Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all under the age of 12, I thought. I knew that they didn't have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were quiet, holding hands, and standing in line, two by two behind their parents. They were excited. They were talking about the clowns, elephants and other shows they would see that night. I could imagine that they came to the circus for the first time in their lives.
The father and mother were at the head of the excited group. The mother was holding her husband's hand, and looking up at him. The father was smiling and looking at his wife proudly. Both of them looked happy.
The ticket lady said to the father, "How many tickets would you like, sir?"
He answered proudly, "Eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, please."
The ticket lady said the price.
The mother's head dropped and the father's lip began to quiver. The father came closer to the lady and asked, "How much did you say?"
The ticket lady again said the price.
The man didn't have enough money.
My father saw what was going on, put his hand into his pocket, took out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."
The man knew what was going on. He wasn't asking my father to give him the money but certainly appreciated the help. He looked straight into my father's eyes, held my father's hand in both of his, and took the $20 bill. His lip quivered and a tear ran down his cheek. He said, "Thank you, thank you, Sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We couldn't go to the circus that night, but we were happy about that.