I Helped a Struggling Classmate. 15 Years Later, I Met Someone Who Changed Everything

A Silent Lunch in Elementary School

It was 15 years ago from now back when I was in elementary school. April came around and we had a class shuffle.

Our new class teacher was a young woman. When lunchtime came, the teacher turned to a girl who sat next to me and told her not to eat the school lunch.

“Katie, you haven’t paid your lunch fee, so don’t eat. Okay?”

Katie, who always wore ragged clothes, was a skinny little girl. Apparently, her family was poor and since last fall her parents hadn’t been paying the school lunch fee.

I learned about this later on from overhearing some gossip, but it seemed she was allowed to eat lunch the previous year. Seeing her being the only one without any food on her desk and just looking down made me feel sorry for her.

Since the teacher ate lunch in the same room, I couldn’t secretly share my food with her. So I left just the bread, wrapped it in a napkin, hid it in my desk, and gave it to Katie after lunch was over and the teacher left the room.,

“You can eat this.”

“Really? Thank you, Jason.”

The Extra Packed Lunch

Back then, I was an outcast among my classmates and had no friends in the same class. But after that incident, I started talking to Katie.

When I got home that day, I told my mom about Katie’s family situation.

“Mom, please, can you make a packed lunch for Katie?” When I pleaded like that, my mom responded.

“That poor child. If she can’t eat lunch, it won’t be good for her growth, and she probably can’t concentrate on her studies when she’s hungry.” she said.

“It’s fine. I’m already making your dad’s lunch every day, so adding one more portion won’t make much difference.” With that, she gladly agreed.

The next day at lunch break, when I handed over the homemade lunch my mom made, Katie’s eyes widened and in surprise.,

“My mom said to give this to you.”

“Is this a packed lunch?”

“Yeah, I told her about you, and she said to give it to you.”

“Really? Thank you, Jason.”

She hurriedly ate the lunch before the teacher returned to the classroom. It turned out that Katie’s house was in the same direction as mine, so from that day on, we decided to walk home together.

Sharing Stories on the Walk Home

While walking, Katie told me about her life.

“My dad doesn’t work yet; he spends all our money on slot machines and horse races.” she told me.

“My mom earns the money, but my dad takes it all. Because of this, they were struggling and even in debt.” she said.

Seeing her wearing the same tattered clothes every day, I felt sorry for her. Our classmates just watched her from a distance; neither of us had friends.

After that, we started meeting up in the morning and going to school together. Some of our classmates teased us.,

“Are you two dating or something?” some of our classmates teased us saying.

But we tried not to let it bother us. I’ve always been bad at talking to people, but for some reason, I felt at ease talking to Katie.

I didn’t realize it, but it seemed I was loner than I thought, not having any friends. I was really happy to be able to talk to her on our way to and from school.

We talked about a lot of things: about our families, our favorite foods and animals, homework, and TV shows we watched the previous night. I found out she loves cats.

She can’t have one at her house, but she enjoys visiting a nearby park where stray cats often gather.

“My family has a cat. Want to come over and see it?”

“Really? Sure!”

A Second Home for Katie

When I brought her to my house after school that day, my mom warmly welcomed her. When our mixed-breed cat showed up, Katie’s eyes sparkled with delight.,

“How cute! What’s its name?”

“It’s Mary. Mary, come here.”

Katie looked so happy cuddling the cat, playing with toys, and feeding it treats. Seeing her radiant smile, which she didn’t show at school, somehow made me feel happy too.

In a blink of an eye, it was evening, and my mom prepared dinner even for Katie.

“Katie, can you give me your home phone number? I’ll call your folks and let them know you’re here.” my mom said.

With that, my mom called her house. During the call, she seemed deeply engrossed in the conversation.

After that day, Katie began having dinner at our house every night. Apparently, her mom often worked late, and her dad, who was at home, didn’t do any housework.

As a result, their dinner time was always late, so with her parents’ permission, our mom started looking after her meals.,

After school, Katie and I would do our homework and play with the cat until dinner.