No one talked to Macy. Her father was a very important man in the city and when he visited the school, the Principal and the teachers were very polite to him. He came as the Chief Guest for some of the school functions too.
But this did not help Macy who was a shy girl. She did not make friends easily, so everyone thought her vain and proud. They did not realise that actually she was very lonely and longed for a friend.
One day, Tim came to school without his mathematics book. The teacher was very irritated and said, “You just sit there and watch the others do their work, Tim.”
Macy quietly picked up her books and sat down on the empty seat next to Tim. They worked together. During recess, Tim came to Macy and said, “Thank you, Macy.”
After that day, Tim and Macy often studied and played together. But the other students laughed at him and did not try to make friends with Macy.
A concert was coming up shortly in school. Miss Dorothy, the music teacher, held trials and selected Macy to sing a solo song. This upset Karen and Frieda because they had been hoping to be selected. So, they spread a rumour that the teacher had taken Macy because her father was an important man.
Miss Dorothy always trained a second singer, to sing if there was a crisis. So, she trained Karen too. Two days before the concert, Macy fell sick. Her throat hurt and she had fever. She was unhappy because now she could not sing in the concert.
On the day of the concert, Tim came to meet her and chatted with her about all that was going on in school. He saw that there was a nurse looking after Macy. Her parents did not seem to be at home. ¶Her father was in office,¸ she explained.
Tim came again the next day, bringing storybooks. He told her the concert had gone off fine. Again, Tim saw the nurse looking after Macy. They were served hot cocoa, sandwiches and cake slices.
Tim watched puzzled because there was no sign of Macy’s mother. They played scrabble till it was time for Tim to leave. Tim learnt that Macy’s mother had died three years ago.
When Macy returned to school, she found that everyone in her class had become friendly. Karen shared the work she had missed. The others talked and played with her and even shared lunch! Tim was a true friend.
