“It smells in here!” In a panic, I glanced around, wondering if anyone heard me. My mom's evil eye made me rethink that rude statement I had just made. My sister's room looked like a junk yard due to the new guests staying in it. After the near to death experience of my nose hairs, I had to vacate that room. Somehow, that stench seemed to follow me to the backyard. I needed air.

All my life, my parents have been giving people. Never once have I seen them turn away a pan handler on the street. But this time, they have taken it a little too far, in my opinion. Willy and Christina were in desperate need with a new baby on the way. They couldn't stay in a bug infested homeless shelter. When my mother saw them on the corner of 21st and Van Buren, she asked them if they needed help. She couldn't resist when Christina guilt tripped her with the “new baby” story. My emotions ran wild when I saw them pull up in the drive way. Curiosity, anger, and a pinch of nausea all hit me at once. I just had to get used to having new company for a while. After the unloading of their belongings, Christina lounged outside on one of the patio chairs. Her blank expression warmed some of the coldness in my heart. “Thank you for letting us stay here”, Christina croaked as tears filled her eyes. “Oh, no problem”, I shot back, while looking shamelessly at the ground. In this woman, I saw my mother's same expressions.

On the walk back inside, guilt wiped the selfishness off my face. I couldn't help but feel horrible about my useless thoughts from earlier. I started having flashbacks to when my parents didn't have a dime to their name. Food bank visits, pawn shop bargaining, and the borrowing of money seemed to be a part of life after a while. Feeling too embarrassed to ask family for money, my parents continued with that daily routine. We were a day away from eviction, when finally we got a miracle. My parents promised us we would never go through something like that again.
I couldn't shake those thoughts from my mind. Realizing how rude and ignorant I was, I went out to the living room to accompany the guests. Laughing, joking, and rejoicing about the wonderful lives we have without a care in the world. After Christina bragged to my mother about much of an angel I was, I knew I made the right impression on her this time.

This experience taught me that giving is receiving. It also taught me that nothing lasts forever. I feel obligated to help out the less fortunate, just like how someone helped out me and my family. I hope that in the future, my kids learn this life lesson from me just as I learned it from my parents. My past experiences help me know what to look forward to later in life. If it’s a pan handler on the street or a family member in need, I know I will do whatever I can to help.