The Right Thing

Halfway through the meal, Shane stared at Co. A smile lit up his face. “I know you,” he said, and got up to hug her.

“I don’t think we ever met,” Co said.

“Your husband is Roose.  He runs the coffee shop.  He feeds Deckman.  Good dude, your husband is a good dude.”

“Who’s Deckman?” I asked.

Shane explained. “Deckman lives in a tent under the deck of his house. He’s too paranoid to go inside. Five days a week Roose leaves the shop to take Deckman a meal. Deckman snarls at him, but he still does it.”

Co laughed. “Roose has a heart of gold.  For him, it’s just the right thing to do. He thinks someday Deckman will trust him, and he’ll be able to get Deckman help.”

“Do the next right thing,” I said. Co and Shane looked at me. “It’s an AA slogan.  You say it to people when they’re trying to do right, but life isn’t getting better.  You’ve made me think it has another meaning. Do the next right thing even if the other guy’s life isn’t getting better right away.”

Today I’ll try to do the next right thing for someone.

Jury Duty © 2019 by Ken Montrose

Jury Duty is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/