Derek, 12, was born into affluence. His mother, Linda, had a million-dollar cosmetic brand, but his father, Henry, was an ordinary office manager, which is why Derek’s mother divorced him.
Linda thought money equaled power. Money might assist you in ruling the world. She wasn’t entirely wrong. Following the divorce, it was her money that allowed her to obtain custody of Derek in court, while Henry had to make do with only infrequent visits to their only child.
Linda was always in command. “You know your income doesn’t make much of a difference in Derek’s life, Henry, so you have no right to evaluate what’s best for him,” she mocked him one day. “How about getting out of the path of my son?”
“Is that your son?” Henry shot back. “Remember, Linda, he’s also my son, and you know how much he looks like me. He is considerate, sensitive, and giving. “He’s not like you, and you’ll realize it one day!”
Linda laughed. “That will be seen, sweetheart! That will be seen. Linda was convinced Derek would grow up to be someone like her—rich, confident, and self-sufficient—rather than some stupid, kind-hearted man like Henry. Sweetheart, however, was mistaken.
Derek, like his father, was very polite and diligent, making him a first-rate pupil. Linda felt pleased with herself. She would come out of every parent-teacher meeting beaming with pride. Despite being preoccupied with her company, she had raised a lovely child! Linda’s pride, though, would suffer soon.
Mrs. Lester, Derek’s favorite teacher, failed to appear at school one day. The substitute instructor wasn’t bad, but he also wasn’t terrific. Mrs. Lester had her own ways of making the material engaging and enjoyable, and she never missed class. Was she ill? “Perhaps,” Derek speculated.
Derek got more and more anxious as the days and weeks went by. Mrs. Lester’s fate would not be revealed to the pupils by any instructor at the school. “You should not be concerned, pupils.” She is on leave and will hopefully return soon. One day, their substitute instructor informed them.
Fortunately, several of Derek’s friends overheard the professors’ talk a few days later and discovered Mrs. Lester was in severe danger. The professors had mentioned cancer. Mrs. Lester was going through chemotherapy but didn’t have the money to pay for it.
“She has two children… She has a son and a daughter, and her husband is unable to pay her bills since he does not have decent work. He’s a lawyer who gets by on pro bono work. They said that it does not help him make a lot of money. “A buddy informed him.”
“That’s terrible!” Derek pondered. She was their finest instructor and his favorite. Derek wanted to assist her, but he couldn’t ask his mother for money since she would never assist anyone. She despised performing for charity. And Henry was struggling following his divorce.
“What should I do?” Derek lay in his bed at night, contemplating how he would save his beloved teacher’s life. He didn’t have much money on him. But soon after, he had an epiphany…
Derek changed into his home clothes and started baking cookies as soon as he got home from school the next day. His grandmother had demonstrated how to do it. Linda, after all, was usually preoccupied with her profession.
“This should be enough for the day!” he said as he removed two large pans of freshly cooked cookies from the oven. He let them out to cool before sealing them in a jar and selling them in his front yard.
The poster he posted outside the home gate said, “Buy a cookie, save a life!” Some compassionate neighbors walked over, asked why he was doing it, and brought him cookies. However, his plan was not financially viable.
He barely had a few hundred bucks after several weeks. “This would be of little service to Mrs. Lester,” he lamented. As a result, Derek began baking and selling cookies door to door.
Meanwhile, his grades began to slip, and Linda received a call from his instructor, who was worried that such a bright kid as Derek was on the edge of failing his examinations.
Linda arrived home early that day, irritated, and was surprised to discover Derek selling cookies. “What’s the matter with you, Derek?” “What exactly are you doing?” Stunned, she inquired.
“Umm, well, mom, I’m just assisting my instructor,” Derek explained gently. “I believed I could help her because she was ill and needed money for treatment. “Her family is in distress.”
“You’re not serious!” she exclaimed. “If you keep doing this, one day you’ll be selling cookies for a living!” Derek, your class teacher called me, and she didn’t have kind things to say about your school performance. Throw everything away and go back to your room! If you don’t do your homework, you won’t be able to have supper tonight!
Derek implored, “Mom… “How can you be so aloof?” Dad constantly encouraged me to assist those in need.
“And look where he is now, Derek.” The world is ruled by money! You’re doing this ridiculous cookie thing today because your instructor is broke. And, well, you should think about yourself first, then about others! This should be completed within 10 minutes. “She stepped inside after pointing to the cookies.”
Derek had given up. He could never stand up to Linda. Even his father was unable to help.How would he do it?
The next day was Sunday, and Derek was sleeping in his room. Linda, luckily, permitted him to sleep in on weekends. Derek’s slumber was awakened the next morning by applause and exclamations of “Hip, Hip, Hurray!”
“Please put a stop to that. I’d want to sleep more! He mumbled, a pillow covering his ears. But the noises persisted.
Derek was finally up and out of his room to investigate the source of the commotion. The doorbell rang unexpectedly. Derek opened the door to see a large gathering gathered on his front porch.
“What’s the big deal?” “What is going on?” The image startled him out of his nap.
Linda was in the shower at the time. “Who’s there, Derek?” she yelled from the bathroom.
He was approached by a man who handed him his business card. He presented himself as a journalist and said that he had witnessed him selling cookies to support his ailing instructor. “I questioned some neighbors and discovered your residence through them. “All of these folks have come to express their gratitude for your generosity.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t deserve this.” Derek lamented. “I couldn’t assist my teacher.” The strategy backfired somewhat. “I barely earned a few bucks and could never afford to pay it to my teacher.”
“Oh no, you did assist your instructor, and she is already receiving treatment!” exclaimed the journalist. Then he revealed that a GoFundMe page had been set up by various people to raise funds for Mrs. Lester.
“What exactly is this?” “What is your name?” Linda arrived behind Derek, surprised to find such a large gathering on her porch so early in the morning.
“You are…”
“I’m his mother,” she introduced herself.
“I’d want to speak with your kid, ma’am,” replied the journalist. “Derek is an encouragement to many young people out there… Then he explained how Derek’s small stride had aided Mrs. Lester.
Linda was overcome with emotion. For the first time, she recognized that good deeds were more important than money.
“I’m sorry, son,” she apologized as she cradled him. “I am proud of what you accomplished. “I will also try my utmost to assist Mrs. Lester!”
Mrs. Lester was able to continue her therapy thanks to the donations and Linda’s assistance. After a few months, she felt considerably better, and her cancer went into remission.
She praised Derek in front of the entire class for saving her life when she returned to school. “I will be eternally thankful to you, Derek,” she stated. “You truly are an angel!”
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