Bear
04-04-2002, 09:05 AM
A Valentine's story
This past weekend, I was rushing around in
Houston,Texas trying to do some Valentine's Day
shopping done. I was stressed out and not
thinking very fondly of the weather right then.
It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot as I
was loading my car up. I noticed that
I was missing a receipt that I might need later.
So mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps
to the mall entrance. As I was searching the wet
pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a quiet sobbing.
The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy
of about 12 years of age. He was short and thin,
and had no coat.He was just wearing a
ragged flannel shirt to protect him
from the cold night's chill. Oddly enough,
he was holding a hundred dollar bill in his hand.
Thinking that he had gotten lost from
his parents, I asked him what was wrong.
He told me his sad story. SPAM:'(
He said that he came from a large family.
He had three brothers and four sisters. His father
had died when he was nine years old. His Mother
was poorly educated and worked two full time jobs.
She made very little to support her large family.
Nevertheless, she had managed to skimp and save
two hundred dollars to buy her children some
Valentine's Day presents
(since she didn't manage to get them
anything on Christmas).
The young boy had been dropped off, by his
mother, on the way to her second job.
He was to use the money to buy presents
for all his siblings and save just enough
to take the bus home. He had not even entered
the mall, when an older boy grabbed one of the
hundred dollar bills and disappeared into the night.
"Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked.
The boy said, "I did."
"And nobody came to help you?" I queried.
The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook
his head. "How loud did you scream?" I inquired.
The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly
whispered, "Help me!"
I realized that absolutely no one could have
heard that poor boy cry for help.
So I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car.
Signed,
Kenneth Lay
Enron CEO
This past weekend, I was rushing around in
Houston,Texas trying to do some Valentine's Day
shopping done. I was stressed out and not
thinking very fondly of the weather right then.
It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot as I
was loading my car up. I noticed that
I was missing a receipt that I might need later.
So mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps
to the mall entrance. As I was searching the wet
pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a quiet sobbing.
The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy
of about 12 years of age. He was short and thin,
and had no coat.He was just wearing a
ragged flannel shirt to protect him
from the cold night's chill. Oddly enough,
he was holding a hundred dollar bill in his hand.
Thinking that he had gotten lost from
his parents, I asked him what was wrong.
He told me his sad story. SPAM:'(
He said that he came from a large family.
He had three brothers and four sisters. His father
had died when he was nine years old. His Mother
was poorly educated and worked two full time jobs.
She made very little to support her large family.
Nevertheless, she had managed to skimp and save
two hundred dollars to buy her children some
Valentine's Day presents
(since she didn't manage to get them
anything on Christmas).
The young boy had been dropped off, by his
mother, on the way to her second job.
He was to use the money to buy presents
for all his siblings and save just enough
to take the bus home. He had not even entered
the mall, when an older boy grabbed one of the
hundred dollar bills and disappeared into the night.
"Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked.
The boy said, "I did."
"And nobody came to help you?" I queried.
The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook
his head. "How loud did you scream?" I inquired.
The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly
whispered, "Help me!"
I realized that absolutely no one could have
heard that poor boy cry for help.
So I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car.
Signed,
Kenneth Lay
Enron CEO