Spare Some Change Please?

Part of OSAD - A story of change...

“Spare some change please?”

The man looked down at the small boy. The boy stared up at him with a weirded-out expression, and slowly dug into his pocket.

“Um…why do you need change, mister?” he asked.
“Well, you see, young man, I have been kicked out of my home today,” the tall man explained in a deep, almost announcer-like voice.
“Uh huh,” the boy murmured.
“My wife, after throwing me out, proceeded to toss all of my clothing out of our second story window!” the man continued.
“Go on.”
“Upon finishing this dreaded task, I discovered that my wife, in her haste to eliminate my laundry from our home, forgot to drop a bag for my laundry!”
“Okay.”
“So after an hour of reminding her, she finally tossed a garbage bag to me, and I proceeded to shove all of my clothing into it. Since it was on the ground for so long, I figured my clothes must have gotten quite dirty, so I trekked on over here, only to now discover that my dear wife forgot to toss my wallet out the window with my clothes!”

The boy blinked confusedly at him. This man talked with a lot of gusto for someone who had been kicked out by his own wife.

“So, I am now standing before this laundromat with a full sack of laundry, and no quarters!” the man finished, “So, as you can see, my young fella, I am in need of change.”
“Oh…”

The boy hesitated for a few seconds, then dug a few quarters out of his pocket and handed them to the aging old gentleman. He smiled graciously, his handlebar moustache wiggling with delight.

“Thank you, young man!” he said cheerfully, pocketing the coins, “May you be blessed!”
“Um…yeah, sure, mister,” the boy murmured awkwardly before walking to his bike and peddling away.
“Ah, what a nice young man,” the gentleman sighed as the boy sped off, “Unfortunately, I’m a quarter short of a load!”

So he continued waiting until another gentleman passed by.

“Hello, good sir!” he called ecstatically, “Could you spare some change?”
“Er, why?” the young man asked, cocking a brow.
“Well, you see, good sir, I was home and bringing my laundry downstairs when, suddenly, a pipe blew!” the gentleman explained, “So, as it stands, I am unable to do my laundry at home!”
“What, you ain’t got cash, man?” the younger guy grunted.
“Well, you see, sir, I did!” the gentleman continued, “but on my way here, this heavy sack of clothing tipped me over, and my wallet fell down the sewer. Alas, all of my change was in there…”
“Well, that’s your fault,” the guy said with a shrug.
“Please, sir, just a little change will really help me out,” the gentleman said, smiling, “Surely a well off man like you can spare a few quarters.”
“Hmm…no.”

The guy walked away, leaving the gentleman alone. He simply remained on the sidewalk, still smiling, until an older woman passed by. She smiled kindly at him.

“My dear lady, I hate to bother you,” the gentleman said, “but I fear I am in need of some change.”
“Oh, I think I may have some,” the old lady replied, her shaky fingers slowly digging into her purse, “You know, you remind me of my grandson…”

The day continued on like that, with few giving and most ignoring or leaving. That gentleman stayed on the sidewalk in front of the laundromat all morning until later in the afternoon, when he took up his sack and headed towards the local elementary school, the coins jingling in his pocket. When he arrived, the children were all being released, and a small girl ran screaming happily to him.

“Daddy!” she cried.

He picked her up, her in one hand, the sack in the other, and they walked down the street towards an old fashioned store full of little capsule toy machines. The gentleman set his daughter down and handed her all of his quarters.

“Go ahead,” he said, smiling.

He set the sack on the floor and opened it. Inside, a ton of capsule toys lay still. His daughter put in the quarters and tossed the toys into the sack, beaming brightly when she finished.

“Do we have enough now, Daddy?” she asked sweetly.
“I think so, hun. I think so.”

He lifted her up again and they walked together to the church. Inside, an elderly man greeted them, smiling wide.

“Another donation?” he asked.
“Yeah. Another,” the gentleman answered, smiling.
“You’re going to give many children a happy Easter,” the man said, smiling at the father and daughter, “Even just a small toy can bring smiles.”

The father then took his daughter’s hand and brought her to her home. Her mother was waiting on the porch, and she nodded vaguely at the gentleman before taking her daughter’s hand and leading her inside, leaving the father alone. He sighed and gazed at the home before leaving, the empty sack his only possession.

Author's Note

Critique is always welcome~ Feel free to say whatever you want