day, hauled a few dozen boxes, and chatted with another twenty proprietors while I collected cans and jars. The take: $ 23.89.
The third day was even worse. After counting up the money, even I couldn’ t believe it. There was only $ 11.52. Those were from the businesses down by the waterfront, where the tourists and teenagers like me hung out. We were really something, I couldn’ t help but think.
Seeing how little had been collected in all—$ 55.73— made me feel awful, especially considering that the jars had been out for almost a whole year and that I myself had seen them countless times. That night I was supposed to call Jamie to tell her the amount I’ d collected, but I just couldn’ t do it. She’ d told me how she’ d wanted something extra special this year, and this wasn’ t going to do it— even I knew that. Instead I lied to her and told her that I wasn’ t going to count the total until the two of us could do it together, because it was her project, not mine. It was just too depressing. I promised to bring over the money the following afternoon, after school let out. The next day was December 21, the shortest day of the year. Christmas was only four days away.
“ Landon,” she said to me after counting it up,“ this is a miracle!”“ How much is there?” I asked. I knew exactly how much it was.
“ There’ s almost two hundred and forty-seven dollars here!” She was absolutely joyous as she looked up at me. Since Hegbert was home, I was allowed to sit in the living room, and that’ s where Jamie had counted the money. It was stacked in neat little piles all over the floor, almost all quarters and dimes. Hegbert was in the kitchen at the table, writing his sermon, and even he turned his head when he heard the sound of her voice.
“ Do you think that’ s enough?” I asked innocently.
Little tears were coming down her cheeks as she looked around the room, still not believing what she was seeing right in front of her. Even after the play, she hadn’ t been nearly this happy. She looked right at me.
“ It’ s... wonderful,” she said, smiling. There was more emotion than I’ d ever heard in her voice before.“ Last year, I only collected seventy dollars.”
“ I’ m glad it worked out better this year,” I said through the lump that had formed in my throat.“ If you hadn’ t placed those jars out so early in the year, you might not have collected nearly as much.”
I know I was lying, but I didn’ t care. For once, it was the right thing to do.
I didn’ t help Jamie pick out the toys— I figured she’ d know better what the kids would want anyway— but she’ d insisted that I go with her to the orphanage on Christmas Eve so that I could be there when the children opened their gifts.“ Please, Landon,” she’ d said, and with her being so excited and all, I just didn’ t have the heart to turn her down.
So three days later, while my father and mother were at a party at the mayor’ s house, I dressed in a houndstooth jacket and my best tie and walked to my mom’ s car with Jamie’ s present beneath my arm. I’ d spent my last few dollars on a nice sweater because