Jeff had always picked up trash, ever since he could remember. He didn’t like for anyone to see him pick up trash. It was a private occupation. The presence of garbage anywhere offended him, so if he saw a cup on a park bench or a newspaper flying down the street, or a candy bar wrapper in the gutter, well, first he made sure no one could see him and then he picked it up. As a teenager, he would sometimes go on long trash hunts, but only for a few years did his secret hobby become obsessive.
In due course, Jeff found a decent job, married and had a child. He continued secretly picking up trash, tidying the world around him. Of course, the intimacy of marriage makes it difficult to keep secrets, so his wife had noticed what he did, or at least he was pretty sure that she had. But she never said a word, so he didn’t know. He certainly didn’t know that she kept silent and pretended not to know because it made her feel awkward and somehow inferior in the face of his virtuous industry.
Children are not so discrete and they see everything. So the day arrived when Ann, Jeff’s 4 year old daughter demanded an explanation. Though taken aback, Jeff explained to her that one should always leave any patch of earth one visited better for having passed through. He put his finger to his lips. “Shh,” he said, “we don’t tell anyone.” She nodded gravely and never mentioned it again. She didn’t follow his example, however.
When Ann was about 11, Jeff saw her sneaking out of the house one snowy morning. She went next door to old Mrs. Jasper’s house and shoveled the sidewalk all the way to the street. She left the porch alone. Later, he saw Mrs. Jasper come outside with her broom and saw that she was surprised. He expected Ann to tell them all about her early morning exploit. She was quite the chatterbox. Actually, as he waited, he felt as though he was bracing himself against something. But she never said a word, not then or later.
So I’ve just gone back and read all these stories from this week, and EACH ONE has left me wanting more!!! Each one captivated me and pulled me right in. They are the kind that you don’t want to end...
Well done!!!!