LITTLE KIDS WITH BIG HEARTS

It was a sunny, summer afternoon when a little boy and his sister went inside a rather busy ice cream parlour. They had just finished with their exams, so what better way to celebrate the onset of summer vacations than by treating oneself to ice cream? The duo sat at a vacant table and went through the menu. After deliberating on what to order (for a long time), the siblings finally came to a consensus.

“How much is this ice cream sundae?” the boy asked, his big blue eyes wide, as the waitress approached him.

“60 rupees,” replied the waitress, nonchalantly.

The little boy then took out a few coins from his pocket and started counting them. After a brief pause, he whispered something into his sister’s ears.

Moments later, “How much is this cone of ice cream then?” the little girl inquired meekly.

“15 rupees,” she answered.

When the little boy started counting the coins again, the waitress got impatient. “Come on, make it quick, kids. Can I take your order or not?” she asked, sounding rather curt. It was a busy day at the ice cream parlour that day and she did not have the time nor the patience to deal with little children and their dillydallying.

“Yes. We’ll have two cones of chocolate ice cream,” the boy confirmed, after taking his own time with the counting.

The waitress brought the kids their chocolate ice cream cones, put the bill on their table, and walked away brusquely. The children relished their ice cream, paid the cashier 30 rupees and left for home happily.

When the waitress came back to clean the table the children were sitting at, she was in for a surprise. For, placed neatly beside the empty ice cream cups was a little note that read ‘we’re sorry’ with a sad smiley. The waitress felt guilty about having been impatient with the two children. She was moved by the little kids’ big hearts.