One Small Step by EJ Patterson (great book club books TXT) 📕

The mall that day was crowded, as it was the ever famous Black Friday.
Every inhabitant of the Sunvet Mall was sludging along, still full to the brim with turkey and cranberries,
topped with Grandma's Pumpkin Pie, that was starting to taste more and more processed with each bite. That was
the reason Mr. Black Friday created Black Friday-so that all the other fat people in the world, (who, surprise, were not fat just
one week ago,) could walk off their Processed Pumpkin Pie and enjoy their shopping. (Which made no sense to me at all, because
didn't you just spend your entire lifesavings on Thanksgiving?)
So anyway, I was tottling passed Forever 21 with my equaly pudgy Mother and older sister when I saw them-Wonder Boots.
The beautiful, magnificent, AMAZINGLY COOL Red Plaid WONDER BOOTS that-legend said-were SOOOOOO difficult to
find. My jaw dropped past my chin and my vast stomach soared. It looked as though a beam of golden light had splashed
across the gleaming silver fastens and the red stripe matched perfectly with the dark blue stripe and the bottom of the wonderful
boots were a stylish kind of accessible thing so you could walk in the snow and up a mountain and across a catwalk and
and and and and and...
"MOM! Over here! Look! Look! Wonder Boots!"
My mother waddled her way over to where I was standing and fished inside her mega bag for her mega mega glasses.
She stuffed them onto the bridge of her nose and squinted up at the advertisement above the breathtaking Wonder Boots.
"You mean these?" She said pointing through the glass to the boots.
"Yes, Yes, aren't they magnificent!?"
"They're expensive," My mom said, still squinting at the advertisement, "But I have seen them. I didn't think they were really
your style..."
"Oh, everybody's wearing them! I love them-can we please get them?"
I opened my eyes wide and let them water.
"Well..." She said, biting her lip.
I pouted.
I finally broke her resolve.
"Fine, Gia! But just remember-an angel somewhere is shaking its finger!" She said, clearly exasperated.
I squealed with delight and hugged her around her blubby middle, then, her retort about the angry angel flying from my mind, I
bounded into Forever 21 and purchased the boots with my own mother's money. After another grueling hour in the freezing cold
mall, fat people crashing into other fat people, we were squeezing into our (now) too small mini van and driving down interstate
21. My older sister, Tia, was complaining about the sparkly orange (?) dress she bought that she wouldn't be able to fit into
unitl January, and I was examining my NEW WONDER BOOTS when we passed them.
A middle-aged woman with frizzy blonde hair tied with a hankerchief and many sweaters under a large apron was sitting with a tiny
girl, no older than six, on the side of the freeway right near the tunnel. The little girl had short, choppy brown hair and big, brown,
pleading eyes. She was wearing a faded Disney sweatshirt and capris with cute flowers on the cuff.
She wasn't wearing shoes.
An empty, hollow feeling immediatly replaced my estatic joy for my fantastic shoe find. I felt extremely selfish, and my mother's
Words of Wisdom spurt into my shocked mind. The angels were mad at me. I just knew it.
It even sounded ridiculous in my own head-Angels being mad at me? Angels were supposed to be symbols of faith, of
light, of hope...and the thought of them being angry...
The image of a tiny cherub with a glittering halo wagging its index finger popped into my mind. I shivered.
"Stop the car!" I shrieked. My mom reved to the side of the road, causing someone to blare a honk in our direction.
"Gia! My word-what could so important you almost kill us!?" My mom yelled frantically.
I pointed to the side of the road, to the woman and child. My mother's frosty expression immediatly melted.
"Gia, we can't do anything to help them," My mom said softly. "It's too dangerous, going under the tunnel like that. I don't
want you getting hurt."
"Please mom? Please? What happened to helping people in need? What happened to putting others before yourself? What
happened to-"
"Ok, ok, Gia, I understand what you're saying," My mom sighed, now slowly driving into the nearest parking lot outside of
a dirty Dollar King. "Jeez, i'm giving in to you a lot today..."
We carefully stepped out of the van, (me carrying a package under my arm,) and causiously walking tip- toe on the curb toward
the woman and child.
"Um...Hi," I said in a small voice. "How are you?"
The woman looked at me in amazment, opened her mouth, and said, "Que?"
I blanched. This woman could not speak english, and, presumedly, her child couldn't speak english either.
I quickly recovered myself.
"Here," I said, handing the small girl the Wonder Boots. "You need them more than I do."
She looked at me. Then a tear slid down her cheeks. "Gracias," She whispered, clutching the brightly colored
box to her chest. "Gracias."
My heart felt as if it was being filled with water, it was just overflowing with love for this one little girl, who represented
over a million children all over the world, all reaching out to love, compassion, and kindness.
As we walked back to the car and drove back home, I saw the whole world in a totally different perspective. The
international barrier between all people had been crushed by the overwhelming power of one world's heart coming together to
overpower the hatred and discrimination against the human race. We were no longer aliens to each other, no longer complete
strangers in the world we share, no longer looking back at what could have been done and why it wasn't.
No, the Wonder Boots didn't mean much to me anymore, I had soon after realised that they provided me with a phoney
happiness, a kind of plastic want and imaginary need.
The Wonder Boots couldn't give that wholesome, loving, complete feeling that just giving could provide. I felt
more alive and loved that day than any other day in my life, and just the fact that when I gave to others, they gave to others,
then they gave to others and they gave to others...
I knew from that day on that something was going to change. Something fantastic and completely astonishing was going
to explode and infect every single person on this planet. The world was going to give, and help heal our damaged Earth.
I realized that I might not be alive for that amazing event, but that whoever was was going to experience one of the greatest
moments in history was in for a treat-they were going to see the world come together and act, finally, as one.

Publication Date: 04-16-2011

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