He climbed into the backseat.
He buckled himself.
Then he said, “I know what to do with Mr. Bennett’s money.”
I looked at him in the mirror.
“What?”
He answered with five words.
Words that would eventually change our entire town.
“Some kids don’t have lunch.”
PART 7 — THE EMPTY TRAY
There was a boy in Caleb’s class named Marcus.
I knew almost nothing about him.
Caleb did.
Marcus lived with his father and younger sister.
His father had recently lost his job.
On some days, Marcus came to school without lunch money.
The district had assistance programs, but forms had apparently gotten delayed during the family’s sudden financial trouble.
One afternoon, Caleb saw Marcus sitting with only milk.
“He said he wasn’t hungry,” Caleb told me.
“But you don’t believe him?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I said that too.”
That hit me hard.
Caleb had finally understood the other side of what he’d done.
