Composition | A Good Deed Rewarded

On the last Sunday, while I was walking by the fast river that flows near our town, I stopped to watch a boy who was about the same age as me swimming across the river. The river was very high because of heavy rain. The way the boy started his swim, going against the current, showed that he wasn't a skilled swimmer.

Before he could reach the middle of the river, where the current was extremely strong, his arms and legs gave up on him completely. He could hardly move. He was almost drowning.

Without thinking, I took off my shirt and shoes, jumped into the river, and swam towards the boy. When I reached him, he was unconscious. He didn't struggle like they say drowning people do. I tried artificial respiration to bring him back to life. When he had enough strength to go back on his own, I left him and continued my walk.

Yesterday, I went to the town to buy some fabric. As I entered a store, I heard someone shout, "Daddy, here is the young man who saved me from drowning!" It was the boy I had rescued. His father, who owned the store, came up to me and shook my hand. He thanked me a lot for saving his son's life. He invited me to sit with him and have a cup of tea. He told me he had tried very hard to find me but couldn't.

I couldn't hide from him that I came to buy cloth. He went to another part of the store, said something to an assistant, and returned to me. He asked me to choose the fabric I wanted, and he would personally help me. I picked two pieces of cloth. He offered to give them to me for free, but I insisted on paying, and he took the money.

Meanwhile, his car had arrived outside the store, and he offered to drive me home. He said he was eager to meet my parents as well. I didn't see any problem with that, so I went with him. When we got out of the car, his driver opened the trunk, took out a big bundle of clothes, and carried it into our house without saying anything in front of his boss.

He praised me in front of my parents and pointed to the bundle, saying, "I hope you won't mind accepting this small gift as a token of gratitude." My parents didn't want to accept the cloth without paying for it, but he wouldn't take it back or let them pay for it.

My mother says that the cloth will be enough for me to use for at least ten years.