Crump: Old Men & Fried Spuds

I was raised by a single mother — a teacher. She didn’t earn much, and unexpected expenses were always full-blown crises. One autumn, her car broke down and the water heater in our mobile home died. One thing led to another, and Idaho Power shut off the electricity on the Friday before Thanksgiving. The turkey in our refrigerator spoiled by Tuesday. Mom and I were looking at a chilly, dark holiday, with bologna sandwiches for dinner. The old man next door, Mr. Saunders, rarely went outside except to berate kids whose baseballs bounced into his fenced yard. He had a scary, breathy voice, and whenever he shouted he began to cough. We barely knew him, but somehow Saunders got wind of our predicament. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, our power was inexplicably turned back on, and the next morning a Sears crew showed up to install a new water heater — refusing to say who’d paid for it/ Steve Crump , Twin Falls Times-News. More here .

Question: Have you known hard times?