Jenny and Loren lived next to each other. They were very good friends. Their mothers, Rosy and Sarah, had been best friends since their childhood, which laid the foundation of Jenny and Loren’s friendship. All four of them used to spend their leisure time together. Jenny and Loren would play for a couple of hours while their mothers would narrate their days to each other. Their families shared very close friendship.
Jenny and Loren used to go to the same school and both of them were in the same grade. One of Rosy or Sarah would drop them to school in the morning; and the other one would pick them up. This was a ritual both of them had been following since both the girls started going to school. On weekends, both the families would gather at either one of the houses and spent the days together.
One Friday, Sarah went to pick the girls from school and found both of them crying, facing their back to each other. Sarah asked “What’s the matter Loren?”, but she did not answer. She kept on sobbing. Sarah then asked the same question to Jenny, but she too did not utter a word. So Sarah proceeded to take them to the car, and took them home. She thought maybe Rosy could talk to them. But Loren did not move. She shouted loudly “I will not go anywhere with Jenny. Don’t take her with us Mommy.” Jenny shouted back “I too don’t want to go with you.” Now Sarah was stuck. Both the girls would not budge. So Sarah called Rosy and asked her to come over and handle the situation.
Rosy reached there, and asked to each one of them about the matter. But no one said anything. Jenny went up to her mother and asked to leave. So did Loren. So for the first time, both of them went home with their own mothers.
After reaching home, Rosy sat beside Jenny and asked her about what happened at school. Jenny burst out in tears again. Rosy made her calm down, and then Jenny quietly started to narrate what had taken place in school that day. “We were sitting together and eating our lunch. Then suddenly Loren picked a slice of bread from my lunch and threw it down. Then I also picked up her fruit but I didn’t throw it Mommy, because we should not waste food you told me. So I kept it in my lunch box. At this, Loren picked up my lunch box and threw all of it down on the floor. Then we started to fight. I stayed hungry. She didn’t even offer her lunch to me. I don’t like her Mommy. I will not talk to her again, ever. I am not angry that she took my food, but that she wasted it.”
Rosy then called Sarah and asked if Loren had told her anything. Sarah denied and said “She is just sitting and not saying anything. Only that she doesn’t like Jenny. I don’t know what to do of this situation.” Rosy asked Sarah to come over. Sarah came a few minutes later. Rosy then told everything to her what Jenny had told Rosy. Sarah became angry at Loren for such an act, and told Rosy that’s she would not give her dinner, and this would be her punishment. But Rosy was against it, she told Sarah that they should handle her with love. So Rosy whispered a plan to Sarah and they both agreed for it.
The weekend went by and both the families spent time together, except Jenny and Loren, they did not say a word to each other.
Next day, both Jenny and Loren went separately to school. And at school too, they did not talk to each other. When school got over, both Sarah and Rosy were there to pick the girls, but there was only one car. Jenny told Rosy that she would not go with them. Rosy said “We are not going home. I and Sarah have planned something special for you.” So, all of them went together. Sarah stopped the car by a street. Jenny and Loren were shocked to see so many people living on streets, with no proper shelter or food. These homeless people begged for food and money from Rosy and Sarah, and Sarah gave them some wrapped food she had brought with her.
Loren now started to feel ashamed of what she did. She asked Sarah if they can help these people more. Sarah said “There’s only one way. We should not waste food, so that we can give them what is left. You should take only that much in your plate which you can eat.” Sarah understood that what she did affects many people. She quietly went to Jenny and said sorry for the previous day. Jenny too smiled and apologized. Sarah and Rosy were very happy to see Loren realizing her mistake. Both the girls went to their mothers and said that they wanted to go home. So they went.
Next day, Rosy dropped them off to school. But both Jenny and Loren were anxious for the afternoon. When Sarah came to pick them, Loren asked, “Mommy, can we go to that street again? We really want to see those people.” So Sarah drove them to the street and Jenny and Loren brought their lunch boxes, in which they had saved the food for the homeless people.
Sarah felt proud of the girls. All of them sat in the car and went home to share the happy story with Rosy.
Wonderful story. Loved the way it is narrated.