[Gordon Claunch]

Friends,
>
>
>
>
> This past weekend, I was rushing around in Houston,Texas trying to do
> some Valentine's Day shopping done. I was stressed out and not
> thinking very fondly of the weather right then. It was dark, cold,
> and wet in the parking lot as I was loading my car up. I noticed that
> I was missing a receipt that I might need later. So mumbling under my
> breath, I retraced my steps to the mall entrance. As I was searching
> the wet pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a quiet sobbing. The
> crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about 12 years old. He
> was short and thin. He had no coat. He was just wearing a ragged
> flannel shirt to protect him from the cold night's chill. Oddly
> enough, he was holding a hundred dollar bill in his hand. Thinking
> that he had gotten lost from his parents, I asked him what was wrong.
> He told me his sad story. He said that he came from a large family.
> He had three brothers and four sisters. His father had died when he
> was nine years old. His Mother was poorly educated and worked two
> full time jobs. She made very little to support her large family.
> Nevertheless, she had managed to skimp and save two hundred dollars
> to buy her children some Valentine's Day presents (since she didn't
> manage to get them anything on Christmas).
>
> The young boy had been dropped off, by his mother, on the way to her
> second job. He was to use the money to buy presents for all his
> siblings and save just enough to take the bus home. He had not even
> entered the mall, when an older boy grabbed one of the hundred dollar
> bills and disappeared into the night.
> "Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked. The boy said, "I did."
> "And nobody came to help you?" I queried. The boy stared at the
> sidewalk and sadly shook his head. "How loud did you scream?" I
> inquired.
>
> The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly whispered, "Help me!"
>
> I realized! that absolutely no one could have heard that poor boy
> cry for help. So I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car.
>
> Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
>
> Signed,
>
> Kenneth Lay
> Enron CEO
>