Read Online A Treasury of Miracles for Teens by Karen Kingsbury - Free Book Online

weathered face and matted hair were
     covered with a layer of silt and dirt. He was sitting just outside the restaurant door, his hat in his hands.
    “Bum!” Ashley whispered to herself. People like that were so disgusting. Then she had another thought.
Watch Fred invite him to dinner.
    As the group drew closer to the man, Fred stopped and started a conversation with the man. Ashley was horrified. She drew
     closer so she could hear what they were saying, and she was suddenly assaulted by a pungent smell. It was a mix of the man’s
     body odor and the smell of musty alcohol on his breath. Stepping away, Ashley studied the man from a distance. It must have
     been months since his last shower.
Disgusting,
she thought to herself.
The man has no pride in himself whatsoever!
    In the course of three minutes, while the rest of the group stood in a cluster behind him, Fred managed to get the man’s story.
     He’d been living on the streets for the past year and needed money for food. Fred smiled and Ashley knew what was coming.Fred didn’t believe in giving people money for food. He believed in giving them food.
    “I can’t give you any money,” he said, a smile playing across his face. “But you could be our guest at dinner tonight. Our
     treat.”
    The homeless man looked skeptical. “You wanna bring me the food out here?” he asked. It was obvious he couldn’t believe that
     Fred might actually want a person like himself to eat with his group.
    “No, of course not!” Fred waved toward the restaurant door, where the manager was watching them. “Come in! Eat with us.”
    Ashley wanted to cover her face with a bag. What was Fred thinking? Letting them be seen at a sit-down restaurant with a shabby
     old homeless man? The grizzly old guy stared at the members of the group and his eyes fell on Ashley. “Okay.” He looked back
     at Fred. “Thanks.”
    “What’s your name?” Fred asked as they moved inside.
    “Gus.”
    Ashley dropped to the back of the group and rolled her eyes in frustration. Now they’d have to smell this filthy man for the
     next hour and no one would enjoy the meal. She shook her head and followed the others into the restaurant. Maybe she should
     call home and find a way to pull out of the group. Nothing about the tour was working out like she’d hoped.
    Once inside, the manager showed them to atable near the back of a large private room. Ashley sat down first and waited for others to fill in around her. When everyone
     had found a seat she was horrified to see that the place beside her was still empty. The homeless man still stood off to the
     side, unsure of whether he should really join the group at a formal dinner table. He looked embarrassed as he scanned his
     ragged and torn clothing.
    “I’ll just go outside and wait,” he said suddenly. “You can bring me something out there if you want.”
    Fred stood up and shook his head. “Absolutely not.” He pointed to the seat beside Ashley. “Sit there … we have plenty of room.”
    Ashley’s eyes grew wide.
Great. Sit him by me.
She slid her chair a few inches from the place where Gus was sitting down. Anger and frustration swirled across her heart
     and she bit her lip.
Some life-changing music tour this turned out to be, huh, God? I should’ve just stayed home.
    As the homeless man beside her settled into his chair, a putrid aroma moved like a cloud over the place where Ashley sat.
     The man smelled so bad, it’d be a miracle if she didn’t lose her appetite. Gritting her teeth, she determined to ignore him
     and enjoy her meal. After all, it could be weeks before they might afford a nice dinner out.
    When the waitress had taken their order, Gus looked at Fred and cleared his throat. “Where are you people from?” He barely
     made eye contact before letting his gaze fall to his lap.
    In spite of everything, Ashley found herself feeling almost sorry for him. The guy looked like he didn’t have an ounce of
     self-esteem. She