David squeezed Guillermo’s hand and blinked gently to calm him down. ‘I’ll take care of it, Guillermo. You always call me your hero. Let me try to be one for you.’
Mr Manning overheard the conversation between the boys and felt a warm glow of love and affection rise in his chest. He knew exactly what to do.
‘Wow, they look great on you, mate. And they’re the best we have in this shop.’
David was finally satisfied with the pair of boots he had bought for his friend. Guillermo’s shame was replaced by overwhelming feelings of gratitude and pure joy at the unexpected gift.
When the boys left the shop and rode off on their bicycles, Mr Manning waved to his employees. ‘Listen, we need to do something immediately…’
‘David! Someone’s here to see you! He’s arrived in a whole truck.’ David’s mother also couldn’t understand who this strange visitor was.
David hurried to the door and saw a familiar face. It was Mr Manning, the owner of the shoe shop. ‘I heard you talking to your friend in the shop, Dave. I know what you did.’
David’s mother leaned towards him, suspicion reflected on her forehead.
‘I know how much you wanted those spiked trainers, and I saw you selling lemonade and delivering newspapers. And today I saw you give up that dream to help a friend who was in a worse situation than you.’
David lowered his head in embarrassment, but out of the corner of his eye he saw his mother’s proud gaze.
‘And I think that in this day and age, such kindness and friendship should be appreciated. So go ahead! Get in the back of the truck and take as many pairs of shoes as you want. For you, your mum and the twins… Don’t worry about the money, I’ll pay for everything.’
David hesitated, looking at his mother for approval. As soon as she nodded, he rushed to the truck, his eyes shining with excitement.
‘Hurry up, we still need to stop by your friend’s place. There are free shoes for him and his family too!’