Ray of Hope

Prompt: Write 700 words or less starting with, "You don't have enough points sir." ~ This is a fiction piece inspired by the song, The Fault in our Stars by Troye Sivan.

“You don’t have enough points sir,” said the man at the front desk. These words caused me to hit a breaking point. I felt the palms of my hand begin to sweat. My heart was racing. I stood at the front desk of the Vacation Inn. I hadn’t showered in a week. I had on my paint covered jeans and the sweat stains on my white t-shirt could be seen a mile away. My heart sank as my wallet fell onto the floor. The contents of it now everywhere.

I bent down to pick up the various receipts and papers. “Excuse me. Sir.” My thoughts were interrupted by the man’s voice coming from behind the front desk. “You don’t have enough points sir.” I shook my head in disbelief. “Sir,” I said, trying to hold back tears, “that can’t be possible. We had enough.” I went to wipe the sweat off my face and tried to make sense of what he said. “Please sir, there must be a mistake. I should have enough points.”

I turned around and noticed the family waiting behind me. I walked away, to where my girlfriend was sitting, to figure out what to do. She sat holding our four-year-old baby boy. I say baby but he’s so big now. I love his green eyes and his sense of humor. My girlfriend is my best friend and my world. We were friends in college and started dating after we both graduated. Life was unbelievable after that. Travel, love, memories. Then baby Theo was born and changed our lives. We were working, had a baby, bought a house, life was great. At that moment, I looked at my beautiful family and decided to step away. I walked down the lobby hallway and looked in a decorative mirror hanging on the wall. My entire life up to this moment, was staring back at me. How did everything go from being so perfect to so painful? I want to support my family. I am want to be someone my son can look up to and say, “Dad I want to be just like you.”

“Sir, excuse me, sir,” said the man from behind the counter, as he approached me. I turned around and he said, “Sir, I believe you dropped this.” He handed me a small photo. I burst into tears. I had been strong for so long and just couldn’t seem to contain it anymore. I said to this complete stranger, “Morgan, my…my baby girl, she…she…we lost her 7 months ago, she was 18 months and…she had cancer and we couldn’t…I failed her, my baby…we have to go home and we are broke paying off bills and now...I…my home will be emptier…I. I’m so sorry.” The man reached out to embrace me. He looked me in my eyes and said, “Sir, let me get you a room. Get your family and your bags.” Backing away, I stared into his eyes. No words were needed. I couldn’t speak. He knew what I was thinking. I went get my family and take them to our room.

It’s been a year since that day at the Vacation Inn. Everyday since, I haven’t stopped thinking about the man behind the counter. His kindness was overwhelming. We didn’t have enough points on our account or money to pay for a nights stay in the hotel room but he helped us anyway. He didn’t know us, but he saw my pain. He gave me a glimmer of hope. The first bit of it since I lost my baby girl. His senseless act of kindness was worth more than any amount of points or money. His kindness showed us that there was still good in the world, despite all the tragedy and pain we had gone through. My beautiful girlfriend and I tied the knot at the courthouse four months ago. Theo is five and is growing up so fast. Baby Morgan is looking down on us all, everyday. Life is full of surprises, heartbreak, and tragedy. But it's also full of hope, love, and random acts of kindness.