Police officers don’t usually smile when they’re about to deliver bad news.
The older officer stepped forward.
“Mrs. Parker, your son isn’t in trouble.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“He isn’t in trouble at all.”
The breath I had been holding escaped in a rush.
I nearly collapsed from relief.
Then the officer continued.
“Actually, we’re here because your son has done something extraordinary.”
I stared at him, completely confused.
The officer nodded toward Emily.
“You know about the wheelchair?”
I nodded.
“He sold his guitar.”
“Yes.”
The officer smiled again.
“That’s only part of the story.”
I looked at David.
His cheeks turned red.
“David?”
He suddenly became very interested in his shoes.
The officer continued.
“Yesterday afternoon, after selling his guitar, your son bought Emily a new wheelchair. That’s true.”
I nodded.
“But what happened afterward is what brought us here.”
Now I was completely lost.
“What happened?”
The officer folded his hands.
“After purchasing the wheelchair, David learned that Emily’s family still owed several months of medical expenses. He found out they were struggling to pay for physical therapy appointments.”
I turned toward David.
“You knew that?”
He shrugged.
“I overheard some teachers talking.”
The officer continued.
“Most kids would have thought, ‘That’s sad,’ and moved on.”
He paused.
“Your son didn’t.”
I felt tears beginning to form.
Because I already knew that sounded exactly like David.
The officer smiled.
“After school, he went around the neighborhood knocking on doors.”
I looked at David in disbelief.
“You did what?”
He finally looked up.
“I just wanted to help.”
The officer laughed softly.
“Ma’am, your son spent nearly four hours going door-to-door.”
My jaw dropped.
“Four hours?”
David nodded.
“I thought maybe people would donate a few dollars.”
