A clump of hair smacked across
Colin's face. The wind even tried wrestling him to the ground. Instead of
newspapers, it felt as if Colin’s news-bag was full of Nova Scotia potatoes. Maybe it had to do with the news dad
read before Colin left the house. The morning headlines were full of the usual
sad stories.
"For goodness sakes," dad said.
"No good news again!"
CAR ACCIDENTS! HOUSE BURNS! STORM DAMAGE!
Colin wished he could have
been able to cheer up dad. He moved quickly from house to house leaving papers
on the porch or in the mailbox. It
helped being the fastest runner in the school and even wearing his new running
shoes. Right now Colin wished he
could bring only good news to his family, also to his friendly neighbors.
"There's that paper boy bringing sad news
again," they were probably saying.
"How could he make things better for
everyone?" he wondered as he continued to deliver his papers.
He met Nathan near Victoria
Park. Colin really liked Nathan, even if his words sometimes got mixed up. Someone told him Nathan was mentally
challenged. But Colin didn't care. Nathan was his friend. Colin noticed Alice coming. She was in
his class. She only had one real eye. The other was made of glass. He liked
Alice even if people called her, "Bionic lady," behind her back.
He didn't realize how much It
helped her, having a friend like Colin.The dog down the street barked loudly.
Prince was lonely tied to his chain and Colin knew all he needed was a good
friend. He always liked to pat the dog's head. Prince's breath was warm as he
licked Colin's hand.
"It's okay boy," he told the dog.
Each time Colin left a paper
by a customer's door he felt bad, such sad news. How could he make some good
news? He thought about it a lot, as he made his rounds. Colin gave his usual cheerful "Hi" to everyone on his
route. Adults and children on both sides of the street yelled and waved back.
His smile was like the rising
sun. Someone was crying and he ran
to where a little boy had fallen and hurt his leg. Colin calmed him down until
the boy's mother arrived.
"I'm glad you're my paperboy," she told
Colin.
He continued on his route,
still ten more customers to go. But, he didn't feel tired. It was fun doing
what he usually did, helping others. Now,
let's see. What else could he do to cheer up people?
His best friend Donna came by
to pick up her paper. It saved him from going all the way to the second floor. It
was her way of saying ‘thanks’ for giving her a chance to earn money, helping
him on Saturdays. She was saving money for Christmas presents. Besides, he
liked Donna a lot.
Mr. Weatherby was such a
grouch but Colin didn't mind. His car was not working, again. And Mr.
Weatherby's lawn was all grown up, again. Colin would come later and cut the
grass. No charge, again.
He raced up the street to his
last customer. Colin had quite a bit of energy left, as he bounded up the
stairs. Mrs. Williams saw him coming and had her usual snack waiting. She
wondered why such a lively boy always had time to chat with an old lady. Lemonade and his favorite peanut butter
cookies were a neat treat. After all, she had told him many times he was her
favorite paperboy.
His own treat for his
customers came from his little boy's heart. Colin was so full of joy, and it
made him many friends. Everyone looked forward to his daily trips with the
newspaper, even if some of the news was sad. There were customers from all
over. Some even came from China and Africa. Others had thick, wavy hair and
some, no hair.
Colin didn't mind. He liked
them all. Some of his customers were fat, others skinny. And some had customs
and clothes, which were different. But it didn't matter to Colin. He liked them
all.
Colin did have much good news
to share, even if he didn't realize it. His smile and polite manners brought
cheering-up news to all his customers. Yes, Colin was a very special paperboy.
From : Bedtime.com
