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.
Every little hello, every little smile, every helping hand saves a
hurting heart. Pass it on.
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and
encourage you to succeed.
They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their heart to us.
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.
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