THE GOOD TAILOR

A Short Moral Story.

An old man was discharged from the hospital. As he was leaving the hospital, he kept on smiling like he just won the lottery. A young boy saw him and wondered why he was so happy. Suddenly, the boy walked up to the old man and asked him boldly.

"Hello sir, why do you look so happy?"

The old man smiled at him and said thoughtfully.

"Do you want to know why I'm happy, young boy? Ok fine, I'll tell you. But first... I'll tell you a story, a short story about a good tailor. Come, let’s sit over there while I tell you the story"

They walked forward to the chair in the corridor, and sat on it. Then the old man crossed his leg, and after thinking for a moment, began to tell the story.

"There was a poor tailor who had a small shop in a local neighborhood. Even though he was poor, he helped other people whenever he could. He was generous and had a good heart. One day, the tailor saw a young school boy alone, crying hysterically on the side of the road. His shoes were worn out, and his school uniform was so tattered and torn that he covered his body with newspapers. The mere sight of the school boy touched the man so deeply that he approached him and asked him why he was crying. The boy answered: "My classmates won't stop teasing me about my torn uniform and worn-out shoes. They keep saying my parents are poorer than the mice in their churches". Upon hearing that, the tailor felt compassion for the school boy, and told him to stop crying. He took the boy to his shop, and took his body measurements. Then he told him to come back to the shop the following morning. The next day, the tailor offered the boy a new school uniform and a nice pair of shoes. The boy could not contain his excitement. He was happy that his classmates would no longer make mockery of him and his poor parents. He could not stop thanking the good tailor. Twenty nine years later, the tailor had became an old man and had retired. He was very sick and could not afford hospital admission. One day, a young man driving a car found him lying on the ground, pale and cold and unconscious. The young man who happened to be a medical doctor, rushed him to his hospital. At the hospital, he ran some tests on him and discovered he had a chronic chest infection and hypertension. The doctor who was bent on helping the poor man, commenced treatment immediately. After a few weeks, the old tailor began to get better. Then one day, the old tailor asked the doctor why he had helped him even though he knew he wouldn't be able to pay for it. The doctor smiled and said: "When I was a young boy, a strange tailor bought me a new pair of shoes, and sewed me a new school uniform. He did all those things for me even though he knew I wouldn't pay for them". For a moment, the old tailor was silent and lost in thought. He asked the doctor to tell him where the incident had happened, and then the doctor told him. The old tailor was shocked, then surprisingly, he said.

"That was me. I am that tailor..."

Now this is the end of the story"

As the storyteller ended the story, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes, and he began to cry. The young boy who had listened to the story, asked.

"Why are you crying, sir?"

He responded.

"It's really emotional for me because I just told you a story about myself. A story that will always make me cry. I am the tailor in the story, and I just got discharged from this hospital owned by the young boy I helped a long time ago. He is now a medical doctor. He did not only restored my health for free, but also offered me a place to stay and a lot of money to buy food. That's the reason I was so happy when you saw me earlier..."

The young boy was surprised and deeply touched that he could not utter a word. At that moment, the old man said.

"Supporting people who are in need and facing challenges is an excellent service to humanity. The world has become so small that people often encounter each other every day. What we can do for others is like throwing a pebble into a river, it starts small, but it continues to ripple until the furthest drop of water is touched. We shouldn't think that until we have enough that we can render help. We should help with the little we have, and expect nothing in return. We should do good for others, and it will come back in unexpected ways".

Author: Chima_Dickson Official

I let my stories teach the life lessons.