemed like a decent guy anyway. A nice suit and tie, nice shoes… “Now I gotta hurry back to my mom!” thought Troy in his head.
Troy got to the hospital and came to his mother’s room with a large bag. “What’s in the bag?” said his mom, confused.
“The money,” Troy said almost as if he was scared.
“Money?” Mom yelled.
“Yeah, you know, the money for your medication?” Troy said. As Troy opened the bag, his mom immediately screamed, “How did you get all this money! Did you do anything stupid” she asked.
“I, um, borrowed it,” he said dejectedly.
“FROM WHO?” Mom shouted.
“A man on the street,” Troy said.
“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I SAID WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT! FIND THE MAN AND GIVE IT BACK!”
“Okay,” Troy said. “Why is Mom so upset?” he thought. “I didn’t steal it. I didn’t even ask for it. The man was creepy, but he offered it to me. I’m gonna pay it back. Why can’t she just take it?”
Troy went back to the street looking for the man who gave him the money. He saw him talking to another boy in the same alley. “Hmmm… weird,” he thought. Troy threw the money back near the shady man and said, “I don’t need your money!” And Troy ran back to his mom.
“I gave the money back,” he told his mom.
“Good,” said Mom in relief. Troy started crying.
“How am I gonna get the money then?”
His mom smiled and said, “A nice man has actually decided to donate it. We don’t owe him a debt or anything! Troy hugged his mom and they both started crying tears of joy.
“Thank goodness!” said Troy.