Ninny's parents never came. Everyday, the little girl would wait out on the porch. Day after day, night after night, Ninny wouldn't even see their shadow. She would only hope, and it told her to go on. A small lullaby, hope singing her to sleep.
Her grandmother worked as a housekeeper, and her grandfather was too weak to move. He sat on the porch alongside her in his wheelchair. He told her stories about flowers. About stars. About princesses and sunrises and the ocean.
One day, Ninny was at the supermarket with her grandmother. They only bought the bare mininum. A small portion of vegetables. A tiny slice of meat. One drop of tea.
"Oh!" Ninny jumped up and down when she spotted the chocolate cake. She tugged her grandmother's sleeve. "It's grandpa's birthday! He's 79 years old, grandma! Can we please, please, please, please, please have it?"
The old lady eyed the chocolate cake. There was white frosting on it, topped with powdered sugar heaven. There were fancy designs on the side, creating a coffee brown wave of sweetness.
Grandmother sighed at picked up the cake. She glanced at the price and sighed. "Oh, Ninny, we can't. It's $40! We can't afford that."
Ninny pouted, trying to convince her grandmother. Yet she knew that her grandmother would not bend, even if she throws a temper tantrum or beg on her knees with her puppy eyes. No matter what, money did not grow on trees.
Ninny sighed and turned around. Grandmother gave her a sad smile and turned towards the cashiers.
Suddenly, a man with a 50 dollar bill and the chocolate cake shoved these things into Ninny's hands.
"Have them, dear."
Ninny looked up. The man was average. Average face, average body, average clothes, average everything. He would blend in any crowd. He was just so normal.
The man crouched down and maintained eye contact with the little girl. "Do you know why I'm giving you this?"
Ninny shook her head. She didn't know. He was just a random man.
"When I was a little boy, a man bought me a chocolate cake. He was just a simple man that overheard a conversation I had with my mother. Nothing else. He gave a toy robot and some money then left."
"Yet, he also gave me this little slip of paper." The man gave her the piece with something scribbled on it. It said:
A simple act of kindness creates an endless ripple, that comes back to you.
Ninny smiled. He was so kind. "Oh, thank you, sir." she said, hugging the dollar bill, cake and paper to her chest.
He waved goodbye, never to be seen again.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Ninny bursted into her small rickety house. "I got you a beautiful cake!" Her grandfather boomed out a happy laugh as Ninny placed the chocolate cake on his lap. He was in his wheelchair, as always. "Oh, my Ninny," he said. "How much did this cost?"
"Forty dollars, but a nice man gave us the money!"
Grandmother was leaning against the doorway, wearing a sad tired smile. She had pinned her gray hair back into a bun, a few groceries at her feet.
"He also gave me this!" exclaimed Ninny giddily. She passed the slip of paper to hr grandfather.
His eyes widened, then a hugs smile broke out.
"Oh my, Ninny, let me tell you a story."
"A story! Yay, Grandpa! A story!"
"This was a long time ago, when I was just a simple gentleman." He had a far away look in his eyes. "It all started like this..."
"I was only 20 at the time, Ninny. I saw a young boy who wanted to buy a cake for his aunt, but his mother said no. He begged, and I overheard that he never gave anything to his aunt. Never, Ninny, never! Without hesitation, I gave him $50 and the cake. I quickly scribbled a message on a paper and a gave the paper to the boy, so he would never forget. I guess he did not, did he?"
"What was on the paper, Grandpa?"
"Oh, you ought to know! I wrote:
A simple act of kindness creates an endless ripple, that comes back to you.
Author Notes: See this story acted out by people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brs-8PGjp1M
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