Brotherhood

Ram received an automobile from his brother as Birthday present.

One day when Ram came out of his office, he saw a young man was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.

“Is this your car?” He asked.

Ram nodded, “My brother presented me on my birthday.”

The boy was astounded. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything? Boy, I wish…” He hesitated.

Of course Ram knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like his brother but what the lad said jarred Ram all the way down to his heels.

“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.”

Ram looked at the boy in astonishment, and then impulsively he added, “Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?”

“Oh yes, I’d love that.”

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, “Would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Ram smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big automobile.

But Ram was wrong again.

“Will you stop where those two steps are?” The boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Ram heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

“There he is, brother. Like I told you upstairs, his brother gave it to him and it didn’t cost him a penny. Someday I’m going to give you one just like it then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the shop windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”

Ram got out and lifted the crippled boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable ride.