Part One
'It's easy to say you love the holidays when you can afford it,” Sam argued, “but when you have nothing, and still can enjoy this season, that's something special.”
Angie rolled her eyes. Sam was pulling her leg, and she wasn't that gullible. Sam was an optimistic about everything. When the glass was empty, he saw it as potential to be filled. Sam's optimism was almost sickening.
“Just look at how happy poor people in low income cities are.” Sam continued.
“Easy for you to say when you're living on 75 thousand a year,” Angie challenged, “ I bet if you had to live the way of the poor, you'd break that little charade and complain worse than Mr. Scrooge.”
Just then, Tim walked up. Tim was their boss, and enjoyed a bet like a alcoholic enjoys free drink night at the local bar.
“Did I just here someone say 'bet'?” He questioned.
“Sam was trying to tell me that people who have nothing enjoy the holidays more than people who aren't poor.” Angie accused, knowing who's side the rich boss would take.
“Are you crazy, Sam?” Tim accused.
“Well, that isn't exactly what I said,” Sam defended, “I was merely making a comparison to people who don't have much, and those who have it all. I'm just saying you don't need to have it all to be happy.”
“Well, this is a very intriguing conversation. I'd like to see where this is going.” Tim added. “Are you sure of what you are saying, Sam?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good. Then first thing Monday, You will live on $250 a week. You will need to find a cheap motel to move into, and you will spend 4 weeks there. This means you will live on only $1,000 for the entire month, that includes food, bills, and holiday spending. No outside money allowed. Each day, we will check you bank statements and make sure you aren't dipping into your account. No car either. We will check the mileage on your car this weekend, and at the end of this wager. I will personally hand you your allowance each week on Monday, and the rest of your pay will go into your account. We will also be watching your attitude. I've got friends all over this city, and when I show them your photo, and include a early Christmas gift for their cooperation, they will report your disposition to me. Now to make this interesting. What shall the winner of this wager receive? ”
Sam stood there listening as his boss listed out the rules for his new life. Could he do it? He was sure he could, but for a whole month? It might be a good way to prove a point. Yes, he would do it.
“How about we wager $100?” Angie threw in.
“No, that's no where near as high a bet. It needs to be high enough that our buddy Sam will want to participate. I suggest... your holiday bonus. Whomever wins the bet, gets the others Holiday bonus.” Tim added enthusiastically.
“But-” Angie started to add.
“I'll do it.” Sam jumped in, eager to prove his point.
“Then it's settled.” Tim shouted.
“Hold on now!” Angie exclaimed, “I want one more thing. Sam, if you lose, no more boasting and carrying on about your silly philosophies.”
“Done.”
“Great!” replied Tim, “The bet starts at nine Monday morning. Four weeks after that will be... December 20th. Just before Christmas, and the day before the office's Secret Santa party. If I were you, Sam, I'd look into some cheap motels in the area, and learn the bus system. Alright now, Everyone back to work!”
Part Two
Sam woke up with a slight pain in his lower back. The cheap motel mattress just couldn't stand up to his Tempur-Pedic back at home. Stretching out most of the pain, he showered in the small shower, and dressed for work. It had been two weeks since he'd started the bet, and he felt a new strength rushing through him.
“I'm halfway there.” He said, while walking to the bus stop.
This little bet had pushed him to his limits, but he would never complain. It wasn't as hard as it could be.
“At least I have a place to sleep,” he said, thinking about the lumpy mattress. “And food to eat.”
Sam looked down at his sagging clothes. In the last two weeks, he'd went down a few sizes. His diet changed from eating fatty, greasy foods four times a day, to eating lean, small meals, two or three times a day. He couldn't afford to eat at Olive Garden, let alone some of the restaurants he usually ate at. Nope, it was toast and cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and one of the many flavors of hamburger helper for dinner and if he was lucky, made with hamburger meat.
The bus arrived shortly, and as Sam stepped on, the bus driver glanced at him in the usual odd way saying, “So how's you doing today, got anything you wants to talk about?”
“Just fine, and no.”
Could the guy be any more obvious! Clearly he thought he was being discreet as he shrugged his shoulders and shut the doors. Just a few more stops, then Sam would be within walking distance from his work. It was the same thing over and over again with the driver; everyday when Sam got on, he asked the same question, and everyday when Sam got off, he'd say, “Well, if ever you wanna let it all out, I'm here for you. My momma always said I gots good listenin' ears.”
Sam stepped off the bus, and into the cold air. The sun was just high enough that he could see where he was walking, and the ½ mile hike to the office was peaceful. Sam listened to the cardinals sing, and wondered why he hadn't noticed their songs before this little adventure. The cold air didn't bother him as much as he looked around at the beautiful world that didn't exist two weeks ago. He would definitely have to take this walk to work once in a while when spring came.
As Sam walked into the big office doors, he was greeted by yet another one of Tim’s obvious spies. Joe, the office security guard, sat up from his usual laid back position to question Sam as the bus driver had. Since Joe had to check Sam's security badge, their conversation tended to be a little longer than the conversation with the bus driver.
“Sure seems cold outside today, doesn't it? You walked to work again today, didn't you? Was it too cold out there?”
Sam sighed and braced himself and answered honestly, “Yes, is was a cold morning, but I hardly noticed it. Have you ever noticed the beautiful songs the cardinals sing? It almost sounds like they are saying 'What cheer'. No, you haven't noticed? Well you should listen one day, it really is a beautiful sound.”
On that note, Sam headed to the elevators, and into another mass attack by his co-workers. The elevator was unusually empty for this time of day, so Sam was able to breathe for a moment, enjoying the calm before the storm. Right as Sam let out a huge sigh signifying what lay ahead, the elevator opened, and Angie stood there, hands on her hips.
“Ah! Getting tired out I see! Looks like I’ve won the bet already!”
“Come on now Ang, you know I’ve always had a fear of elevators. Even before the bet.”
“Yeah, I know. I just thought I’d catch you at a weak moment, and then win this bet early.”
“Nice try, but it's not going to work.”
“Yeah, whatever. Just go. Oh and don't forget about the meeting at ten.”
Sam shut his office door as the last of Angie’s words came out. Rubbing his head, more out of habit than stress, Sam sat at his desk and opened his inbox. Several messages he marked as spam, and several others needed only a quick glance before being deleted.
“Heya Sam, just wanted to see-” Garbage.
“Hello Samuel, I was writing to find out how you-” Delete.
“Sam, How are you-” Trash can.
“Sam, my man! What's new?”
Sam looked up as his best friend walked in the door. Mike sat down in the lounge chair on the other side of Sam's desk. Great, just what he needed, another interruption during work hours. How did anyone get any work done?
“Not much here, you?” Sam responded.
“Nothing man. Dude, how long are you and Angie doing this thing for again? Another two weeks, right? Shoot, I would've caved by now. There's no way I could go twelve hours without playing 'Black Ops', let alone four weeks. You sure you aren't going crazy? Cause you know you can tell me, and I won't say nothing to the boss man.”
“No, Mike. Actually, I’m enjoying myself. Since I can't 'afford' to drive my car, I end up walking part of the way, and it's actually very nice. Did you ever notice how the snow falls down in the early morning? Or how certain plants seem to hibernate too? This morning I was saying to myself, how I’d like to walk part of the way to work in the springtime, when all the flowers and plants come back to life. I've never noticed it before.”
“Yeah man, sure. But whatever you're smoking, save some for me, okay? Now come on, you know Tim gets upset when I'm late to the meetings.”
Sam logged out of his email and followed Mike to the conference room. If he thought bumping into co-workers one at a time was bad, dealing with all of them at the same time would be disastrous. Twenty faces looking at him, all eager to see him slip in his quest, so they could earn their bonus. Walking into the conference room, Sam said to himself, “I should be psychic.”
“Glad you're all here.” Tim announced. “Now we can get started. Here in this bucket, I have the name of everyone in our department. Pull a name out, and keep it to yourself. You must spend at least $50, and same as last year, there is no max on spending. And remember, the gifts are due Tuesday, the 21st at noon.”
Sam reached into the bucket, feeling around for a slip of paper. How would he afford to get his Secret Santa gift? He could barely afford to buy the hamburger meat for dinner, let alone buy a gift for someone else. Sam was still pondering the thought, when he pulled out the paper. Unfolding it, Sam read the name. He was in luck! If all went to plan, his gift would be the best gift of all!
Part Three
Finally! Today was the last day of the bet. Sam looked up at the clock on the wall. 8:45a.m. In fifteen minutes, he would've won the bet. The last few weeks seemed to breeze by, sort of. Sam was starting to get used to his new life, and the last month had changed his perception on life. He was beginning to love life, and see it for all the wonders it really is. Just this morning, he'd had the pleasure of enjoying a beautiful sight; a mother deer walking with her fawn, heading towards the nearby forest, and the comfort of their den. That sight was one Sam would treasure all his life. And to think, he wouldn't have noticed any of this if he hadn't taken that bet! A bet that he just won! Tim had just opened the door to Sam's office with an envelope in his hand.
“Well, you've won! Got any complaints now that it's all over, and you've won?”
“Actually, no. As strange as it may sound, I-”
“Did he confess yet?”
It was Angie. She was hiding behind Tim, like a serpent waiting to strike.
“Sorry, Angie. It's no good. Sam appears to be sincere. Looks like he really did win.”
Angie stormed out, clearly disappointed. Not only had she lost Sam's bonus, which she had planned on using to get a new plasma TV, but she'd lost her own!
Tim reached for a pen off Sam's desk, so he could make out both checks in Sam's name.
“Now, hold on, Tim. I've got something I need your help with...”
*****
Crawling into his own bed last night seemed strange to Sam. He had gotten used to the lumpy mattress at the motel, and when he laid down on the Tempur-Pedic, he felt almost out of place. Sure, it was nice having his bed back, and his car, and digital cable on his 60” HDTV. But it all seemed different now. Something had changed. When he'd pulled up outside his home, he noticed that there were plants growing outside his home. Not wild plants, since his gardener was paid a month in advance, but little bushes that looked like someone had planted them there. Had they always been there? They didn't look new. Yes! They had been there before, because he remembered once last summer when he dropped his house keys in the bush next to the door. Strange that he never noticed them before.
Sam walked into the office, and instead of greeting him as he had the last four weeks, Joe the guard waved his hand at Sam nonchalantly, never taking his eyes off the security monitor.
“Good morning Joe! How are you doing today?”
“Good morning. So I heard you won. Angie sure looked upset this morning. You'd think she forgot Christmas was just around the corner.”
“Well, I have a feeling she'll perk up later.”
“Good ol' Sam, always optimistic.” Joe added.
“Well, I'd better get going, Joe. Have a good day, and Merry Christmas!”
Sam decided since he didn't walk to work, maybe he could take the stairs. Surprisingly, he made it all the way up, without getting too tired.
“I guess walking ½ a mile to and from work each day will do that to you.” Sam told himself. After making a quick pit stop at the Secret Santa table, Sam headed to his office. On his way, he ran into Angie.
“Good morning Angie!”
“Good morning to you too.” Angie muttered under her breath.
Sam smiled all the way to his office. After reading and deleting dozens of congratulation emails, Sam started to work. No time had passed, or so it seemed, when Tim opened his door, dressed in a Santa suit, and placed a small box on his desk.
“Ho ho ho!” Tim said in his 'Santa' voice.
“Hey Tim. Have you-”
“It's not Tim! It's Santa!”
“Oh. Hey Santa. Have you given Angie her gift yet?”
“No, She's next on my list.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Sam jumped out of his chair, and followed 'Santa' to Angie's office. When 'Santa' handed Angie the thin envelope, she stared at it puzzled. Who would give her a card? It didn't feel like it had a gift card inside, but surely no one went under the $50 spending limit. As she opened the card, a slip of paper fell to the floor. She read the card, then in a daze, reached for what she dropped. It was her Christmas bonus, made out to her! Angie looked again at the card and read the words carefully:
If there's anything I learned the last four weeks, it's that money can't buy happiness. It can't buy true beauty either. Beauty like a sunrise, or the birds singing. Thank you Angie, for helping me see. Thank you for showing me all the beauty that surrounds us everyday. Please enjoy this small token of my appreciation, for without your bet, I wouldn't know what Christmas is all about. What every season is all about. Appreciating the beauty that God has given us.
Your friend,
Sam
Poor Man Celebration by Amanda Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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