Pay it forward

“How much does it cost?” the little boy asked.

"It's free."

The child looked up at me with confusion etched around his brown eyes. "Everything costs something, Mister."

I smiled. " Well, I suppose that's true about many things, but in this case, today, it's free."

The child reached for the set of bubbles with different colored wands in various sizes. He held the big bottle, turning it around to see them all.

"Is this a trick?" He asked.

I couldn't help but laugh at the skepticism. "No tricks. I'm just Paying it Forward for a friend."

"Paying It Forward?" He asked, not familiar with the concept.

I crouched in front of him. " My friend has been sick for the last couple of months. When she found out she worried herself over nothing, she gave me money to use at the fair today and made me promise to pay it forward."

He let that information sit for a moment before his eyes drew into two small slits. "So, because your friend's happy, I can have this for my sister, but it's not free because the lady gave you money."

How was I supposed to argue with that? "Something like that. Why are you buying bubbles for your sister?"

"She's grounded on account of helping Mommy wash the kitchen floor with the garden hose."

I bit my lower lip to suppress a laugh that was about to erupt. "You know what, that deserves two sets."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Definitely. You're a good brother."

"Thanks, Mister, and thank the lady too."

I watched as he rushed off, thinking that was the best five bucks I'd ever spent.




WC: 276