A Deep Understanding

His leg bounced nervous as he stared at his phone, waiting for that call that would notify him that he’d won. He’d gone as far to tell his mom he didn’t feel good so he didn’t have to go into school. His mom, being the cool person that she was, let him skip, though she could probably see right through his lie.

Moms had superpowers like that. They knew everything.

But, Tommy had a purpose for why he was skipping school. His birthday had just past a few days ago and unfortunately, his mom hadn’t been able to afford to buy him what he wanted—a brand new bike. His current one, which he rode to school everyday was worn down and some of the kids at school made fun of him for it.

Tommy wasn’t angry with his mom though. She worked so hard to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

For his birthday his mom had even gone to the trouble of making his favorite cake—strawberry—even though it was her least favorite. She’d also let him stay up late to watch his favorite movie and cook his favorite meal. It was one of the better birthdays, especially since his mom had managed to get someone to switch shifts with her at the hospital.

While he loved everything his mom had done for him on his birthday, it didn’t change the fact that Tommy still wanted a new bike. So, he’d done what any ten years old would do. He went to the Internet.

He ended up coming across a raffle contest being held in his area and the prize was $20,000. Tommy had put his name in as many times as he could and now waited not so patiently by the phone for it to ring. He knew these things were luck of the draw and the chances of his name being called were slim, but still he waited and he hoped.

His phone rang and his heart raced in his chest. When he looked at the screen, he sighed seeing it was his mom calling.

" Hello?" he said.

" Hi, sweetie. I'm on lunch. Everything going okay? Do you need me to stop at home and bring you something to eat? "

" No, thanks mom. I’ve got it covered." He’d already made himself a grilled cheese sandwich and was far too nervous to eat anything else.

"Okay sweetie. I love you," she said.

" I love you too." He quickly hung up the phone, not wanting anything to interfere with the possible phone call.

A few minutes after the conversation, his phone rang. At the sound of the ring, Tommy almost dropped the phone. He managed to catch it before it shattered on the ground and pressed it to his ear.

“ Hello?” he asked.

“ Is this Tommy Hilgard?” the voice on the other end of the line asked.

“ Yes.”

“ I’m happy to give you some good news. You’re our winner! You can come to the address where you signed up for the raffle and collect your check!”

“ I will be there in fifteen minutes,” Tommy said and hung up the phone. He danced in place, overjoyed that he’d actually won. He grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the apartment, making sure to lock it as he went.

He rushed down the stairs and towards the place where his bike sat outside. He unlocked it and hopped on, rushing out of the apartment complex.

He was in such a rush, he wasn’t watching where he was going and almost slammed into a young girl standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Tommy hit his breaks quickly, skidding to a stop, his heart leaping from his chest at the almost collision.

The young girl’s eyes were wide when she stared at him, the realization a kid and his bike had almost pulverized her showing across her face.

“ I’m sorry,” Tommy said. “ I didn’t see you there.”

“ Where you are going in such a hurry?” the girl asked, collecting herself. Tommy hesitated for a moment, debating on telling this stranger he’d just won a decent sum of money. In the end, he thought it better not to divulge the secret.

“ I’m on a mission,” he said instead.

“ A mission?” the girl asked, skeptically. “ What sort of mission?”

“ A mission for a new bike.”

“ What’s wrong with the one you have?”

“ Well it’s pretty worn and the kids at school they…they make fun of it.” He shrugged. “ But all that’s about to change.”

“ How?”

“ Because I finally earned enough money to afford one.”

“ What’s this bike going to look like?”

Tommy smiled and pulled out his black notebook. His mother had given it to him a few years ago as a birthday present and he kept all of his dreams and sketches within it. He opened it and flipped to the page of the bike he’d drawn. The girl’s eyes widened.

“ You can find that in the stores?” she asked.

“ Well not exactly,” Tommy said. “ I’m going to buy a basic one and then paint it exactly how I’ve drawn it here. I will be the talk of the school.” He beamed at the idea of it.

“ You’re an artist then?”

“ My mom says so.”

The girl nodded. “ Then you must be. Mom’s know things like that.” Tommy couldn’t have agreed more.

“ Maybe once I get it I can show you?” Tommy asked. “ Do you live around here?”

“ I live up the road a little. But that would be nice. I’ve always wanted to learn how to ride a bike.” She smiled at him. “ I guess you better get going.”

Tommy fastened his helmet on his head, even though it was already secured pretty tightly and hopped back onto his bike, taking off down the road.

It took him a little longer than fifteen minutes to reach the place where he would pick up his check. When he arrived, Tommy half ran, half walked up to the office, unable to contain his excitement.

The woman at the desk smiled down at him when he reached her. “ What can I do for you young man?”

“ My name is Tommy Hilgard and I’m here to pick up my check.”

The woman beamed. “ Our lucky winner. I’ve got that for you right here.” She handed him a white envelope. Tommy took it, checked to make sure the check was actually inside and then thanked the woman.

He rushed out of the place and darted down the road on his bike, heading straight to the store to take a picture of the bike he wanted his mom to get him.

Normally, Tommy would have taken his normal route, but today since the sun was shinning and he was happier than could be, he decided to take a different way. He wanted to revel in his victory of winning the money.

On his way to the bike store, he spotted an event happening outside a large building. Thinking it might be another contest; Tommy slowed his bike down and hopped off it. He walked it towards the woman sitting at the front booth.

She smiled when Tommy neared her. “ What’s all this?” Tommy asked.

“ We are raising money for the homeless shelter.” She gestured behind her.

Tommy focused on the people in the back, lining up for food that was being served under other tents. Despite their circumstances many of them were smiling and laughing with others in line.

Tommy studied their faces until his eyes landed on one he recognized. It was the girl he’d almost run over with his bike earlier. He hadn’t been paying attention to her clothes before, but now he could see they were worn and a size too big.

“ What do you do with the money?” Tommy asked, knowing to ask important questions. His mother always taught him asking questions was the best thing anyone could to. You can never have too much knowledge, she always said.

“ We use it to pay for the food we offer daily and to buy clothes and toys for the people and kids who live here,” the woman answered. Tommy stared down at the white envelope. He felt torn. He’d been waiting to buy himself a cool new bike for so long, but these people needed the money more than he did.

He and his mom had more than enough in comparison to these people. Tommy sighed knowing he wanted to do something good, but that it would hurt a little in the process too.

“ How long will you be here?” he asked.

“ Today and tomorrow,” she said.

“ I’ll be back tomorrow,” Tommy replied. He pocketed the check and raced back home on his bike, trying to come up with a way to tell his mom he’d won the raffle but wanted to find a way to give some of the money away to the shelter.

He was so lost in thought he didn’t notice his mom was home. She smiled at him as he walked through the door.

“ You’re home early,” he said, returning her smile. He always loved when his mom was home early because it meant they were able to do a fun activity together.

“ I have a surprise for you,” she said. She covered his eyes with her hands and led him towards his room. Tommy laughed, feeling for the wall around him. “ Are you ready?”

“ Mom,” Tommy said, eager to see what the surprise was. She laughed and withdrew her hands from his eyes.

In the space before Tommy sat a brand new bike. And not just any bike, but the exact one he wanted. He pulled put his black notebook and flipped to the sketch he’d drawn. He gaped at it. It had every design painted on it, just like he wanted. He turned to his mom, eyes wide, and mouth open.

“ It’s my bike!” he exclaimed.

She smiled broadly at him. “ The nurses at the hospital chipped in and we all took turns painting it. It wasn’t ready on your birthday which is why you had to wait a few extra days for it.”

Tommy rushed to hug his mom. “ I love you,” he said. She squeezed him tightly.

“ I love you more.” When she pulled away, Tommy pulled out the envelope.

“ I won the raffle,” he said. Her eyes widened. “ Before you say anything, I want to give it to the homeless shelter down the road. All I wanted was a new bike and I have so much and they have so little. I know we could use the money too, but maybe we could split it and donate some of it to the shelter?”

He was worried his mom would lecture him; worried she’d say no. But she just offered him a smile as bright as the sun. “ I raised an amazing kid.” She kissed his forehead. “ We can donate half the money tomorrow. I have the day off and afterwards we can celebrate with some ice cream. How’s that sound?”

“ As long as the ice cream is chocolate,” Tommy said.

“ Of course.” She smiled. She left Tommy’s room and he smiled as he once again marveled at the bike his mom made him.

Sometimes all it took was a deeper understanding that it was the little things in life that made it much better. Like a brand new bike and a mother’s love.