It began two years
ago or so. A kid shot some hoops in the gym as he waited for his father to pick
him up. A custodian pushed a broom on the court cleaning it as part of his
duties. The two began to talk.
It continued the
rest of the year. “Hello!” “How are you doing?” A casual acquaintance.
Friendly. Kind. Considerate. Always a smile. Always a “Goodbye!” from the kid.
Always a “Have a nice day! God Bless you!” from the custodian.
The two didn’t see
much of one another last year, but when they did, it was a resumption of what
had taken place the previous year. Friendly conversation, a handshake, maybe a
hug. All smiles. Always the kindness and always the consideration given to each
other.
Tristan is now a
senior. At one time a three-sport athlete, now just an excellent baseball
player who will be playing at the collegiate level next year. Still friendly, still
kind, now a young man.
Tristan found out
that Angel, the custodian, was married and had four kids. Not at all wealthy,
by any standard. But always hardworking. Always friendly. Always with a smile
and a kind word.
Tristan likes and
collects shoes. He buys and sells them when he doesn’t wear them any longer. Wanting
to do something nice for Angel, Tristan took a picture of some of the shoes in
his closet. He showed them to Angel and pretended that he was going to buy a
pair and asked Angel which pair he should purchase. Angel suggested the Jordan
8s. Tristan asked Angel if he had them, and Angel responded with a laugh, “I
have four kids. I don’t have time to buy things for myself.”
Tristan knew that
Angel wore the same size shoe as he did- a size 8. So Tristan went home and
told his mom that he’d like to give Angel his pair of Jordan 8s, and his mother
told him that was a nice idea. So Tristan placed them in a shoe box and after
lunch yesterday, he and a friend sought Angel out and Tristan presented him
with the box.
The reaction would
melt the coldest and hardest of hearts. Tristan’s friend captured it on video
and Tristan posted it to the school’s Twitter page: @shstribepride and It’s
worth a watch. It will be shown on NBC 4 either this afternoon or evening,
maybe tomorrow. Not sure. A great story about an unlikely friendship between a
student and a custodian.
When asked why he
did it, Tristan explained with a shy smile, “I thought it would be nice. I know
he can’t afford them.” Pressed a little further, Tristan explained that he
posted the video hoping that others would follow along and do something kind
for someone else. He sees himself as a role model and wants others to be also.
Then he said
something pretty remarkable and rather insightful. He said, “You don’t just
learn from teachers. You can learn from anyone.”
If you’re not
smiling by now, I have no words. If your heart isn’t a little mushy by now, I
don’t know what else to say to you.
A young man . . .
a pair of shoes . . . a custodian. A kid shooting a basketball killing time
until his father picked him up. A gentle man pushing a broom doing more than
his job, I think.
And . . .
The idea, the
hope, that others might follow his lead and do something nice for someone. That
anyone can be a role model and a mentor. That it isn’t just teachers you can
learn from. Maybe a kid with a kind, gentle heart can teach us, remind us about
something other than ourselves. He reminded me. Maybe taught me, too. Something
to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
In addition to my
book, Caught in a Web, interest in
my other four novels has increased. I think because of the critical acclaim Caught in a Web has received.
Currently, it’s sitting at #18 on
the Online Book Club’s List of Best
Selling Books and is #3 in Crime-Thriller-Mystery
on that same list. And after 8 Months, Caught
in a Web is still on Best Thrillers
list of Best Thrillers of the Year. I’m humbled and pretty darn pleased.
So thanks to them
and to all who have taken a chance on reading Caught in a Web. If you are interested in a copy on either Kindle or in Paperback, you can find it
on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696 or on Barnes
and Noble at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249
And if you do give
Caught in a Web a shot, please leave
a rating and a review. I would appreciate it. Thanks for this consideration!
Caught in a Web:
The bodies of high
school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and
fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee
Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador.
Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in
on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior
motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his
cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie
Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs,
shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially
George or members of his family. The three detectives discover the ring has its
roots in a high school among the students and staff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
Book One, Stolen Lives:
Two thirteen year
old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI
agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead!
They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists
that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Two, Shattered Lives:
Six men escaped
and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger
and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no
leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
A 14 year old boy
knows the end is coming. What he doesn’t know is when, where or by whom.
Without that knowledge, neither he nor the FBI can protect him or his family.
The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year
old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become
interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three
of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in
jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis
Connect with me on Social Media:
Twitter at
@jrlewisauthor
Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
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Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe