"Class,this is John Evans," Mrs. Parmele introduced him to us, trying to give him a warm welcome. We saw a boy in old clothes. John looked around and smiled,hoping somebody would smile back. Nobody did. He kept on smiling anyway. I held my breath as Mrs. Parmele looked around the classroom, hoping she wouldn't notice the empty desk next to mine. She did, and pointed him at that desk. He looked over at me as he sat down, but I looked away.
By the end of his first week, John was at the bottom of our class. I told my mother one evening at dinner,"He even doesn't know how to count. " However,as I ate lunch with him the next day and listened to him, I realized that it was pleasant to be with him. After lunch, I decided that I would be John's friend.
One night, as Mother came into my bedroom, I said,"Mom,tomorrow is John's birthday, and he's not going to get anything. Nobody cares. " "Don't worry," Mom said as she kissed me goodnight. "I'm sure everything will be fine. "
I wished John a happy birthday in the morning,and his smile showed me that he was glad I had remembered. By mid-afternoon I had almost decided that birthdays weren't that important. Then, as Mrs. Parmele was writing on the blackboard,I heard a familiar voice singing the birthday song. I looked up and saw Mother coming through the door with a tray of cupcakes and a present in her hand. Mrs. Parmele also joined in. Mother found John looking like a rabbit in car headlights. She put the cupcakes and the gift on John's desk and said, "Happy birthday, John. " John stood there with his mouth open, unable to believe what was happening. While John happily shared his cupcakes with the class, taking the tray from desk to desk, I caught Mother watching me and she smiled.
John Evans moved away soon, and I never heard from him again. But I always remember the happiness in a boy's eyes, and the taste of the sweetest cupcake.
