II. A Visit With Dr. Chang
The next afternoon Sarah and Petey
ran home from school. Sarah ran up the
stairs to her bedroom and shut the door tightly. Then she opened her closet door and crawled
inside. In the back corner, underneath a
pile of doll clothes, was Sarah's secret shoe box. She pulled it out and opened it. Mixed in with her shiny pencils and sea
shells she found three dollars and twenty-seven cents.
Petey didn't have a secret
place. He shone a flashlight under his
bed and found thirty-two cents. He found
another nickel in yesterday's pants' pocket and fifty-three cents in the sofa
cushions.
They met in the kitchen and spilled
all their change on the table.
"Four dollars and seventeen cents," Sarah said.
"Is that enough to buy
glasses?" asked Petey.
"I don't think it is, but let's
go find out for sure."
Grandpa Fred came into the kitchen
as Petey was stuffing the money into his pockets. "What are you two up to?"
"Oh, we thought we might go
Christmas shopping," Sarah said.
"Is that okay?"
Grandpa Fred glanced at the
clock. "Be back by 4:30. It gets
dark early these winter days," he warned.
"Okay, Grandpa, we will,"
promised Sarah.
"Bye, Grandpa," called
Petey, and they ran out the kitchen door.
A short walk took them to Main
Street and Dr. Chang's Optical Shop, where Petey had gotten his glasses. A bell
jangled when Sarah pushed the door open. A little Christmas tree stood in the
waiting room. Red and gold ribbons tied eyeglasses to the branches. Sarah and Petey turned when they heard a
voice.
"Well, hello, Peter! What are
you doing here? Is there a problem with
your glasses?" asked Dr. Chang. "Did you run over them with your
bicycle again? Or break them playing baseball again? Or maybe they have fallen
to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean again, and a fish is wearing them?"
Petey pulled off his glasses and held
them out for Dr. Chang to see.
"Look, my glasses are fine!"
"Good! You’re being more
careful with your glasses. I’m proud of you!"
"We're here because of Grandpa
Fred," Petey said. "He's
having a problem with his eyes."
"Yes, we're awfully worried
about him," Sarah added. "He
can't see Christmas."
"He can't see Christmas?"
repeated Dr. Chang.
"He can't see the tree and the
lights or any of the Christmas specials on TV.
He won't even come to church to see our Christmas program. He says he just can't see Christmas,"
Sarah explained.
"We want to buy him some new
glasses," Petey added.
"I'm sorry." Dr. Chang shook her head. "I don't think I can help your
grandfather. Ordinary glasses won't help
him see Christmas if he doesn't want to see it.
It sounds like he needs Christmas glasses."
"Well, what about
these?" Petey ran over to the
Christmas tree.
"No, Peter, those aren't
Christmas glasses. They're just ordinary
glasses hanging on a Christmas tree.
Just to make my office look festive.
"Dr. Chang, do you know where
we could find Christmas glasses?" asked Sarah hopefully.
"No, I'm sorry Sarah. I sure don't.
I wish I did. This world would be
a happier place if everyone could see Christmas."
Sarah and Petey stood on the
sidewalk after leaving the optical shop.
"Now what?" Sarah asked.
"Well, we still have four
dollars and seventeen cents," said Petey.
"That doesn't solve Grandpa's
problem."
"No, but we could eat some
doughnuts while we think about it." Petey pointed across the street at the
bakery.
When they left the bakery, they had
one dollar and fifty-three cents left. By a Salvation Army kettle, a Santa
Claus rang a bell. Sarah and Petey each put a quarter into the kettle. The
Santa Claus thanked them. Then they hurried home.
Coming tomorrow: Chapter 3, A Visit with Santa Claus
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