“It’s okay. Next time just ask.”

It’s Okay. Next Time, Just Ask

Sam had gone with his wife to a local elementary school so she could drop off some extra craft supplies for a teacher friend. While his wife made the delivery, Sam waited in the hallway, sitting on a bench just outside the classrooms.

He noticed a tall shelving unit nearby, filled with all sorts of classroom supplies. It looked like a shared resource for the school, probably because their budget was tight. One shelf caught his eye, it was lined with calculators. Sam figured he’d pass the time by doing some random calculations.

Among the smaller calculators was a sleek fancy model. It was soft white, had a cover, and looked like a nice one. He picked it up and returned to the bench to pass the time.

A few minutes later, a teacher stepped out of a nearby classroom, followed by her third-grade students. Each student grabbed a calculator from the shelf, except for one little girl.

She scanned the shelf, but her calculator was missing.

"Ms. Moore, my calculator isn’t here," she said quietly.

The teacher leaned down to check. "Oh my, it must’ve been borrowed and not returned. Don’t worry, Molly. You can use mine today."

Molly nodded, but her shoulders sagged a little as she followed the others back into the classroom.

Sam realized what he’d done. That fancy calculator wasn’t just any calculator, it was Molly’s. And instead of returning it right away, he’d hidden it, not wanting anyone to think he was stealing it.

He felt terrible. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a five-dollar bill. He folded it neatly, slipped it between the calculator and its cover, and quietly placed the calculator back on the shelf.

Sam sat back down and waited for his wife. A few minutes later, the students returned to put their calculators back on the shelf.

"Look, Molly!" Ms. Moore called out. "Here’s your calculator. See? I told you someone probably just borrowed it."

Molly’s face lit up as she rushed to grab it. When she opened the cover, the five-dollar bill fell to the floor. She picked it up and her face lit up with excitement.

"Ms. Moore, look! Someone left five dollars in my calculator! If I get a few more dollars, I can buy a new dress for my doll!"

Ms. Moore chuckled and said, "Well, Molly, sometimes people surprise us in the best ways."

As they headed back into the classroom, Sam’s wife appeared at his side. She waited quietly while the hallway cleared. Sam heard Molly’s excitement about the dress and reached back into his wallet, pulling out a ten-dollar bill.

As Ms. Moore and Molly walked by, Molly paused, glancing at him with a curious smile. Sam held out the ten. She hesitated, then slowly took it.

"I’m sorry," Sam said softly.

Molly gazed into his eyes, the eyes of an old man who had made a mistake. In her very soft voice and with a gentle smile she said, "It’s okay. Next time, just ask."

Neither Ms. Moore nor Sam’s wife said a word, but both understood what had just happened. A warm feeling hung in the air. They had just witnessed a quiet connection between an old man and a third-grade girl.

Sam stood, slid his hands into his pockets, and started walking down the hallway. His wife slipped her arm through his and leaned into him.

"Sometimes you amaze me," she said with a smile.

Sam gave a little shrug and repeated what Molly had said, "It’s okay. Next time, just ask."

Author’s Notes:

We all make mistakes, and sometimes when we realize we’ve made a mistake, our first thought is to cover it up, such as Sam did by temporarily hiding the calculator. But in the end, it’s our responsibility to make things right. In this story, it ended with a happy little girl who now has enough money to buy a new dress for her doll.

The image was AI generated, with many iterations. Then, I edited it in Photoshop using AI to create some specific parts of it, once again with many iterations. The thought and story was totally mine.