The Note

                

Roger woke up that morning to find a note on the kitchen table directly across from his

small sleeping quarters. He wiped his eyes and yawned, reaching for the note. Roger did a double

take upon reading it, skimming it over once more. The note was from his mother and said rather

bluntly that he would have to find a way to come up with the money to replace his suede shoes that

he had ruined the day before while playing with his friends during a rain storm. The school year was

right around the corner and these were the only pair that he had owned.

The note also let him know that she would not be home until 7 AM the next morning, working a

double shift at the local hospital. He knew that ever since his father passed that they were having it a

dozen times more rough than when he was around. He scampered over to the corner to take a look at

his shoes and see if they were at all salvageable. They remained drenched, and it appeared that as

always, his mother was correct. He attempted to ask around the neighborhood in an attempt to locate

an unwanted pair of shoes that someone may have had laying around. He was unsuccessful.

After a quick breakfast he ran the options through his mind. The only two he could come up

with were to attend school barefoot or illegally obtain the money. Roger wasn’t a bad kid, he’d never

seen trouble in his life. It seemed like a fair risk to take. He walked outside and examined the

neighborhood briefly. He didn’t see anyone in sight.

He made his way to the corner and came across a large woman with a large purse that had

everything in it but a hammer and nails.