a touch story

I was walking around in a Target store,
when I saw acashier hand thislittle boy some money back..
The boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 yearsold.

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't haveenough money to buy thisdoll.'

Then the little boy turned to the old woman next tohim: ''Granny, areyou sure I don't have enough money?''
The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't haveenough money to buythis doll, my dear.''

Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minuteswhile she went to lookaround.
She left quickly.
The little boy was still holding the doll in hishand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who hewished to give this doll to.

'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wantedso much for Christmas.
She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.

'I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bringit to her afterall, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. 'No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now.
I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she cangive it to my sisterwhen she goes there.'

His eyes were so sad while saying this.
'My Sister has gone to be with God.
Daddy says thatMommy is going tosee God very soon too,
so I thought that she couldtake the doll with her togive it to my sister.''

My heart nearly stopped.

The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mommynot to go yet.
I need her to wait until I come backfrom the mall.'

Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where hewas laughing.
He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her soshe won't forget me.''
I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have toleave me,
but daddy says that she has to go to be with my littlesister.'
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy.'
Suppose we checkagain,just in case you do have enough money for thedoll?''
'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.'
I added some of my moneyto his without him seeing and we started to count it.

There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'
Then he looked at me and added,
'I asked last nightbefore I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommycould give it to my sister.
He heard me!'''I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy,but I didn't dare to ask God for too much.But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a whiterose.'''My mommy loves white roses.'

A few minutes later,
the old lady returned and I left with my basket.
I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started.
I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.
Then I remembered a local news paper article two days ago,
which mentioned a drunk man in a truck,
who hit a caroccupied by a youngwoman and a little girl.
The little girl died right away, and the mother wasleft in a criticalstate.
The family had to decide whether to pull the plug onthe life-sustainingmachine,
because theyoung woman would not be able to recover from the coma.
Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after this encounter with the little boy,
Iread in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away.
I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went tothe funeral home where the body of the young womanwas exposed for peopleto see and make lastwishes before her burial.
She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the dollplaced over her chest..
I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my lifehad been changed forever...
The love that the little boy had for hismother and hissister is still, to this day, hardto imagine.
And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver hadtaken all this awayfrom him.