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Being Helpful
A short sketch from back when . . . hope you enjoy it.
Being Helpful
By Mike Barker
Elmer looked around the store and sighed. A country store at a crossroads in farming country in Ohio meant long hard hours of work, and the odds were that you weren't going to make a lot of money even then. Still, he enjoyed it, especially when his son's family was visiting.
Right now there was no one in the store, so he went back out to the living area for a glass of iced tea and a visit with his son.
In the empty store, a small figure peeked around the shelves. Good! Grampaw was gone, so now he could help him. What needed doing?
The little boy looked up at the high shelves. Everything was neatly put away, well out of his reach. But wait, there was a basket on the floor where he could reach it easy.
He hurried over to it. Potatoes! But someone hadn't cleaned them. He knew how his mother carefully picked the eyes out, and he had helped her do that before.
Now if only he had enough time.
He got a sheet of newspaper from the kindling box beside the old pot-bellied stove and laid it on the floor. Then he sat down on the floor and piled potatoes from the basket in his lap. He started popping the eyes out with his thumbnail, squeezing some between his fingernails when they didn't come out too easily. These potatoes had a lot of eyes, but he was careful to turn them over and get every one. Then he dropped the potato back in the basket and picked another one out of his lap. The sprouting eyes went onto the newspaper.
After a few potatoes, he wiped his forehead. This was hard work, but he smiled thinking about how happy Grampaw would be. After all, he always said you had to look around and help where you could. And this was a job he could do.
So he squeezed and popped, cleaning the potatoes. He hurried because he didn't know when Grampaw came back. And he wanted to finish all the potatoes if he could.
When Grampaw came back, mom and dad were with him. But the little boy had already folded up the newspaper and put it in the trash. So he called them over and showed them what he had done. He explained that he wanted to help, and he found these potatoes that needed cleaning.
Elmer looked at his grandson, standing beside the basket of potatoes. He listened to him explaining that he had cleaned them, just like his mom always did. Elmer looked at his son and daughter-in-law, then he leaned over and gave the boy a hug with a big smile.
"You did a fine job on those potatoes, Mike. Why, I don't know when I've had so much help with the store. Now, I think Gramma has pie waiting for you, so why don't you go back and have a slice."
Elmer carefully picked up the sign from behind the basket and set it on the countertop, face down.
He would figure out later what to do with a basket of seed potatoes that had had every sprout pinched off. Right now, he needed to make sure that his grandson knew how happy he was about his help.
After all, some things were more important than just making a living.
The End
Being Helpful
By Mike Barker
Elmer looked around the store and sighed. A country store at a crossroads in farming country in Ohio meant long hard hours of work, and the odds were that you weren't going to make a lot of money even then. Still, he enjoyed it, especially when his son's family was visiting.
Right now there was no one in the store, so he went back out to the living area for a glass of iced tea and a visit with his son.
In the empty store, a small figure peeked around the shelves. Good! Grampaw was gone, so now he could help him. What needed doing?
The little boy looked up at the high shelves. Everything was neatly put away, well out of his reach. But wait, there was a basket on the floor where he could reach it easy.
He hurried over to it. Potatoes! But someone hadn't cleaned them. He knew how his mother carefully picked the eyes out, and he had helped her do that before.
Now if only he had enough time.
He got a sheet of newspaper from the kindling box beside the old pot-bellied stove and laid it on the floor. Then he sat down on the floor and piled potatoes from the basket in his lap. He started popping the eyes out with his thumbnail, squeezing some between his fingernails when they didn't come out too easily. These potatoes had a lot of eyes, but he was careful to turn them over and get every one. Then he dropped the potato back in the basket and picked another one out of his lap. The sprouting eyes went onto the newspaper.
After a few potatoes, he wiped his forehead. This was hard work, but he smiled thinking about how happy Grampaw would be. After all, he always said you had to look around and help where you could. And this was a job he could do.
So he squeezed and popped, cleaning the potatoes. He hurried because he didn't know when Grampaw came back. And he wanted to finish all the potatoes if he could.
When Grampaw came back, mom and dad were with him. But the little boy had already folded up the newspaper and put it in the trash. So he called them over and showed them what he had done. He explained that he wanted to help, and he found these potatoes that needed cleaning.
Elmer looked at his grandson, standing beside the basket of potatoes. He listened to him explaining that he had cleaned them, just like his mom always did. Elmer looked at his son and daughter-in-law, then he leaned over and gave the boy a hug with a big smile.
"You did a fine job on those potatoes, Mike. Why, I don't know when I've had so much help with the store. Now, I think Gramma has pie waiting for you, so why don't you go back and have a slice."
Elmer carefully picked up the sign from behind the basket and set it on the countertop, face down.
He would figure out later what to do with a basket of seed potatoes that had had every sprout pinched off. Right now, he needed to make sure that his grandson knew how happy he was about his help.
After all, some things were more important than just making a living.
The End