My short stories

The Joy of Giving

Note:DJ and Kimmy may be OOC.

DJ Tanner did not feel comfortable wearing her worn-out sneakers to school. But since her sister Stephanie had accidentally splashed paint all over her other shoes and she wouldn't be able to go shopping for new shoes until the weekend, she had no choice.

It wasn't that the shoes felt uncomfortable to wear. It was just that they were dirty, frayed, and a bit small. The only reason DJ had kept her shoes was because they had been a present from her late mother.

DJ's best friend, Kimmy Gibbler, gasped when she saw the shoes. 'Sweet cheese! What have you been doing with those shoes? Run ten marathons?'

'No, they have been worn out for ages.'

'Then why didn't you throw them away? I can't imagine your Dad keeping those around.'

'I can't dispose of them! My Mom gave them to me.'

'Oh.' Kimmy's eyes widened with understanding. 'Sorry about that.'

DJ sighed. 'It's okay. I just have to worry about everyone else laughing at me.'

Sure enough, DJ kept hearing insults and whispers behind her back all day about her shoes. One of the nastier kids even had the nerve to accuse her of being poor, which was incredibly dumb. All of DJ's clothes were normal. It was only her shoes that were out of place.

DJ was thankful when school was over. The next day would be Saturday, so she would have a new pair of shoes on Monday.

DJ and Kimmy patiently waited for the school bus to take them home. Stephanie wasn't with them as she had a Honeybee meeting.

'Please, I'm hungry,' came a voice. DJ suddenly saw a young girl her age wearing grubby clothes and no shoes begging on the street. She had messy brown hair and grey eyes.

The girl was asking food from anyone who passed, but everyone ignored her. One woman even rolled her eyes at the girl.

'Kimmy, look,' said DJ. 'That girl is begging for food and nobody is helping her. This is so sad.'

Kimmy sighed. 'People can be so cruel sometimes,' she said.

'We should help her,' said DJ.

'But we don't have any food to give her,' said Kimmy.

'We have to give her something,' said DJ. 'I can't bear to think of her starving here. Besides, my Mom would have helped.'

Kimmy nodded. 'Alright,' she said. 'Though I wouldn't know what to give her. Unless it's one of my shoes?'

DJ rolled her eyes. 'Kimmy, that girl would probably faint if she gets one sniff at your shoes. You know how smelly your feet are...'

Suddenly, a bright idea zapped into DJ's mind. She quickly walked up to the girl.

'Hi,' DJ said cheerfully.

The girl looked up in surprise, apparently uncustomed to having anyone greet her in a friendly manner. 'Hi,' she said in a quiet voice. 'Do you have any food to spare?'

'I wish I do, but no,' said DJ. 'But I may have something that you might appreciate more than me.'

Without another word, DJ took off her shoes and gave them to the girl. The girl gasped in surprise.

'Oh no I couldn't,' she said.

'Take them,' urged DJ. 'I will be getting new ones soon. I'm sure that they will suit you better.'

The girl gently took the shoes. She smiled and whispered, 'Thank you.'

DJ smiled as she walked back to Kimmy. She knew that she had done something right today.

'DJ, where are your shoes?' asked Jesse Katsopolis, DJ's uncle.

'I gave them away,' said DJ.

'Did I hear that right?' asked Jesse.

'Yeah,' said DJ. 'I gave them away to a homeless girl. She will like them better than I will.'

Jesse stared at his eldest niece, speechless. 'You gave your shoes away and walked home barefoot?'

'I didn't go barefoot,' said DJ. 'I had socks on. And it was only for a little while. That girl needed the shoes more than I did.'

'Well, why your shoes?' asked Jesse. 'You could have given anything else.'

'I had already eaten my packed lunch and didn't have any money on me,' said DJ. 'Besides, she was barefoot. But if you like, we can go back and give some food to her.'

Jesse opened his mouth only to shut it a moment later. What DJ had suggested was actually a decent idea. It would be nice to be able to help someone. And it would be a good learning experience.

Later, the whole family went to the place DJ found the girl. Sure enough, the girl was still there.

Stephanie gasped. 'The poor girl,' she said. 'How does she live like this?'

'Some people have no choice,' said Danny Tanner. 'No one chooses to be poor or homeless.'

The girl was given food and clothes. She was even allowed to hold Michelle, DJ and Stephanie's baby sister, for a while.

'You know, maybe it's a good thing I wore my old sneakers today,' said DJ. 'If I hadn't, I wouldn't have thought of giving them to this girl.'

'Maybe the Honeybees can have a fundraising project and use the money raised to help homeless people,' suggested Stephanie.

'What a great idea,' said DJ. 'Maybe you can suggest this to your troop leader.'

'Yeah,' said Stephanie. 'You know, I'm already looking forward to my next Honeybee meeting.'