Angry Abigail "Abbie" Abernathy

Abigail “Abbie” Abernathy lived with her parents in Alabaster, Alabama, which she called Awfulville. Toward everything, Abbie had a bad attitude, making her unkind and negative toward others. She did not like her parents, her home, or her hometown, and she made friends with nobody, never realizing that her bad attitude was the source of her unhappiness. She was always angry, never attentive to the needs of others, never kind to anyone, and spent her days in a state of arrogance, aloneness, and aloofness.

Every morning on the big yellow school bus, when children greeted her with smiles, she glared and frowned, causing them to drop their heads and, like her, become sad. She even sneered at Elmer, the kindly old bus driver, when he said, “Good morning, Abbie,” making him sad also. 

Turning away, he would think to himself, … I feel so sorry for her. That beautiful child should not face each day with an angry attitude. Someday, I hope something will happen to change her into a smiling, friendly schoolgirl. And so it did.

One day, Abbie’s angry attitude started to change when she sat beside Arnold “Smiley” Appleseed, a handsome young lad who never stopped smiling, even though he was lame and walked with a crutch. Gradually, as his kindness showed signs of overcoming Abbie’s unkindness, he saved a seat for her on the school bus. Even so, no matter what he said, she still answered in disagreeable ways. If he pointed to the scenery on the way to school and remarked about its beauty, she looked at him, frowned, shook her head, and said, “No, it is not.” Still Arnold smiled.

Since their homes were on the same block, the bus driver let the two children out at the end of the street. While walking along the sidewalk one day, Arnold hummed a tune as he limped along, and Abbie complained about the weight of her backpack stuffed with books. Suddenly, a giant dog charged them and pounced on Abbie. Immediately, Arnold raised his crutch and whacked the dog several times, causing him to howl and scurry for safety. Fortunately, Abbie escaped unharmed, but her dress was shredded where the dog ripped into it before fleeing from Arnold’s fearful crutch.

When Arnold asked Abbie if she was hurt, he saw what nobody had ever seen before, tears streaming down her face — not tears shed in pain or fear, but in joy. A marvelous change came over her at that very moment. She felt real love for the first time, and her whole outlook on life changed. She learned a life lesson: Love conquers all. From that day on, her bad attitude became a glad gratitude. She greeted classmates with a smile and began to see the beautiful world around her that her lame friend Arnold had seen all along.

Abbie and Arnold fell in love, married, and lived happily ever after. Mrs. Appleseed was no longer the girl she had been: Angry Abigail “Abbie” Abernathy.

NOTE: Jimmy Reed is a retired college professor and author of several books. This story is from his latest, a children’s book entitled FROM A TO Z, TO YOU FROM ME. Each story in the book maximizes the use of an alphabetical letter, enhanced by alliteration and assonance. The book is available on Amazon, or can be purchased directly from the author. His email address is jimmycecilreedjr@gmail.com.

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