Christmas is a sad season and meant only for the rich. The phrase came to Cameron in an instant after the crowd’s murmur jolted him awake and named him for the amorphous depression that had plagued him all evening.

It was snowing once again. The sky was still dark, and people were pouring in and out of the Walmart store where he was lying on a carton, cuddled up in an almost torn blanket and a black jacket, which he hadn’t changed in a long while.

Of all the millions of people in Florida, he was practically the only one who had decided to sleep early on Christmas Eve to avoid the constant pain he was feeling — partially due to betrayal he’d experienced and partially due to the bruises that had covered almost every inch of his face.

Cameron was a wealthy pharmaceutical manufacturer in Texas, and he and his friend cum business partner Nicholas had been on their way to Florida for a business deal a few days ago. Little did Cameron know it was all a dirty ruse to get him out of the way, and he’d be in a terrible state one day.

The evening all this happened had started like any other. Nicholas had come to Cameron’s house to discuss the plan. They had agreed to meet someone on the outskirts of Florida who would lead them to the city’s central plant, where the pharmaceuticals they were interested in producing were manufactured.

As Cameron and Nicholas approached the plant’s outskirts, a man in his 30s approached Nicholas and asked him to exit their car alone. Nicholas told Cameron to stay inside.

Nicholas and the strange man stood at a distance from the car, talking about something, occasionally looking at Cameron and pointing to the building where they’d arrived. They soon walked away, with Nicholas motioning to Cameron that he’d be back shortly.

What are they even discussing? Why on earth would that man want to talk to Nicholas alone? Cameron’s mind raced with the most bizarre suspicions at their sight.

Suddenly, Nicholas’ phone, which he’d forgotten in the car, rang, and a shock ran through Cameron. The wallpaper on the phone was a picture of Nicholas and Cameron’s wife Linda kissing, and the contact that flashed across the screen was named “love.”

Is it possible this could be Linda? Should I pick up the call? Cameron was baffled.

Nevertheless, he answered it, and his suspicions were confirmed. “Hi honey, did you reach safely? Did you manage to get rid of that idiot Cameron?” the voice asked.

Cameron recognized it was Linda. It was her voice. And the deal that Nicholas had organized wasn’t a pharmaceutical one. It was all a plan to get rid of him, and Cameron realized it late.

He immediately got out of the car and began looking for a way out, but two men dressed all in black stood in his way. Nicholas and the strange man soon appeared from behind them, Nicholas smirking. “I’m sorry, Cameron. I didn’t have a choice. I’m hoping you’ll forgive me.”

That was all Cameron remembered when he opened his eyes one day and found himself in an underground tunnel in the outskirts of Florida. His wallet, phone, and money were all gone, and one side of his face was covered in dried blood.

It had probably been days since he’d been left alone there in the tunnel. Perhaps he’d been attacked on his head, hence, the blood, he reasoned.

He slowly left the area and climbed up, his head still throbbing from the pain, until he reached a highway where all he encountered were large spreads of crops and an eerie dead silence.

Fortunately, he soon encountered a kind truck driver who was on his way to the city to sell some of his produce and offered to give him a free ride to town as well as the old blanket he’d been using to keep warm.

Cameron somehow reached the city that day, but he didn’t know what to do after that. He was very weak and tired and barely made it to the nearest Walmart store. His stomach was grumbling with hunger, and he felt light-headed as if he would collapse.

At this point, Christmas was just a day away. Cameron had clenched his fists around his stomach, attempting to quiet its growling and alleviate the pain he was feeling. He couldn’t remember when he’d last eaten, but it had been several days because he was tired and exhausted.

Considering it was Christmas and a kind soul would help him out, Cameron opened his overcoat and folded it several times to make a bowl-like container out of it. He wrapped himself with the old blanket he had and sat there begging for food.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Can you please get me a loaf of bread?” he asked a woman who’d just come out of the Walmart store. She didn’t offer him anything; instead, she sneered at him for being homeless and then walked away.

The second person that walked past Cameron gave him a judgmental look, and a few others pulled their kids away, labeling Cameron as a “homeless freak,” advising them to stay away from him.

Poor Cameron’s eyes welled up. He lowered his head and tucked it in the circle of his hands, and started crying. Suddenly, a squeaky voice of a child interrupted him. “Please take this before my mommy finds out!” the child said.

Cameron slowly lifted his head to see a boy of about 7 standing in front of him, holding a box of chocolates. “It’s Christmas, and everyone enjoys chocolate on Christmas. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do,” he said with a smile.

Cameron couldn’t stop crying at the boy’s sight. “Thank you very much, young man! You have no idea how much you’ve helped me!” He sobbed as he accepted the box.

“I have to leave now. Otherwise, mommy will scold me. Bye!” the boy said, preparing to leave, but as he turned around, he saw his mother standing behind him, her hands on her waist, giving him a stern look.

“How many times have I told you, Tom, not to leave my sight? There are so many people here, honey! You could get lost!”

“But mom!” Tom cried. “I was telling you something, but you weren’t listening to me!”

“Didn’t I buy the chocolates for you, Tom? What else do you want? Honey, you should know that I work very hard to support you. I already bought you your favorite toy car and chocolates.”

“No, mom!” Tom said. “It’s not about me. When we were coming to the store, I saw nobody was helping him, mom. So I bought the chocolates for him!” Tom pointed at Cameron, who was holding the chocolate box in his hands and looking intently at Tom and his mother, Jade.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know the boy troubled you for this. You can take it back,” Cameron said, returning the box, but Jade refused and instead offered him help.

“You look sick. You have so many injuries on your face. You can come with us, and we can get you checked,” she suggested.

“Thank you!” Cameron cried. “That’d be really sweet of you! But…Can you please lend me your phone…I – I need to…” Cameron had just started speaking when he felt disoriented, and grabbed his head, crying in pain. Looking at his condition, Jade drove him to the hospital, where the doctors informed her that Cameron would need to stay for a while due to a head injury that required treatment.

Cameron was unconscious, and Jade decided not to leave the man alone. She and her son stayed with Cameron that night in the hospital.

When Cameron awoke the next morning, he told his entire story to Jade, and with her help, he reported the incident to the police.

Jade visited him every day and looked after him while the cops were investigating his case. When Cameron was finally released from the hospital, Jade took him home and allowed him to stay with him as long as he wanted.

Cameron discovered that Jade was a single mother who had divorced her abusive husband. As they spent more time together, Cameron felt himself growing closer to Jade, and the two eventually fell in love. Cameron proposed to her, and the woman nodded a yes. However, Cameron requested that they marry after he had reclaimed what was rightfully his. Cameron took off to Texas to settle his case after Jade agreed.

However, when he arrived, he discovered that his company was on the verge of going bankrupt, and Nicholas and Linda had run away after squandering all of the money.

Cameron had to stay in Texas until the case was settled. It took a few months, but Linda and Nicholas were eventually found. They had been hiding in a remote area of Texas. Cameron filed for divorce from Linda as soon as the cops caught her. Wrapping up everything took another two months, but Cameron was glad his wife and his best friend paid for their sins.

Cameron flew back to Florida, relieved that his ex-wife and friend had paid for their actions. He and Jade got married at a church and welcomed a baby girl soon after.

Cameron began a new life with Tom, Jade, and their little baby girl Angela, forgetting the ridiculous past and moving on with his life.

What can we learn from this story?

• One act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Cameron’s life was transformed from a miserable one to a happy one, thanks to little Tom’s kindness of offering him chocolates on Christmas Eve.
• Learn to be helpful and kind. Little Tom helped Cameron without expecting anything in return, and that single act changed Cameron’s life forever.