– Son, we will have guests today!” – Sam’s mother said with a smile at Christmas.
– Really? Will Dad still have time to come?” – the son asked happily.
His father had been going on business trips lately, so from time to time he missed family holidays. This Christmas he did not have time to return.
– No, unfortunately, my father will celebrate without us, but you know this man!
Sam thought. He had no idea who his mother might have invited. His grandparents would hardly come. He had just spoken to them yesterday.
– And what kind of guest?
– You’ll find out when he gets here. Now help me clean up, I’ve got the kitchen!
– You’re not going to tell me?
– Let it be a surprise! – Lucy said mysteriously.
– Hopefully a pleasant one?
– I hope so too…
Sam loved family holidays. His mother cooked deliciously, there were usually a lot of treats. And of course, presents! From the very morning they were each doing their own thing.
Somehow Sam forgot that his mother was talking about the guest, but when the table was set and the apartment smelled clean and pine needles, the doorbell rang.
– Son, will you open it? I’ll wipe my hands and come in a couple of seconds!” – mom asked.
Sam went to open the door, but an unexpected guest was waiting for him on the threshold. It was his classmate – Max.
A boy whom many people shunned.
In elementary school they were still friends, but somewhere after the sixth grade they stopped. Now they were in the eighth grade. And now Sam could not understand why his mother invited him.
The boys stood and looked at each other when Lyudmila approached.
– Sam, where is your hospitality? Why are you holding a man on the threshold? Max, come in, we were waiting for you!
The son just looked at his mother in surprise and stepped aside.
Max broke into a smile, smelling the aromas that wafted in their home.
– Hi! I am so glad that you invited me! Thank you so much!
– You’re so excited like you’ve never been invited to anyone’s house before, – Sam grumbled.
For some reason he did not really like his mother’s trick, but he did not dare to contradict her. She was smiling too, as if her good friend had come to their house.
– You will not believe, not once in your life! And especially on Christmas! Happy holidays!” – the boy said and gave the hostess handmade crafts made of spruce branches and cones.
– Thank you, and happy holidays to you! What a beauty! Did you make it? Undress, help Sam with napkins, and I’ll take the chicken out of the oven!
The boys had finished all the preparations when Lucy came into the living room with a tray. The chicken looked very appetizing. They were both drooling with anticipation.
– “We can start!” Lucy said cheerfully and put the tray on the table, in the center of which was Max’s gift, which very harmoniously complemented the decor.
– You have a very beautiful Christmas tree! – praised Max. – It looks like an artificial one, but it smells like a real one! It’s so unusual!
– Yes, that’s the idea! It’s a fragrance, Sam bought it this year. He found it by chance in a shop. Come on, don’t be shy! Who wants some potatoes?
The boys held out their plates, and Lucy generously put mashed potatoes and chicken in them.
– Salads for everyone! Okay? Max, don’t be shy, eat up!
– Oh, thank you! I’ve never seen so much food in my life! What kind of salad is that pink one?
– That’s fish salad, and that’s olivier, and that’s mushrooms. You eat mushrooms, don’t you?
– Oh, I eat everything, don’t worry! I always wanted to try all these salads!” – the guy said happily and began to fill his plate.
– What do you mean try them? Have you never eaten them?
Max was from a troubled family. His mother had long been doing nothing but walking. She rarely cared what happened to her son. His father lived somewhere else in the city. Other relatives turned away from them and did not help. As if they didn’t care.
– Not even once…
– Why didn’t your mother even cook olivier for the New Year?” Sam asked, not believing that such a thing could happen.
– You won’t believe it, she didn’t even put up a Christmas tree. No, she and her friends had a holiday, but I was not invited there. And apparently, their treats were quite different.
Sam imagined this picture for a second and for some reason stopped eating. He remembered their festive table. For some reason it seemed to him that this tradition should be in every family. It turned out, not in every family.
Max noticed how his friend’s mood changed, so he decided to cheer him up.
– Never mind! But now I have a real holiday!
He was eating with such appetite that it was a pleasure to watch him. Lucy smiled as she looked at him, but her soul was crying. She felt so sorry for this guy.
– I would like to thank you once again! For the food that you bought me then!” he said, addressing Lucy. “It was enough for me for a whole month! True, I had to hide them on the balcony, but nothing has spoiled, because it’s winter!
– What other food?” Sam did not understand.
He did not know what had happened.
In late November, Lucy went to the store near their house. She needed to buy something for tea. Max was there. He looked upset.
She said hello and went to choose some biscuits when she heard him talking to the saleswoman.
– Well, please, only two hryvnias are missing! I promise, I’ll bring you one of these days! – he asked.
– I know you will! Your mother has been in debt for a month, and she doesn’t come here on purpose! I won’t lend more to your family!” – the saleswoman replied rudely.
Lucca approached them.
– What do you lack? Let me add it!
– Oh, do you need it? – the woman behind the counter asked her.
– I wasn’t asking you! Max, what did you want to buy?
The boy lowered his eyes. He was ashamed. He seemed frozen. He couldn’t say a word.
– He wanted to buy porridge! But he doesn’t have enough money!” the saleswoman said.
Lucy took him by the hand and led him out of the store.
She could see that he was upset, and she did not want to be questioned by this lady.
When they left the store, she simply asked.
– Don’t you have anything to eat? Do you need help?
Max could not stand it and burst into tears. He was in despair.
Lucy, of course, guessed that he was not having a good life, but why?
– I haven’t eaten anything for a week. My mother is out again. There is nothing at home at all. If there was at least some food, I would cook it myself, but everything is empty. Not even salt!” – he said when he calmed down a bit.
Lucy was ready to cry herself. She knew that going to his mother was useless, she didn’t care about her son. But something had to be done.
– Wait here for a while, but don’t leave, okay? I’ll buy you some food. Just don’t go. If you leave, I’ll come to your house. I know where you live!
Max nodded his head and she went back to the store. Looking into her wallet, she wished she hadn’t taken any money yet. She didn’t have much money left, but even that was enough.
Lucy bought a little bit of everything. Sugar, salt, buckwheat, rice, a packet of pasta, meat, tea, mayonnaise, butter, biscuits. It was not enough, but the package was quite big.
She went outside, gave the package to Max and said:
– “You know where we live! Come back if it’s like this again! Okay?
The boy nodded his head, thanked her for the food, and went home happy. Lucy did not have enough money to buy more cookies to take home, but she was not upset. She had never seen such gratitude for ordinary products in her life.
– Never mind, son! Eat up! It’s getting cold!
They talked some more over the Christmas meal.
Lucy asked Max about his progress at school.
Despite the difficult situation, he studied well, unlike her son.
Apparently, he understood that any education that he did not have to pay for would help him in the future.
Surprisingly, he always looked neat. His clothes were old, but clean. Lucy used to think that his mother took care of him somehow, but now she learned that he washed and ironed his own clothes.
It was strange to hear it, because her own son could not even run the washing machine.
After dinner, Sam offered him to play on the computer. Max gladly agreed. After about half an hour he said:
– Now I understand why you always have so much fun discussing all this in class! These games are really cool!
– Have you never played before?” Sam asked in surprise, as if the guy was from the moon.
– No, not even once. I’m so excited. Thank you!
They played until nine in the evening. Lucy came by from time to time to bring them tangerines and candy to make it more fun, and then she called them in for tea.
She bought a delicious cake that her son loved the most. It was full of chocolate and nuts.
When Max tasted it, he suddenly said.
– I just realized who I want to be!
– And who? – she asked with a smile.
– A pastry chef. I want to learn how to create such masterpieces. I have never eaten anything tastier in my life. Although no… Today there were many things that are the most delicious in the world. I’d rather be a chef to learn!
– So call me and I’ll tell you how to cook!” Lucy suggested.
– I would love to. But I don’t have a phone! When I get one, I’ll call you.
– Even a push-button one?” Sam asked in surprise.
Everyone in their class had phones. He had no idea that for Max it was an unjustified luxury.
Sam remembered that his old smartphone was lying in his desk.
The guy got up and went to his room, and returned with a box containing his old phone.
– It’s a little worn, but you can make calls on it, and surf the Internet, too, but you can’t take many photos – not enough memory, – he said and handed Max the box.
– “Are you serious?” the boy asked. “I think it’s too much!
– It’s not too much! – Lucy interjected. If they give it to you, take it! And I’ll get you a SIM card. I have one.
She had bought it for other purposes, but now it was more important.
Sam showed how to use the phone, inserted and activated the SIM card himself, and then asked:
– “Mom won’t take it away?
– No, I will hide it! – the boy said cheerfully. – Thank you very much! – there was such delight in his eyes, as if he had just been presented with an expensive car.
While the boys were on the phone, Lucy packed some salads for Max, also put chicken and potatoes, a bag of tangerines, candy and a big piece of cake. When he saw all this, he almost jumped for joy.
– Thank you so much for this wonderful Christmas! I will never forget it!
The boy was standing in a worn jacket and autumn sneakers.
Lucy did not notice it right away, but now she had another thought.
– So, take off your jacket!
– I just got dressed, right?
– Take it off, don’t be afraid!” – Sam’s mother told him, and went to her son’s room.
In a few minutes she returned with her son’s last year’s winter jacket. He had grown ten centimeters in a year, he had to buy everything new. But the old things were quite decent. And much warmer than Max’s.
In the bag she had a few more shirts and a couple of sweaters that Sam had grown out of, and other things that it was time to give to someone anyway.
It was a pity to throw them away, they were still good and not cheap, and Max was a little shorter and thinner. They should fit him.
Then she went into the closet with shoes, found her son’s old winter boots, as well as sneakers and sneakers. She was going to sort out the closets before the New Year, but she didn’t have time.
– I hope you are not disgusted. Don’t look that they are worn, the quality is good and they look almost like new.
– No! – Max said cheerfully. – It’s so cold in my sneakers in winter!
It was minus five outside, and it was snowing. How did he even walk in them for more than a month? One could only guess about it.
When Max left, holding tightly in his hands two bags of clothes and one with food, Sam asked his mother.
– Why did you invite him?
– Do you think it was in vain?
– No, now I don’t think so, you are good, but still why?
Lyudmila sat her son on the sofa next to her and then said.
– Do you remember our recent conversation? You didn’t hear me then. Do you remember?
Sam felt ashamed. Now he understood what his mother meant.
Max had a web page on the Internet. One girl from his class allowed him to register from her phone.
Sometimes he asked his friends for smartphones to go there for a while, to add some record. He had it for about three years. And Sam was his friend, as well as several other classmates.
So, about two months ago, Max added a record with a sad photo and wrote under it:
– Winter is coming soon, and I have nothing to wear.
Under this entry, Lucy’s son left a happy comment:
– And I bought everything yesterday!
My mother saw him quite by accident. For some reason she went to his page, wanted to find some of his friends there, and found Max. I was surprised that he had his own page and went to see it. And when I read Sam’s comment, I was horrified and decided to talk to my son.
I tried to explain to him that it was very ugly, if not to say terrible, that Max’s life is not easy, but her son just answered her:
– “It’s not my problem! The main thing is that I am fine.
That day she realized that she had brought up her own child very badly, and decided that she had to prove it to him. And now was the right opportunity. She succeeded, and Sam was moved.
He realized that the troubles of people living in the neighboring house should not bypass him. And it is better to be compassionate than indifferent.
In the morning Lucy and Sam received a text message with congratulations from Max, it was very nice. From that day the guys became friends.
Sam took patronage over Max, helped him to rejoin the school team.
Sam began to help his friend with his studies.
Sam began to invite his friend to visit them more often. Sometimes they would drop by together after school to eat. And one day he came to his mother with a question.
– Mom, do you know where a schoolboy can earn money?
– How much?” Lyudmila asked.
– Well, I don’t know, at least how much…
– Are you asking for yourself? – she asked.
– No, for Max. He doesn’t need much. And he agrees to any job. Only no one wants to hire him.
It was at this time that Lucy was looking for someone to wash the floors in the entrance to their playground. She hated this job, so she used to do it for an old lady from their building. She offered it herself, many neighbors approached her. From their entrance, that’s exactly everyone.
Recently, this grandmother moved to another city to live with her children. The entrance had not been washed for more than a month, they had to find someone.
When Lucy offered this option to her son, he was even happy.
– It needs to be cleaned at least once or twice a month, as soon as he is able. I can offer it to other neighbors, they are also looking for a person.
– Sure, offer it! And I will make Max happy!
Lucy felt a little ashamed that she was giving the boy such a job, but on the other hand, he needed the money. She promised that she would provide him with water and cleaning equipment.
Max was surprisingly happy to agree. He walked the floors himself and offered his services to other neighbors.
Sam went with him so that the neighbors were not afraid. As a result, almost all the floors of their nine-story building agreed to pay. The amount was quite decent. And although the work was not the most pleasant, the boy was happy.
After work, Lucy usually treated Max to something tasty.
A few more months passed when she received a call from the school. The class teacher asked her to come when she had time. Lucy went the very next day.
– I have a serious conversation with you!” the class teacher said.
– Has Sam done something wrong?
– Yes, and lately he often does something! He quarrels with the boys. Sometimes even with senior pupils. I think he is badly affected by his friendship with this Max. You need to better control the choice of your son’s friends!
Lyudmila was even dumbfounded by her words.
– And why do you think that Max has something to do with it?
– You know, he is from such a family. I even heard that he has already started to wash the floor in the stairwells! Why does your child need such friends?
Lucy froze for a second. And then she spoke:
– I’m going to say this once, and I ask you to listen carefully. I will figure out who my son is friends with myself. And by the way, Max is a very good boy, it’s just that other children, maybe even at your suggestion, do not like him. And you, as a teacher, should treat all children equally, regardless of their marital status. Now at least it is clear why other classmates avoid him. Or were avoiding him! Who gave you the right to talk about a child like that? You should feel sorry for him. Or better yet, help him! And if he washes the floor to buy food or basic necessities, it makes him better than many others, and certainly not worse. And in the future, call me if something serious happens, and not to share your short-term observations!
Lucy saw the elderly teacher blush after every word she said, but she didn’t care. Having said all this, she stood up and left the classroom, slamming the door loudly.
A year later, Max’s father took his son to live with him. Before leaving, the boy ran in to say goodbye. He was so excited that his father had returned. The father probably realized that he could not leave his son with such a mother.
They moved together to another city, where Max’s grandmother lived, with whom his mother did not allow him to communicate.
Since that day they did not see each other anymore, but sometimes they called. Lucy also received holiday texts from him for a long time.
When Sam finished eleven grades and entered the institute, his mother was very proud of him. Sometimes she remembered his friend with longing, but did not dare to ask. One day her son told her the unexpected news.
– Can you imagine? I saw Maxim yesterday!
– Really? Where? How is he?
– He finished school with honors, entered a culinary college. He works part-time at a burger joint. I was there with friends the other day, we met there and talked!
In general, he is doing well. And it was necessary to consult, I know, but I invited him to us for the New Year. You don’t mind, do you?
Lucy tried hard to hold back her tears, but she failed. She just smiled at her son and said:
– “Of course, I don’t mind! Tell him hello from me when you see him!
There was so much pride in the mother’s heart. She understood that that Christmas had changed her son, and at least a little bit changed the life of another good boy.
There were still two months before the New Year, and Lucy was waiting for the holidays with some special trepidation.
