The Balloon

Betty’s father held her hand as they entered the park. He was very tall, and when he came on Sundays to visit her and take her out for the day, he always wore a suit. Betty was dressed in her best clothes, so she and her father didn’t look much like the others in the park. Most of the people were wearing casual clothes and tennis shoes.

Betty’s father looked down at her and said, "What would you like to do today, Betty?" He always asked her that question, and Betty almost never knew what to say.

"Would you like a bicycle to ride around the park?" Betty shook her head. "What about a big fluffy stuffed bear like that one over there?" her father asked, pointing at a vending booth in the middle of the park. Betty shook her head again. She wasn’t sure if her father remembered, but he had given her both a bicycle and a stuffed bear on previous visits. She glanced around looking for something new and interesting to do. As she scanned the park, a small boy caught her eye. He was sitting quietly on a park bench with a sad expression on his face. He wore some very old clothes, and he sat very still except for his frequent glances at a jovial salesman who was carrying a large bunch of colorful balloons.

What does he find so incredibly attractive about those balloons? Betty wondered. She decided she would find out for herself. "Daddy, if it’s all right with you, I would like a big red balloon."

"Of course, Betty, darling. You may have anything you want." Pulling a few dollar bills out of his pocket, her father walked over to the salesman and purchased the biggest reddest balloon in the bunch. "Here you go, Betty, is this the one you wanted?"

"Yes, thank you, Daddy." Betty smiled happily at her new possession, and her father smiled at her happiness.

"Would you like to go watch the ducks in the pond now, Betty?" he asked.

Betty nodded eagerly, and the two walked hand in hand over in the direction of the pond. As they walked, Betty glanced backward and noticed the young boy she had seen earlier following them, looking longingly in the air just above her head. Glancing up, she realized that it was her balloon that attracted his wishful gaze. Suddenly the balloon didn’t seem very exciting anymore. Betty looked sympathetically at the boy and their eyes met. Betty realized that this boy, who had so much less than she did, had a much greater desire for the balloon than she did. Suddenly, an idea came to her.

"Daddy," she began slowly, then suddenly continued. "could you buy me an ice cream cone over there?"

"Certainly, darling. What flavor would you like?"

"Oh, it doesn’t matter," replied Betty nonchalantly.

Her father looked a bit surprised. "All right, then, I’ll get you strawberry."

"Thank you, Daddy. I’ll wait here."

Betty’s father strolled over to the ice cream stand and pulled some more bills out of his pocket. Betty quickly ran over to the boy and held out her balloon. "Do you want this?" she asked sweetly.

The boy beamed at her. "Do I want it? Oh, yes please!" Barely able to believe his great fortune, he grabbed and, calling a quick thanks over his shoulder, ran across the park in the direction they had come.

"Betty, where is your new balloon?"

Betty turned around quickly to find her father standing there with her ice cream cone.

"Oh—I—I," her voiced trailed off as she frantically searched her brain for a good excuse.
"Well?"

Betty looked at the sky. "I think it went where all good balloons want to go."

Her father laughed merrily, and handed her her ice cream. "Don’t worry, darling, I’ll buy you a new one," he said.

"Oh, I don’t need it," Betty replied. She licked her ice cream contentedly and turned just in time to see the small boy skip joyfully out of the park with his treasure. Turning again, Betty held her hand up to her father, and together they walked slowly to the pond.

Writing Assignment by Aaron