Before-bed read

With very little food in the pantry to feed her younger brother and sister, Delores E. Topliff said a prayer for help… and suddenly a kind stranger knocked on her door with a gift that would change her life forever

One rainy spring day, Mom became a single mother. My little brother was two, my sister was eight, and I was fourteen. Those first weeks were especially hard before our small monthly support payments began. Mom found work in a potato-chip factory, but didn’t get paid right away.

That first Saturday morning as she left for work, Mom said, “I don’t know what you’ll cook for supper. My boss put a rush on my beginning paycheck, so I’ll have it Monday, but I’m out of money, and our shelves are as bare as Mrs. Hubbard’s cupboards.” She laughed, but tears filled her eyes. “I forget. Does that nursery rhyme have a happy ending?”

“No, but we’ll do better,” I said. “I’ll ask Jesus to get us food today.” My words sounded bold even to me. She shook her head and went to work.

I had planted a garden out back. The lettuce and peas were up, but nothing was ready to eat. I poked through the kitchen and discovered Mom was right. We had enough cereal for our breakfast but that would be the end of the milk. We had half a package of dry macaroni, one mediumsized can of tomatoes, and a quart of home-canned green beans. That didn’t sound appetizing, but I could do something with it.

While my sister and brother played, I prayed and tidied the house. I was

washing our front-room window when a cheery man in a blue denim shirt and narrow-brimmed hat wobbled past our house on a bicycle and turned into our driveway. He climbed our porch steps and rang the doorbell. Although I’d never seen him before, his big smile made me trust him.

When I opened the door, he asked, “Have you heard about the new grocery store a mile from here? Today’s their grand opening.”

I nodded. I’d seen their signs as I rode past on the school bus.

“They’re giving away gift coupons to celebrate.” He pulled three white cards from his shirt pocket and handed them to me. “The first is for a jumbo-size loaf of bread, the second is for a gallon of milk, and the third lets you choose a half-gallon of your favorite flavor of ice cream.”

I stared. “Really? There’s no purchase required?”

“None at all. These are free. Go and see.”

I thanked him and watched as he got back on his bike and rode down the street without stopping at any other house.

Could it be true? We had to find out. I took my battered blue bicycle and put my sister on the seat behind me and my brother in the basket. We pedaled to the store, where colorful balloons still announced the grand opening. After I parked the bike, we walked inside and showed our cards to the nearest clerk.

“It says these are gift cards. Is a purchase necessary?”

She peered down. “No. You have gift certificates. These items are absolutely free.”

My sister, brother, and I could hardly believe it. We grabbed a jumbosize loaf of Wonder

Bread and a gallon of pasteurized milk. We went to the icecream section and agreed on Cherry Delight. We left the store with blinding smiles. I tucked the groceries in the basket around my brother and raced home before the ice cream could melt.

When Mom returned, we had nice plates, silverware, and food on the table. Our glasses held fresh milk.

“Where did you get this?” Mom asked.

“I prayed,” I said. And then I opened our freezer to show her the ice cream.

“Really,” she repeated. “Where did all this come from?”

“Where did all this come from?” Mom asked. I told her about the man on the bicycle… She shook her head again, this time with a sense of wonder

I told her about the man on the bicycle while we ate one of the happiest meals of our lives. Even our vegetable macaroni tasted okay with a little extra seasoning.

She shook her head again, this time with a sense of wonder.

Monday morning at the school bus stop, I asked other kids up and down our street if a man representing the new grocery store had stopped by their houses.

“What man?” they asked.

I told them about the man on the bicycle and the cards he gave me.

“Free food? You’re kidding. We would remember if we’d seen him.”

But he had brought food for our table—maybe angels’ food, including the Cherry Delight ice cream that is still my favorite. That day taught me to expect good things, even in hard times, and to keep my eyes wide open so I won’t ever miss seeing the unexpected.

—Delores E. Topliff