"The Quiet One" by Deven K.

      Robbie was the quietest kid in his class and not many people knew his name, let alone even know he was in their class. Regardless, Robbie was a very heartwarming and kind person who never expected anyone to repay him in anyway. He always went out of his way to help anyone in need, friend or foe. He helped his bullies no matter what they had done to him, as if it had never happened. Many thought it to be strange, but that was just the type of person Robbie was. The main reason why Robbie was like this was because of his mother. She was always looking after others and Robbie had always questioned the motive behind his mother being so kind to people she’d never met or seen before. Every time he would ask, his mother simply replied, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Of course he knew the meaning of the phrase but couldn’t relate it to why his mother was so kind to strangers. He would ask her what exactly she meant but she would give no answer and so he went about asking her at every opportunity he had. No matter when or where he asked her, she replied with the same line, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” One morning as Robbie was getting ready to go to school, he noticed that his mom wasn’t out of bed yet and went to check up on her. Knowing her cheerful self, he thought that there was no way something would be wrong. She was laying in her bed very ill and had told Robbie to call for an ambulance. He asked her what was wrong but she refused to tell him. He would do anything and everything to help his mother in any way because he knew that she’d do the same if it were anyone else in her position. After a month had gone by, Robbie’s mom’s condition worsened and she eventually passed away. Heartbroken, Robbie tried to find meaning to what his mom really meant by everything she had ever told him. As he thought hard about what had caused him to be in this situation, something came to him. “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Everything made sense. Everything clicked inside his head. Although his mother had seemed very happy and healthy on the outside, what was going on in the inside was a different story, as if she were a book. Thinking to himself he then came up with the reason as to why his mom was so kind to so many strangers. Many people also ask him why he’s so kind to people he doesn’t know or even to people who are mean to him. When asked he’ll say “Just because someone looks happy, that doesn’t actually mean that they’re happy on the inside.” He figured that being nice never hurt anyone and everyone benefits from it, so why not? Some of his friends also asked him why he’s nice, because not everyone will repay him with the same amount of kindness or even at all. Robbie tells them that just the satisfaction of helping someone in need is enough of a reward. On top of his mother’s recent passing, he has to move schools to live with his dad, leaving his friends behind. His dad had suspected that Robbie would be a bit down after having to leave his old home and relocate, but Robbie had acted normally and was already going around helping others as if he had never left home. His dad asked him if he was okay and wondered why he was so kind to others. So he simply replied “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” He was homesick, missed all of his friends, and was quite depressed about his mom. He told no one of the pain he was feeling inside and in doing so, he realized that this is exactly what his mom had done too. So, he helped others and helped himself in the process by doing so, as he enjoyed helping people. While in the process of doing so he thought, “No matter how large or small the deed, a little kindness and positivity can go a long way.” Looking back he now knew what his mom must have felt like back then. At least he found out why he’s so quiet. Info Prompt: D Flash Fiction Title: The Quiet One