Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy
ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying,
along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape
recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered
articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part
of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill,
that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having
lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up
with his girlfriend. They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark was
invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon
passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then
Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had
lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high
school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief
contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and
three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did
you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked
Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave
a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mothers sleeping
pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some
time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed
myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might
follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you
did a lot more, you saved my life.”
ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying,
along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape
recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered
articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part
of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill,
that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having
lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up
with his girlfriend. They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark was
invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon
passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then
Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had
lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high
school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief
contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and
three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did
you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked
Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave
a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mothers sleeping
pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some
time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed
myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might
follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you
did a lot more, you saved my life.”
