Andrew, who was 50 years old, was busy at his desk, looking through lots of papers and trying to plan meetings with his coworkers. He didn’t notice when his assistant, Michael, came into the room. Michael stood quietly, waiting for Andrew to notice him. After a little while, he cleared his throat to get Andrew’s attention. Once there was a businessman named Andrew who worked really hard all the time. One day, he got some bad news about his health while he was at the hospital. There, he met a young boy who helped him see life in a different way. They became good friends by doing little nice things for each other, which showed Andrew what really matters in life. But then something really sad happened that changed everything for them. Andrew was busy working and didn’t hear Michael calling him. Michael said, “Mr. Smith,” but Andrew didn’t respond. Michael tried saying his name three more times, but Andrew still didn’t answer.

Finally, Andrew slammed his hands on the table and barked, “What?” Michael didn’t back down. “You asked me to tell you if your ex-wife called.” Andrew groaned and rubbed his temples. “How many times do I have to tell you? Ignore her calls. What now?” Michael had a notepad. “She left a message. I’m warning you, it’s a direct quote. Her words, not mine,” he read from the note. “‘I’ll never forgive you you arrogant motherfucker for wasting so much of my life. If you don’t give me back my painting, I’ll destroy your car.’ That’s the message.” Andrew’s face went red. “We’ve been divorced for two years! Doesn’t she have anything else to do?” Michael looked at him and waited for further instructions. “Should I answer her?” Andrew said, “No! And don’t let her call you anymore.” Then he thought for a second and added, “Actually, tell her I threw that painting away!” Andrew got really upset and threw a pen at the wall. Michael quickly moved his head to avoid it, nodded nicely, and walked out of the room.

A little while later, Andrew’s phone started ringing. He looked unhappy as he answered it. “Andrew Smith?” the voice asked. “Yes. Who’s calling?” “This is the hospital. Your test results are in. The doctor wants to see you.” “Can’t you tell me now?” Andrew said angrily. “I’m busy.” “I’m sorry. The doctor will explain directly.” Andrew let out a big sigh and said, “Okay, I’ll come in.” He hung up the phone and shook his head. Usually, Andrew didn’t take time for lunch, but today was special. The doctor’s office was calm, and the only noise was the clock on the wall ticking. Andrew was sitting very still in a chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest. When the door opened, the doctor came in looking serious. Andrew felt worried and made a sad face because he thought something was wrong. The doctor sat down in front of him and talked in a calm voice, using words that Andrew didn’t really understand. Then the doctor said a big word—cancer. “We have to do something quickly,” the doctor explained.

“Are you kidding me?” Andrew asked sharply. “I own a company. I can’t just go to a hospital.” The doctor looked him in the eyes. “Your health should come first. The company can wait.” Andrew leaned forward. “What are my chances of recovery?” “I can’t promise anything,” the doctor said. “It’s vital to start treatment immediately.” Andrew raised his voice. “Will I still be able to work here?” “The treatment affects everyone differently” “The treatment affects everyone differently,” the doctor explained. “You’ll stay in the hospital so we can monitor you. Someone can get you a computer.” Andrew looked unhappy and got up from his chair. “Okay, I’ll take care of it,” he said. The doctor looked at him as he walked out and said, “We’ll see you tomorrow with your stuff.” While Andrew was walking through the kids’ area of the hospital, he saw a boy who was about eight years old playing catch with a nurse. You could hear their happy laughter in the hallway. Then, a ball rolled on the floor and came to a stop right by Andrew’s feet.

“Excuse me, sir!” the boy called, smiling. “Can you throw the ball back, please?” Andrew picked up the ball, his face tense. Without a word, he hurled it down the hall, far away from the boy and the nurse, then turned and walked away. “That was mean, sir!” the boy cried. Andrew had been in the hospital for a long time, and it felt like he had been there for weeks. He kept trying to do his work by using his laptop and attending meetings. The treatment was really tough. After each time he went, Andrew felt more tired. He often felt sick to his stomach and had a hard time sleeping. One afternoon, while he was getting another treatment, he leaned back and closed his eyes. He felt really bad. Then, he heard a small voice that made him open his eyes. In front of him was a boy he recognized from the hallway. Andrew was surprised and jumped a little, but the boy just laughed.

“What do you want to do, kid?” Andrew muttered, not even looking up.
“I’m just wandering around the hospital, trying to find someone to play with. It’s so boring here.” Andrew glanced at him impatiently and asked, “What’s your name?” “Tommy,” the boy replied with a wide smile. Andrew sighed. “Listen, Tommy. I’m not in the mood to play. Go bother someone else before I get even worse.” Tommy didn’t move. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small peppermint candy. He held it out to Andrew. “It helps with nausea. You should try it.” Andrew thought for a moment, then quickly took the candy and put it on the table. “You’re really grumpy!” Tommy said, laughing. “I’ll call you Mr. Grumpy. Are you angry because you’re afraid of needles?” He pointed to the IV attached to Andrew’s arm. Andrew frowned. “I’m not afraid of anything.” Tommy nodded. “That’s okay. I was scared at first too, but then I got over it. Mom says I’m a superhero. Do you have a superpower?”

“No,” Andrew said in a flat voice. “That’s because you’re so sad,” Tommy replied, his tone now serious. Andrew looked at the boy, amazed by the sincerity in his big, sparkling eyes. “Do you want anything?” Andrew asked. Tommy smiled and said, “I want to buy flowers for my mom because she works very hard, but I don’t have any money.” Andrew sighed and took out some money from his wallet. “Here, go buy your flowers. You can get something for yourself too, but please leave me alone.” Tommy’s face brightened up. “Thanks, Mr. Grouch!” He quickly ran out with the money, while Andrew looked at the peppermint candy on the table. He took a deep breath, picked it up, took off the wrapping, and put it in his mouth. To his surprise, the sweet taste made him feel a little better when his tummy hurt. It wasn’t a lot, but it helped him for a bit. That night, while Andrew was looking at his laptop, a nurse came to his door and knocked. She had a little paper bag with her and said, “This is for you. Tommy sent it.” Then she put the bag on the table.

Andrew opened the bag and saw it was full of peppermint candies. He didn’t know if he should laugh or feel touched. The next morning, he wanted to talk to Tommy because he needed to explain that the money wasn’t a present. When he got close to Tommy’s room, he noticed a woman standing by the wall. She looked really sad and was crying. “Are you okay?” Andrew asked in a low voice. The woman quickly wiped her eyes and looked up. “Yes… Did you need anything?” “Tommy gave me candy yesterday,” Andrew said. The woman’s lips curved into a small smile. “Oh, so you’re Mr. Grouch,” she said. Andrew raised his eyebrows. “My name is Andrew,” he replied. “I’m Sarah,” she said. “Are you here for treatment, too?” Andrew gave a little shake of his head up and down to show he agreed. Sara spoke softly, “You get it, right? I have so many bills to pay and it’s making me really worried. I can’t even pay for our home right now, and they said we might have to leave in two months.” Andrew nodded, not knowing how to reply. Just then, the door flew open, and Tommy came running out, his face full of joy when he saw Andrew. “Hi, Mr. Grouch!” he shouted, smiling big.

From that day on, Tommy was always around Andrew. The boy would come into Andrew’s room with a big smile and lots of energy. At first, Andrew thought it was a bit bothersome, but Tommy kept coming back, and Andrew started to get used to it. Before long, Andrew started to enjoy Tommy’s visits. Tommy showed him how to appreciate the little happy things in life. They were sitting by the window, looking at the beautiful colors in the sky as the sun went down. They played little tricks on the nurses, which made the nurses give them funny looks while trying not to smile. Sometimes, they would take the wheelchairs and zoom down the halls, laughing so much that their tummies hurt. Andrew didn’t want to ask Tommy about his sickness because he didn’t know how to talk about it. One day, Tommy said that Sara had been crying again because she was worried about money. “She thinks we might not have a home anymore,” Tommy explained. Andrew quietly handed Tommy an envelope filled with money.

“Just say it’s from a magician,” he told him. When Sara wanted to give Andrew back the money, he told her to forget about it. He said, “I can’t just make it disappear; I don’t know where it came from.” Time went by, and Andrew got better thanks to his treatments. Finally, the doctor told him the great news—he was healthy and didn’t have cancer anymore! Andrew was super excited and ran to tell Tommy something important. But when he got there, he found Tommy lying on the floor, not awake. Sara was sitting next to him, crying a lot. “What happened?” Andrew asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Sara wiped her eyes and shook her head.

Andrew’s chest tightened. “I’m so sorry.” Sarah managed to hide her faint smile amidst her tears, saying, “Don’t worry, he said you saved him, you gave him laughter and hope during these months, you made him forget his illness.” Andrew slowly shook his head and said, “No, he’s the one who helped me.” He moved closer and gave her a soft hug. She quietly cried on his shoulder, and even though Andrew wanted to make her feel better, he knew that nothing could really take her sadness away. “I’m not here to argue,” Andrew said quietly, holding out the painting. His ex-wife frowned in confusion. “What does this mean?” she asked. “Nothing,” Andrew replied with a small smile, “Just trying to keep my superpowers.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away.