The Lesson

Andrew jumped out from his seat to the sound of a loud thump. Sal had just finished brewing Andrew's cup of black coffee when the pot had abruptly fallen from his hand and onto the floor.

"Are you alright, Sal?!" Andrew asked anxiously. "I've never been better!" Sal replied with his usual happy-go-lucky smirk.

This wasn't the first time Andrew had witnessed Sal's positive attitude in motion. The man just got splattered with hot liquid, yet he still managed to remain as cool as a cucumber. Sal immediately proceeded to clean up the mess and start over.

Sal owned a small cafe on the Lower East Side and always welcomed Andrew with fresh dark roast coffee, gourmet sweets, and a listening ear. Andrew would always question where Sal got his calm and sensible demeanor. He'd wonder to himself: How can Sal withstand something as minor as a coffee spill when I can barely tolerate the presence of my mother?

Likewise, Sal learned how Andrew was abandoned by his father at a young age, forcing him to care for the household and his ailing mother. Yet, Sal had no idea that Andrew was selling illegal drugs to put food on the table or was using drugs himself.

One late afternoon, Andrew was finishing his rounds for the day and decided to stop by the cafe for a quick cup of joe. Sal immediately sensed something was off and asked Andrew: "What's beating you up, my friend?" Andrew responded with a sigh: "Oh, Sal, my mother is growing sicker and less agreeable by the day. I'm not sure how to handle it anymore."

Sal looked down at Andrew with enthusiasm and compassion and then proceeded into the backroom. He came out with an unfamiliar little black notebook in his hand. Andrew watched as Sal delicately opened the notebook and started to comb through its obscure pages.

After a few minutes of silence, Andrew looked up as Sal began to state the following: "Be good to your parents. Care for them as they cared for you. Support them in illness and hardship, regardless of the circumstances, and always treat them with respect." Sal said.

Andrew stubbornly thought to himself: I do so much for my mother. I clean, I cook, I keep her company. What more can a son possibly do?!

Andrew needed more clarification, so he started to question Sal: "What do you mean? I have devoted my entire life to caring for my mother. Am I not doing enough already?." Andrew responded.

Sal replied: "Time will tell, Andrew. What I can promise you now, though, is that whoever accepts the advice of this little black book will eventually find peace and can expect a reward soon enough."

Later that evening, Andrew accompanied his mother for dinner. As he sat down to eat, something about Sal's advice struck him deeply. Without reservation, Andrew gave the little black books' words a chance. The more he internalized what the book had to say, the more at peace he became and the easier it was to connect with his mother.

Since that moment, Andrew's relationship with his mother had changed completely. He felt lighter at heart and more at ease with life. Things that would typically trigger him now had no place in his mind. Even the occasional rush of unpleasant thoughts seemed to dissipate.

Andrew never felt such profound peace before and was determined to feel this way forever. Before Sal knew it, Andrew was back at the cafe to gain more wisdom from the mysterious little black notebook. And, while the notebook's origin continued to remain a secret to Andrew, he was utterly drawn to its teachings nonetheless.

One night, Andrew's mother had become critically ill and was admitted into the emergency room. The doctors informed Andrew that her heart condition had worsened and that she would need to undergo a rare and expensive heart transplant to stay alive.

Andrew started to panic. With all the medical bills accrued to date, how was he supposed to come up with the money needed to save his mother's life? Not even the drug money he recently earned would cover the high cost. In a situation like this, Andrew did what he thought was best and decided to consult with Sal and the little black notebook.

Andrew arrived at the cafe early the next day, but Sal was nowhere to be found. He looked high and low and even asked the cafe customers, but nobody knew of his whereabouts. Suddenly, a well-dressed man approached Andrew and asked, "Excuse me, sir, are you, Andrew"?

Andrew turned around with a perplexed yet renewed look on his face and replied, "Yes, I am. Can I help you?" The well-dressed man replied, "I am Sal's lawyer. I am sorry to let you know that Sal recently passed away last night. I am here to sort out his assets and belongings."

Andrew was devastated. His one true friend was gone. Sal's lawyer quickly moved to a nearby table and reached for a small, enclosed metal box. He handed the worn-out box to Andrew and said, "Sal wanted you to have this."

That night, Andrew returned home in complete distress while his poor mother waited for a life-saving procedure, and his only faithful friend unexpectedly died. A rush of anxious thoughts started to spiral in his mind. Who am I supposed to go to for advice? More importantly, how will I solve the issue with my mother's procedure? He thought to himself.

Later that evening, Andrew managed to regain some clarity and strength and decided to open the metal box. Inside the box, he discovered Sal's famous little black notebook. He opened the notebook only to find out that its pages were completely blank.

That's strange, he thought. Why would Sal read from a book that doesn't contain any words? Was he making stuff up? There must be an explanation.

Finally, as Andrew was flipping through the blank pages, a small piece of paper flew out. Andrew picked up the note and turned it over to read the following:

Dear Andrew,

You may be wondering why this little black notebook is empty and why I haven't revealed its contents to you. The truth is, the contents in this book would have been powerless to begin with. The real power lies in your ability to change your reality based on your own will and determination, which you succeeded in doing. I simply needed to give you a few encouraging messages to jumpstart you on your journey.

The cafe is yours to do what you wish. May this be the reward that I had promised. And remember, it's not the advice that we get from a little black notebook that will ease our worries and troubles, but it's our attitude toward life and the kindness we spread onto others that truly set us free.

Your friend,

Sal

Andrew was astonished. Not only did he learn a powerful life lesson, but he unexpectedly received the reward promised to him all along. Andrew ended up selling off Sal's cafe for 20,000 dollars to pay off his mother's surgery bill.

With his new life perspective, he quit his drug-dealing job and went to school to become a counselor, devoting his life toward helping others with mental troubles.

Every so often, Andrew will visit Sal's grave, bringing him a cup of black coffee and reciting life lessons from the little black notebook he fondly inherited.

The End