The lollipop

Mid evening, dark outside, wintery cold time of year, and there’s a gentle tapping on the front door and giggling voices.

Strange, I thought, as no one usually calls in an evening, must be local kids, usual prank, ‘ knock and run’, or more updated, modern and lazier version doing the rounds of ‘knock and couldn’t be bothered to run!’

So, decided to investigate. Crept to the door, and opened it in a much gusto way…like ‘taadaaah’.

And at first I couldn’t see anyone, then realised looking down towards the ground were two young kids each holding plastic bags.

One, positively ‘sales kid of the year’ (and yes, it’s only early January!) politely asks if I would like to buy a ‘bag of sweets for £10.00?

Now, my modern day of living I find I just don’t possess cash in pocket anymore and noting they can’t accept credit or debit card payments I just politely replied, “I’m sorry, I just have no money.” Being so impressed by their entrepreneurial prowess and determination of these two young kids, what I was supposed to say was “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash on me.”

The kid looked up at me and my ‘plight’, opened up the plastic bag of sweets, reached in, fumbling around and produced a lollipop!

“Here, have this. You can have it for free!”

“Thank you so much,” I replied as the lollipop was launched into my low down reaching out hand. “That’s very kind of you!”

Closing the door, as the kids raced to the next house in the street, I felt wrecked and yet immensely proud.

With me saying “I had no money” produced an act of kindness from a young kid who must have thought I was in a state of financial ruin and had decided to let me have one of the sweets for free!

There’s still hope in the world!

now for a cup-of-T