A school bus driver sees a crying boy in the back of the bus and uses his last dollar to help him, unaware that this small gesture of kindness will soon change his life in ways he could never have imagined.
The icy wind bit Derek’s skin as he opened the school bus door and welcomed a group of happy children, all wrapped in colorful scarves and winter jackets.
„Hurry up, get in! It’s so cold I can barely feel my toes!” Derek joked, making the children laugh as they ran for the warmth.
„You’re crazy, Derek!” said a little girl. „Why don’t you ask your mom to buy you a scarf?”
„Oh, buddy, if my mom were alive, she’d buy me the prettiest scarf ever! I’m actually a little jealous of yours,” Derek replied with a wistful smile.
„I’ll tell Mom to buy you one!”
Deal! But hurry, we have to go before the road gets even more slippery.
The children loved Derek.
His warmth and humor brightened the cold morning hours, and Derek loved his job, even though the pay was low.
At home, however, his wife was often frustrated with their finances.
„This is petty cash, Derek! How are we ever going to be able to pay the mortgage on the house?” she would say.
„I like my job,” Derek replied gently. „I’ll find a solution.”
But in the silence, Derek couldn’t help but feel the weight of his financial worries.
That morning the roads were slippery, and Derek drove carefully to school.
Once there, he warned the children as they got off the bus.
„Watch your feet, Milly! There are no figure skating numbers today!”
When all the children had gotten off, Derek headed to the small nearby cafe to get a cup of coffee, but stopped when he heard a faint sob from the back of the bus.
„Hey, buddy!” Derek called out when he saw a boy huddled in a corner of the seat.
„Aren’t you going to school?”
The boy shook his head and shivered.
„What happened? Is everything okay?” Derek asked, leaning closer.
„I’m cold,” the boy whispered, showing his hand, blue from the cold.
Derek felt a stab in his heart. He took off his gloves and carefully placed them on the boy’s hands.
„Where are your gloves?” he asked gently.
„They broke,” the boy murmured. „Mom and Dad say we can’t afford new ones.”
Derek smiled comfortingly.
„Don’t worry, buddy. I have a friend who makes the best gloves.” We’ll make a couple after school.
The boy’s eyes lit up, he thanked Derek, and ran toward the school building.
He didn’t know that Derek didn’t actually have such a friend: he had only promised to help him, though he didn’t know how.
That day, Derek gave up his coffee and spent his last dollar on a new pair of gloves and a warm scarf for the boy.
That afternoon, he gave them to him as he got off the bus.
„These should keep you warm,” Derek said. „Don’t worry about your parents, okay?”
The boy threw himself into a warm hug, and the driver’s eyes filled with tears.