I went to see the principal again.
I needed her help.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t home.
A young man answered the door instead.
He smiled politely and invited me inside.
He was well dressed and spoke gently.
There was something warm and friendly about him.
Normally, I was afraid of strange men.
I had learned to be.
But for some reason, I wasn’t afraid of him.
Not even a little.
He looked at me with a gentle smile.
“What brings you here?”
His voice was soft and patient.
His kindness made me feel strangely at ease.
I didn’t try to hide anything from him.
I answered every question honestly.
I told him that I had nowhere to go and had come hoping the principal could help me again.
He listened carefully.
He didn’t interrupt.
When I finished, he immediately said,
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you.”
That evening, he came to find me.
He handed me two dollars.
I immediately shook my head.
“No, I can’t take this.”
He smiled.
“My aunt asked me to give it to you.”
“My aunt?”
“The principal. She left this money for you.”
Then he told me something else.
“She has already arranged a place for you to stay.”
“You can move there tomorrow.”
I felt a little uneasy.
Something about the situation didn’t feel completely right.
But I didn’t dare think too much about it.
His smile was so open and gentle that it warmed something inside me.
He seemed so sincere.
I thought that if I started suspecting him for no reason, I would be insulting someone who was simply trying to help me.
He was kind.
He was friendly.
And there was something about him that made it very hard for me to be on my guard.