Becky and Sam, two teens, worked hard to clean our street while I sipped my Sunday morning tea. Their hard work impressed me, and I thought they were a great model for their peers.
After a few weeks, I kept an eye on the brothers. They worked hard and turned down my offer of lemonade because they said they had “things to finish up.” I was amazed at how smart they were.
One Sunday, I was too interested to stay home. Sam was hiding something under a bush, and I saw him. Not trash, but a little something. It made me want to know more.
When they left, I looked around and found dimes, quarters, and pennies hidden in different places. I got about $5 from them and wondered why they were hiding money.
When I told Grace about it later, she laughed out loud. She yelled, “They’re not cleaning, they’re on a treasure hunt!” Every Sunday, their grandad hides coins for them to find.
When I realized I had thought their game was community work, I was shocked. We laughed a lot, and I gave back the “treasure.” Grace said she would let the kids know where their stash went.
Grace asked me what I thought they were doing as we laughed together. I felt bad saying that I thought they were helping. She poked fun, “Maybe they’re learning responsibility, even if it’s just coins.”
I’m going to watch the show next Sunday, prize hunt and all. Who knows? Maybe they’ll learn to care about their neighborhood after all.
