Story of forgiveness
short story
Jack was slowly walking along the river. It was a breezy night in the city, and he was fortunate to have his long black coat, scarf, and fedora on him. From time to time, he would stop and look at the water reflecting the lights of the Ferris wheel. He was caught up in his thoughts, hence why he didn’t realize that his wallet was peeking out of his jacket’s pocket and also why he at first did not hear the sound of the running boots on the stony path.
Just like that, the wallet was snatched from his pocket. Jack was a good runner and fueled by anger and fury, he seized the man and pushed him to the ground near some bushes. Just before striking him in the face, Jack paused. In front of him sat a teenager with a thin face and eyes full of fear.
“Give me the wallet, please.”
The boy handed it over with a trembling hand. Jack slowly took out the cash in the wallet and reached his hand out to the boy.
“Please use it well.”
Almost shocked, the boy took the money with caution, looked at Jack’s face for a whole minute, and then ran away into the darkness.
Years flew by…here was Jack walking the same path on another chilly night. He was using a cane. A car accident turned him into a different man. As he drew near the turn leading away from the river, he saw two men approach him out of the woods. He didn’t think much of it at first, but suddenly one of them struck him in the face, the other grabbed him from behind, as he lost his balance, and threw him to the ground.
Suddenly, before they could do more harm, a strong blow came from behind, knocking one of them out. The other let go of Jack and charged at the dark silhouette, and was also knocked out as his body hit the ground.
A young man came forth out of the dark and reached out his hand to help Jack up. As Jack took the hand and saw the face, something sparked inside of him. It was a familiar face. They both looked at each other for a moment, realizing the same thing.
“It’s you…the night you spared me and gave me the money. I remember it so well. The next day I joined a boxing gym. Your money was enough to get me through at the start, and later I found a sponsor.” The young man smiled.
“Lucky for me!”
“No…not lucky. It is because you forgave me that night.”
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