Good News! (A Short Story)

The house is quiet tonight, and Heather has just put her little sister, Holly, to bed. Since their father passed away, she's been busy helping her mother keep house and take care of Holly, plus doing her school work. Heather tires with her chores while her mother is at work. But she's happy helping out any way she can. Heather drowsed in a chair, almost asleep, waiting for her mother to come home, when the phone rang. Drowsily, she picked up the phone and said, "Hello." Heather perked up when the lady on the phone said her name was Joan, and that she was an old friend of her mother's. The lady then said she'd just heard about Heather's father dying. The lady went on to say she would be in town tomorrow and would like to drop in on her old friend. Heather told the lady she'd tell her mother about the call when she got home. The lady asked her the time her mother got home. Heather told the lady the time her mother usually arrived home, and the lady said she would call back. When her mom arrived home, Heather told her about her old friend's call, and that she wanted to see her tomorrow. Mom's face lit up and she said "Wow! Joan was my best friend all through school! I sure hope she calls back!" A short time later the telephone rang. Mom answered the phone and started talking faster than Heather had ever heard her before. Heather could tell her mother was elated Joan coming to see her tomorrow by things she heard her mother say. The next day Heather, Holly and mother were sitting in the living room talking when an expensive car pulled into their driveway. Mom got up from her chair and ran outside. Heather and Holly ran to the window and saw their mom hugging the expensively dressed lady. After a brief period, Mom and the lady came inside the house. Mom said to her children, "Let me introduce you to my best childhood friend, Joan Cassidy." After a period of time, Joan asked Mom how she'd like to enter her business. Then, she offered Mom three times the money she was now making . "Girls! how does this sound to you?" mom asked, smiling. The girls looked at each other, and after a pause, both of them said together "it sounds great!" Heather was so happy because she knew her mother was having a hard time making ends meet. She knew now, that she would see much of the stress leave mom's face for a long time. My story proves sometimes when things look bleak the light of hope appears at the end of the tunnel.