by Roy A. Borges
A Mother’s Day Card
A Mother’s Day story about two sons
OTHER’S DAY was only a Michael diligently watched Fly’s cell Michael couldn’t let the thought go;
M
few days away, but from the officer’s station. He just knew his curiosity was piqued. He strolled
Michael neither knew it Fly would be sending a line down to down to Fly’s floor and gathered up all
nor cared. He was a cor- another cell to trade the card for tobacco. the mail. As he sorted it out, he kept an
rectional officer who He was determined to bust him. eye out for Fly’s name . . . and the card.
worked on the evening shift, and who But Fly didn’t make a move, and When he found it, he saw the enve-
thought only of himself. But on this par- Michael was puzzled. It didn’t make sense. lope was addressed to Mrs. Kelly Roberts,
ticular night his thoughts were on Fly, a What was he going to do with the card? 813 East 22nd St., Hialeah, FL 33013.
dingy-looking inmate, a thief who was in Michael, the diligent correctional officer,
confinement for stealing food out of the couldn’t resist the temptation to read what
kitchen. He had several paying customers Fly had written. Inside, the card read:
who bought everything he stole. It’s how Dear Mom,
he supported his habit. The nicotine You are my inspiration, the only one who
stains on his fingertips exposed his addic- has faith in me and has always stood by me
tion. His toothless smile scintillated in the bad days and the dark hours.
through the window of his cell door as To my only sweetheart—my mother!
the officer passed him a card sent Your loving son,
from the chapel. Fly
Michael wondered who Michael stared at the card as he read it
Fly could be sending a card over and over. His eyes clouded with
to. Surely he had no friends. astonishment, as the words touched a
Who would want to write to place deep down inside that he forgot
this obnoxious reject? He was existed. Michael learned a valuable les-
probably trading it for tobacco. son that night from Fly, a failure in
I’m going to bust him, Michael the eyes of most people. It reminded
thought to himself as he watched him that not even failures could take
Fly’s cell. away a mother’s love, or a son’s love
Fly sat on his bunk, looking at the for his mother.
card he’d received from the chapel. It’s On the way home that night,
pretty; she’ll like it, he thought. His mother Michael stopped at Wal-Mart and
had sent him a book of stamps earlier in bought a Mother’s Day card. He
the week. An inmate upstairs sold pin- addressed the envelope: Mrs. Kelly
sized cigarettes rolled in Bible paper for Roberts, 813 East 22nd St., Hialeah, FL
stamps. Fly traded all of the stamps for 33013.
tobacco except for the one he was using And he wrote:
on this card. The temptation to sell the
extra stamp with the card for tobacco was
“It reminded him that
Dear Mom,
Lots of love to the best mom in the world
strong, but his love for his mother was
not even failures could
on Mother’s Day. I saw Fly today, and he is
stronger. She did send him a book of doing fine.
stamps, so the least he could do was use
take away a mother’s
Your loving son,
one to send her a Mother’s Day card.
love, or a son’s love
Michael
After all, Mother’s Day comes around
only once a year. for his mother.” Roy A. Borges writes from Mayo, Florida.
EVANGEL • MAY 2009 9
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