Tess was a precocious eight years old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking
about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick
and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment
complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills
and our house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was
looking like there was no one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say
to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save
him now."
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place
in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it
carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No
chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and
twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks
to the Rexall Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he
was too intently talking to another man to be bothered by an eight year old
at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing.
She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No
good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass
counter. That did it!
"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.
"I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he
said without waiting for a reply to his question.
"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the
same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick ... and I want to buy a
miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my
Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle
cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you"
the pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the
rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked
the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?"
"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's
really sick and Mommy says he needs a operation. But my Daddy can't pay for
it, so I want to use my money."
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all
the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents -
the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her and
said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your
parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in
neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't
long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them
to this place. "That surgery," her mom whispered "was a real miracle. I
wonder how much it would have cost?"
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and
eleven cents, plus the faith of a little child. |
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