Charity Case

By JIM HARMON
Illustrated by DICK FRANCIS
Certainly I see things that aren't there and don't say what my voice says—but how can I prove that I don't have my health?
When he began his talk with You got your health, don't you? it touched those spots inside me. That was when I did it.
Why couldn't what he said have been The best things in life are free, buddy or Every dog has his day, fellow or If at first you don't succeed, man ? No, he had to use that one line. You wouldn't blame me. Not if you believe me.
The first thing I can remember, the start of all this, was when I was four or five somebody was soiling my bed for me. I absolutely was not doing it. I took long naps morning and evening so I could lie awake all night to see that it wouldn't happen. It couldn't happen. But in the morning the bed would sit there dispassionately soiled and convict me on circumstantial evidence. My punishment was as sure as the tide.
Dad was a compact man, small eyes, small mouth, tight clothes. He was narrow but not mean. For punishment, he locked me in a windowless room and told me to sit still until he came back. It wasn't so bad a punishment, except that when Dad closed the door, the light turned off and I was left there in the dark.
Being four or five, I didn't know any better, so I thought Dad made it dark to add to my punishment. But I learned he didn't know the light went out. It came back on when he unlocked the door. Every time I told him about the light as soon as I could talk again, but he said I was lying.
One day, to prove me a liar, he opened and closed the door a few times from outside. The light winked off and on, off and on, always shining when Dad stuck his head inside. He tried using the door from the inside, and the light stayed on, no matter how hard he slammed the door.
I stayed in the dark longer for lying about the light.
Alone in the dark, I wouldn't have had it so bad if it wasn't for the things that came to me.