Fate And Fortune.

Bernard looked through the window of his small apartment and admired families going in the direction of the newly opened fun fair park in the small town where he lives.

He wished he could see what was happening in the fun park but the fence that was built to protect over 5 hectares of land were mounted to touch the sky. He admired kids all in big sweaters and Christmas hats holding hands with their parents and it reminded him of childhood when his parents would take him and his siblings to a nearby eatery to get ice cream only during Christmas.

Bernard's father worked as a machine operator while his mother happens to be a petty trader. He has four siblings and his parents could barely take care of them, life was pretty difficult for the family and the family condition always made him sad. Being the first child of the family, Bernard took it upon himself to change his family's financial status and immediately after graduating from secondary school, he started working effortlessly.

He managed to send himself through university where he did his best to graduate as the best student in the whole university. His achievements opened a door of opportunity to travel abroad and Bernard saw it as the opportunity he needed to search for a greener pasture.

"Mama, Papa, God has done it for us. I am going to travel abroad, make a lot of money and take care of you. I will build a big house in the village as well," Bernard assured his parents when the travel process started and luckily for him, it was successful.

Exactly a year after graduation from the university, Bernard arrived in the UK. He was buzzing with lots of energy and ready to make money but things weren't what he thought it was.

He couldn't get a job because he needed to run a two-year course which required a lot of money. He moved from one petty job to another hoping to save money but everything vanished at the end of the month after paying rent and sending little money to support his family at home.

Six years had passed and Bernard was still struggling to settle down properly in the UK.

As he thought about his life, tears poured from his eyes. He wished things were a lot easier but thinking about his family gave him the strength to keep pushing.

He looked through the window again and couldn't hold back laughter as he watched a couple chase themselves around an ice cream shop.

"Funny people," He muttered as he wiped his tears.

Bernard left the window side to grab his old brown coat, he checked the pocket and there was exactly £15 in it.

He held the money for about five minutes thinking about how to spend it and eventually sighed heavily.

"It's not enough after all, let me just make a trip to the fair and celebrate Christmas for the first time since I arrived in the UK," Bernard muttered and immediately changed his dress.

As he stepped out of his apartment, he thought about how to manage the money since the fun fair ticket cost £5 and he had only £10 to spend on other things.

Unsplash

Bernard finally arrived at the fun fair and started taking pictures for memory's sake. There were lots of games but he was only interested in the food because there was nothing at home to return to.

He went around asking for food prices from different food vendors and they were just too expensive. Bernard stared at the £10 bill he was holding and just shook his head, he regretted immediately not using his money to get a decent meal outside the fun fair.

Bernard took a stroll around the place before leaving since he couldn't afford the price of the things there.

"Excuse me, please can you help me with £2. I don't have food for my kids tonight," A man in his fifties said to Bernard immediately after he stepped out of the place.

"I am sorry sir, I only have £10 and it's all I have to survive till tomorrow afternoon," Bernard replied and just walked past.

He had walked a few blocks when he thought about everything the man said again. Bernard felt sad and could relate to what the man was going through.

Bernard entered a nearby grocery store and got things worth £10. He divided the things he bought into two and went to look for the man sitting outside the fun fair gate.

"Sir, you can have this. Sorry, that's all I have to offer," Bernard bowed after handing over the bag and just walked away.

It was a tough decision but he had to do it because his conscience wouldn't let him be if he didn't help.

"Hold on young man," the man called Bernard but he didn't want to answer. He doesn't like people saying, "thank you" because he believes giving is normal whenever there are people in need around him.

"Please wait, it's important. Please," The man screamed and Bernard stopped.

"Thanks a lot for the grocery. My name is Jeff," The man introduced himself.

"Oh okay. It's nothing," Bernard replied.

"It's something because I am not a beggar, I don't have hungry kids and I was there to find one person who would help me so that I can bless them but you are the only one who chose to help me among the multitude here," Jeff replied.

"I don't understand you," Bernard replied.

Jeff brought a brown envelope from the tattered bag he was carrying and handed it over to Bernard. He also gave his card and before Bernard could say anything, a Ferrari Sport had parked to take Jeff away.

Bernard was dumbfounded and didn't understand what was happening. He gently opened the bag and was shocked to see bundles of £20 bills.

He quickly checked the card and discovered the man who just left was one of the wealthy sportsmen in the country.

Bernard rushed home with excitement and after counting the wade of cash he got from Jeff, he realised that his kind heart had helped him bring his dreams to reality.