Mike was a warm heated, kind man, but was also a radical thinker. His sole purpose in life was to help others, by any means necessary. If that meant holding up the line at Whole Foods for a mother to get her money together he would. If it meant holding up traffic for the old lady to cross the street he would. It brought him great joy. His ways weren’t appreciated by all, though. The townspeople of New Hope, South Dakota couldn’t stand him. To them Mike was a trouble maker and a “meddler in others men’s matters”, one woman always said. Mike could do all the good in the world, but if the townspeople hated him was he really making a difference??
One Tuesday morning, Mike stood in line at Starbucks, waiting patiently, as he always did; a tall caramel macchiato and a lemon loaf were his essentials for a good day. It got him through any funk the morning shot at him. When the barista, noticing his less than pleasant demeanor, she decided to inquire.
“How ya doing Mike?” she asked cheerfully.
“Just fine," he answered, trying to conceal the disappointment in his voice.
“You coulda fooled the undertaker,” she said now chuckling. “Mike, you come in here every day. I can tell when you’re not yourself.”
Hesitantly, Mike informed her of the problem.
“That’s all??” she asked sarcastically. Mike, now more hurt than ever looked to her for an explanation.
“Mike, nobody likes what you do for others until THEY are the recipients of a good deed,” she said.
“But the people who give me the most headaches never, ever need help," he interjected.
The barista noticed her line and told Mike to take his items and a basic flip cell phone. She said all the trouble-making townspeople’s number were there. All he had to do was text H-E-L-P to their phones and it wouldn’t be too long before he could help people without any opposition.
Taking everything he scurried out of the door. A “thank you” followed as the door slammed.
Mike always wanted to help people, but he never knew it would come to this--not like this --but he had to do, what he had to at this point.
“I won’t do it to all of them, but just to one, the most powerful, that way others would follow…perfect!!”
He texted the head of the city council, Mrs. Prickard, on Wednesday. On Friday, her car just happened to not turn over, her purse just happened to be left at home, and she was before him in line at Whole Foods.
Very hesitantly she turned to Mike, “Can you help me out?”
Being Mike, he said “I thought you’d never ask.”
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