The Brick
Jimmy, a young and very successful executive, was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going pretty fast, proudly showing off his two-month old sleek, black, shining 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE.
He thought he caught a flash of some kids hiding between parked cars. Afraid that they might dart out while playing, he slowed down. No child darted out as his car passed, but…
WHAM!
A brick soared out smashing into the shiny black side door of the Jaguar.
SCREECH!
Brakes slammed! Gears reversed! Tires spun!
The Jaguar roared back to the exact spot from where the brick had come.
Like a jaguar himself Jimmy leaped out of the car. A boy was standing there. His face red with rage, Jimmy grabbed hold of the kid by the shoulders and pushed him up against a parked car.
He shouted at the boy, “What’s that all about? Who are you? Just what the heck do you think you’re doing?!” Building up a head of steam, he fired on, “That’s my new Jaguar. That brick you threw is going to cost you!”
“Please, mister, please…” pleaded the boy. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do! No one would stop.”
Tears were rolling down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my big brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair. I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy told Jimmy, “He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me. Please please help me get him back into his wheelchair.”
Jimmy was at first stumped for words. Slowly, his clutching fists loosened up. A lump was swelling rapidly up his throat. He tried to hide it by quickly swallowing it. With his face still red—but now no more from rage—he hurried over to the young man who had fallen.
Straining himself, Jimmy lifted the young man back into the wheelchair. Luckily the young man only suffered bruises and cuts. Jimmy took out his handkerchief to help clean the young man up. He then stood and watched the boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
Jimmy stood still long after the brothers went into their home before he turned around. It was a long walk back to the Jaguar. A long and slow walk.
Jimmy never did fix the side door of his sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE. He kept the dent as a reminder. A reminder not to go through life so fast that someone had to throw a brick at him to get his attention.
