An Unwelcome Gift

Rosalynn sat on her chair by the side of the city gate, where she always sat. She was unable to walk, and she needed to beg for gifts to help feed her family, even though she was only eight. The morning crowds had already passed through, so for now, there wasn’t as much work to do. It had been a good day so far, and her money jar was already nearly half full.

Rosalynn looked up and saw a group of people approaching the entrance of the gate. “Alms for a poor lame girl!” she called out in a lamenting voice, as always. “Money for a lame girl’s supper!”

It appeared to be a wealthy person’s company, for a group of slaves were carrying a fancy litter covered in brightly embroidered cloth.

“Stop, slaves,” called a voice from within the litter. “I want to talk to this beggar.”

The group stopped, and a young woman stepped out of the litter. She walked over to Rosalynn and stared at her curiously for a moment.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m just begging for food for my family.”

The young woman nodded, but she still seemed puzzled. “What a shame that a child your age should have to sit in the gate all day. It must be tremendously dull!”

Rosalynn shrugged.

The woman stood deep in thought for a moment.

“Look, I don’t have any money with me right now, but I couldn’t bear to just leave you without giving you anything. Will you still be here this afternoon?”

Rosalynn nodded yes, and with that, the young woman walked back to her litter and the group moved on.

The rest of the morning passed as usual. Rosalynn spent the lunch rush hour calling out until her throat was hoarse, but it paid off. The harvest had been good that year, and many people were willing to give.

Then, as the sun began to set, the rich woman’s carriage returned. She came out of her litter and walked up to Rosalynn.

“Well, I’ve got it all worked out!” she exclaimed. “I’ve talked it over with my friends, and they agree with me. We can’t just leave you in a place like this. I’m going to take you to my home, where you can have plenty of food and clothes and anything else you want.”

Rosalynn’s eyes grew wide. She didn’t know what to say.

The woman laughed. “Yes, I’m sure you’re surprised,” she said. “This must be the best news of your life.”

Rosalynn finally managed to speak. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t go with you. I need to beg to help my family.”

“Oh, of course,” replied the woman. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they have enough. I’ll send them money every day—more than they can imagine.”

“I’m not sure I understand.” replied Rosalynn. “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing, nothing at all,” the woman replied. “I just can’t bear to see poor children begging on the streets. Come on now, we’ve got to get going if we want to be back by suppertime.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” replied Rosalynn. “But I can’t go with you. I don’t want to leave my family.”

The woman was quite taken aback. “What do you mean?” she asked. “You’d rather stay here begging at the gate with almost nothing to eat than come with me to a place where you’d never lack anything, just to stay with your family?”

Rosalynn nodded, and the young woman walked off with a scowl on her face.