My heart was racing with excitement. I was going to be a volunteer shopper with a child through the YMCA Bright Beginnings program. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew it would be unforgettable.
The bus pulled up to the store. Several children stepped off as I counted until mine appeared, number nine. He was a beautiful little boy with curious eyes looking one way, then the other, not sure of what to make of it all. We were introduced, prompted to “smile” for our memory picture, and then my new friend and I headed for the shopping carts to start what I hoped would be a great adventure.
Unfortunately, we weren’t feeling the same way. I tried to make conversation with him, but my words were met with shrugged shoulders and awkward silence. Then, I blurted out three magic words, “Want to drive?”
That was enough.
He didn’t need to respond, his smile said it all – that unexpected, unforgettable smile. At record speed, he raced to the shoe department. I watched his bright eyes dart up and down each shelf as he searched for that perfect pair.
“There they are,” he shouted, and I turned to see a black pair of athletic shoes with NEON green trim. “I loooove green,” he beamed.
We sat on the floor together as he tried on his size, then stood up and let me push my thumb around the toes to make sure he had a “thumbs length.” As I reached over to tie his shoes, he proudly exclaimed, “That’s okay, I can do it. I just learned how yesterday.”
He tied both shoelaces in perfect little bows and stood up to see himself in the full-length mirror. He was in awe. That made two of us. And there it was again, that unexpected, unforgettable smile.
We went through other shopping areas, from the sock department to underwear to, finally, pants and shirts. He examined and selected clothes with respect and care that was beyond his young years. I waited with anticipation outside the dressing room as he tried on his clothes. Finally, he opened the door and there it was again, that unexpected, unforgettable smile. And each time the dressing room door opened, his smile grew bigger.
After his final outfit, I noticed he took awhile to come out. “Are you okay?” I asked. Then the door opened and I couldn’t believe my eyes. He had all the clothes back on their hangers and folded the others. He looked at me and said, “I hung up my clothes and folded them, so you didn’t have to.” I turned my head to hide my tears.
Our next stop was the check-out line, then the break room for dinner. As we headed to sit down at one of our long nine foot tables, he glanced over to the other side of the room, where there was a high bar with tall chairs. “Want to sit THERE?” he pointed.
“Absolutely,” I replied. Then, he spotted a table with crayons and coloring sheets. “Want to color?” he asked. “Sure, I love to color.” He returned with a handful of crayons and six sheets of paper. The first two sheets had the word “honesty” across the top, the next two had “respect” and the final two had “thank you.” I asked him which sheets we should color first. “Well, all three are very good. We have to be honest and tell the truth. We have to respect our parents and teachers. And we have to say thank you.”
And there it was again, that unexpected, unforgettable smile.
Outside, my new friend boarded the bus to go home. My eyes followed him as he disappeared into the crowd of children. Then, I heard my name and saw a small hand waving frantically from the middle of the bus. I kept waving back until the bus was out of sight. And there it was one last time, that unexpected, unforgettable smile. Only this time, it was on me.