– Mrs. Someone: “Get up! We promised the kids we’d take them out today, and it’s already noon.”
– Mr. Someone: “Get the kids ready first, then call me.”
– “The kids are ready, we’re all waiting for you.”
– “Can’t you guys go by yourselves? I really don’t have the energy.”
– “Since we moved to this city, you haven’t spent a single day with the kids, and you even work on Saturdays. Don’t go back on your word now. Get up, the kids are waiting.”
– “Alright, alright, I’m coming! I’ll get up now.”
Ever since Mr. Someone got his promotion, he works six days a week. His administrative duties force him to stay late at the office every day, which is why he hates spending his one day off out in the city traffic. But the kids don’t understand these things, and to be fair, they have a point. Mrs. Someone has also grown accustomed to this lifestyle, and her only comfort has become Mr. Someone’s Sundays.
Despite Mr. Someone having a large car, everyone still has to take the bus to the lake park—and recently, they’ve had to pay bus fare for the two youngest ones as well. Still, it’s a sunny weekend day, and lying under the shade of a tree in a quiet park with homemade sandwiches that Mrs. Someone prepared isn’t so bad after all. The kids, who are usually glued to their tablets and console at home every day, are now forced to entertain themselves differently, which makes Mrs. Someone very happy.
Looking like he had just moved mountains, Mr. Someone slumps under the dappled shade of a tree, dozing off, when his youngest daughter says with an uncertain look, “Daddy, I want a new pair of shoes.”
Mr. Someone replies, “What’s wrong with the shoes you have?”
“They’re completely faded,” his daughter says.
Mr. Someone answers, “You know we can’t buy shoes until the beginning of next year.”
Before the argument can go any further, Mrs. Someone gives the little girl a stern look and says, “Can we go out for just one day without you guys getting on your father’s nerves?” She uses the plural form so the rest of the kids get the message, too.
Mr. Someone knows that if he says yes to one kid, he has to say yes to all of them; otherwise, buying shoes and clothes for the kids would make both them and Mrs. Someone very happy. Of course, saying “no” all the time is deeply depressing for Mr. Someone. He tells himself, I don’t work six days a week just to hand out ‘no’s to my entire family. But what choice does he have? The kids are growing up, and their needs are growing right along with them.
Lounging in the shade of the tree, Mr. Someone finds himself thinking about his workplace and the tasks he has to do at the office tomorrow. That young new employee who was recently hired is extremely talented and hardworking, and he’s systemizing all the department’s work. If the system does everything, why do they need me or many others? Now that the general manager has asked for my opinion on this new hire, I should do something to get him fired and sent away… No, that’s not in my nature either. But with all these kids and expenses, what am I supposed to do? Maybe it would have been better if we had gone to church today after all this time. Ever since we moved from ‘Nowhereville’, we’ve only gone a few times. Maybe I could have talked to the priest about this and made the right decision, or at least felt a little better. Though the priest’s answer is obvious; with a calm facade and complete confidence, he’d probably tell me: ‘My son, you must do what Jesus Christ would do if He were on earth. You must love your Christian brother and try to help him.’
The veil of Mr. Someone’s thoughts is torn apart by Mrs. Someone’s voice: “Get up and take the boys for a quick walk. It’s been a long time since they had a father-and-son day.”
Reluctantly, Mr. Someone gets up and goes with his two boys to kick a ball around. A few minutes later, one of his daughters comes running up to him, bubbling with joy: “Daddy, look what I found! A really pretty bracelet!”
Mr. Someone gives her a big kiss and says, “Great job! Go play with your sisters.”
A few minutes later, Mrs. Someone walks up to Mr. Someone and says, “Look at this.”
– “Yeah, I saw it. One of the girls found it.”
– “This bracelet is real gold.”
– “Real gold?”
– “Yeah. It’s really heavy too, and there’s a name engraved on the back. It clearly belongs to a wealthy family.”
– “Are you sure it’s gold?”
– “No, but who engraves their name on the back of a fake bracelet?”
– “What should we do now? Let me see it.”
– “I don’t know, take a look.”
– Mr. Someone says with a touch of humor, “If it’s gold, it’s worth a lot. We could clear the car payments with this. What a blessed outing this turned out to be!”
Mrs. Someone, clearly unimpressed by his joke in front of the kids, replies, “Well, if you’re done being funny, go write on a few pieces of paper: ‘Found gold item. Owner please call this number.’ Whoever gives the correct description, we’ll hand the gold over to them.”
– “Why not give it to the police?”
– “It’ll involve paperwork and a thousand stupid headaches. If no one calls after a few days, we’ll give it to the police.”
Even though it turned out to be a nice family day for Mr. and Mrs. Someone, and they enjoyed spending time with the kids after such a long time, both of them knew they would feel even more exhausted this week. They needed to get home as soon as possible to rest for at least a few hours.
Shortly after, Mrs. Someone says, “Kids, pack up so we can head home.” Mr. Someone is thoroughly relieved by the news.
Halfway back on the bus, Mr. Someone receives a call from an unknown number. Mrs. Someone whispers that it must be the owner of the bracelet. She’s right. An unknown man, sounding middle-aged and composed, speaks calmly: “Hello, I believe you have our gold.”
After the man provides the identifying details, Mr. Someone says, “Yes, that’s correct. We’re on the bus right now and getting off in a few stops. If you have a car, please meet us there and I’ll hand the bracelet over to you.”
When they all step off the bus, the air has turned chilly as the sun sets. Everyone waits inside the glass bus shelter for the owner to arrive. After waiting a few minutes, Mr. Someone tells Mrs. Someone, “You take the kids home. Once I hand over the bracelet, I’ll follow you.”
Mr. Someone waits for nearly an hour. He thinks to himself how glad he is that he sent the kids home—otherwise, they would be completely exasperated by now. He can’t help thinking what an inconsiderate person the owner is for taking so long and wasting his Sunday evening like this.
Finally, a car flashes its headlights from a distance, and Mr. Someone walks toward it. As he gets closer, the rare, limited-edition car catches his eye. He tells himself that the owner of such a car must indeed be the owner of this expensive bracelet.
When he steps close, the owner says from inside, “Hop in.”
– “No, thank you very much, I have to get going. Here is your bracelet.”
The owner, who doesn’t even bother stepping out of the car, takes the bracelet and hands a stack of cash toward Mr. Someone with a brief thanks. From the sheer thickness of the bills in his hand, it’s clear it’s a lot of money.
– Mr. Someone asks, “What’s this for?”
– The owner replies, “To compensate you for your kindness. People like you are very rare. Please accept it.”
– Mr. Someone says in a firm tone, “Don’t even mention it. Anyone else would have done the same.”
– “It’s obvious you aren’t from around here.”
– “To be honest, we haven’t been in ‘Behind-the-Mountain’ for long. Me and my family.”
– “Ah, so my guess was right. What did you say your name was?”
– “I’m Mr. Someone.”
– “What kind of neighborhood is this? I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that my lost bracelet would turn up in a place like this.”
Mr. Someone, clearly displeased by the owner’s pretentious tone—stemming from his high-society background—says, “Our place might not be great, but even in a neighborhood like this, we struggle to get by with seven kids.”
– “Seven kids? Good Lord… In any case, I wanted to repay your favor somehow.”
– “There’s no need. Good night.”
– The owner, feeling somehow obligated to make it up to Mr. Someone, says, “Wait, you have my number, right?”
– “The number you called from? Why?”
“Yes. I own the company ‘The Complete Package‘. You’ve probably heard of it. If you’re looking for a proper job, I’d be happy to have a reliable person like you around me. I promise that at the end of the month, you’ll have more money left over than anywhere else you work—if you’re interested, of course. It would be my honor.”
Mr. Someone, who never has anything left over at the end of the month, is completely caught off guard by the offer and the name of the company, even though there’s an air of arrogance behind the proposal. Straightening himself up, Mr. Someone says with a mix of stress and excitement, “Oh, yes… I’ll give you a call. Though, I’ve been working at a company for a while now and…”
The owner cuts him off: “Sorry, I’m parked illegally. I’ll be waiting for your call then. Goodbye and good night.”
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
“Why go to the king to ask for something? When you set greed aside, you are no different from the king yourself.”
