HOMETOWN

The child stood watching as his life was being packed up... He was pouting. He was going to have no part of this.

The child's parents were ignoring him. They figured that would be the best way to deal with his attitude. They simply continued to pack up his stuff, never acknowledging his presence.

Soon, everything in his room was boxed, or lined up for the movers who would be there in a few hours. The boy decided to wander around the house to see how it looked without the usual knick-knacks, furniture, and, other such things which made a house a home.

He went downstairs, standing on the final stair, looking around. He was so angry that he wanted to start tearing open all the boxes and putting everything back where it belonged.

The boy did not understand that his father had been offered a better job with more money, perks, insurances, and, a house in the bargain. All he knew is that he was leaving the home he had lived in all of his 10 years, and, his friends.

His friends... He had thought that some of them would stop by last night, but, none of them did. Maybe they were mad at him, he reasoned... It did not matter as he would never see them again.

It was 5 in the morning, he was tired and hungry, and, no one was offering him anything; no attention, no food, nothing... Wearily, he sat on the step and put his hands on his head, and, started to cry.

His father saw the boy and called down to him, asking him to help him with a box which needed to be carried down. The boy did not want his father to see him crying, and, quickly tried to stop, wiping the tears away as best as he could. The father did not notice; this made the boy even more upset than before...

After they got some of the stuff down the stairs, the father looked at his son, seeing the pain in his eyes. He again tried to explain why the had to move. The boy did not seem the least bit interested in what the father was saying, though really he was...

The father then asked the boy what he would like for breakfast. The boy was starved... He told his dad that he did not know. The father then asked if he would like to go to the local cafe and get a big breakfast. He told the son that they needed to eat good as they would be on the road for over a day, and, while they would stop, it would not be the same as their favorite cafe.

The boy seemed to like this idea. The father called up to the mother who decided that she would stay and finish up some last minute things, and, gave them a verbal list of what to bring back for her to eat...

Off they went, father and son.

When they arrived at the cafe, it seemed very busy for 6 in the morning, but, then, they had never been there that early, so, they were very surprised as they entered and found that most of the town was there to wish them well on their new life...

The boys eyes lit up as all of his friends came rushing up to greet him. You could see the happiness in his face; this was awesome to him.

After a few minutes, everyone settled down. The father and son ordered so much food that they laughed about it. They ate and ate, until they could no longer swallow. At that precise moment, they were bombarded with gifts, with best wishes, with hugs, tears, and, a pile of addresses and phone numbers.

It was the fathers turn to think twice about the move they were making; suddenly understanding what the son and the wife had been feeling. He made a decision right there on the spot, that regardless of the life they could have with the extra cash, it would never match up to the life they had right here, in their own special hometown....