Making a Difference

By Lewis Brett Smiler

Mr. Erdofi could not recall how many millions he had donated over the past twenty years. However, there was no place where his philanthropy was more evident than his hometown. He had been honored numerous times for his local contributions, but not everyone was impressed. Wayne Thompson, an old high school classmate, kept insisting that all Mr. Erdofi cared about was his ego. He donated money for the recognition, not to help others. Mr. Erdofi shook his head in annoyance. Wayne was nothing more than a jealous failure.

The philanthropist walked around the bustling town square, thinking about his own role in the local economy. He could not help but admire the facade of the Erdofi Performing Arts Center. It was such a beautiful building. Wayne did not have any achievements that were remotely comparable. Mr. Erdofi was about to continue his walk, but then he noticed a boy standing next to him, also admiring the arts center. The boy looked to be about twelve or thirteen, probably too young to remember when the facility had opened.  

“Hey, sir,” said the boy. “You’ve done so much for the town, and we are very grateful to you. The arts center, it would not have existed without you.” Mr. Erdofi quietly nodded his head. He wished that Wayne and some of the other ingrates understood this, but they were too spiteful to see reality. “I know this for a fact,” the boy continued, “because I visited an alternate world where you were never born.”

“What was that?” asked Mr. Erdofi.

“I visited an alternate world where you were never born,” the boy responded. “The arts center doesn’t exist there.” 

Mr. Erdofi chuckled. “You’ve been watching too many movies.”

“No, I’m serious. There really are other worlds. I’ll show you.” Mr. Erdofi was nearly blinded by a large flash of light. The next thing he knew, he was staring at an empty, dilapidated building. What had happened to the arts center? It was gone without a trace.

“We’re in the other world now,” said the boy. “You weren’t born here, so the arts center was never built.” Mr. Erdofi looked around and saw that one of his favorite restaurants was now vacant. There were quite a few vacancies that he had never noticed before. The town square now seemed a bit rundown, obviously not the same place where Mr. Erdofi was standing a moment ago. The billionaire could not believe how fast his surroundings had changed. Was he in another world as the boy described? How was this possible?

“The youth center was also never built in this world,” said the boy. “Do you want to see?” Mr. Erdofi nodded his head, too perplexed to speak. Following the boy two blocks, he saw that the Erdofi Youth Center was now an overgrown vacant lot. The philanthropist could not stop being amazed. Who was this incredible boy and where did he get his power? Mr. Erdofi was about to ask when he saw Wayne and Pam walking towards him.

“Remember, sir, you don’t exist in this world,” said the boy. “They don’t know you.”

“This town needs a youth center,” Wayne told his wife. “I keep bringing it up at the council meetings, but those idiots never listen.” Mr. Erdofi struggled not to laugh. He had single-handedly financed the youth center in his own world, but Wayne had never shown any appreciation. The philanthropist thought of all the people who had insulted or criticized him. He would love so much to transport them to this other world and show them how he had transformed a desolate town into a thriving community. Mr. Erdofi was about to ask the boy about this when someone else caught his eye. His wife Janet was walking out of the drugstore, meeting up with her friend Laura.

“Did your husband like the recipe?” asked Laura.

“Very much,” replied Janet. “He could not stop raving about it.” Mr. Erdofi had to remind himself that they were not married in this world. He listened intently as Janet talked about her husband. There was a glow in her face that he had never noticed before. He could not believe how energized she was. Was this the same Janet he had married? 

“We have to go back now, sir,” said the boy. “But I wanted you to see what a difference you’ve made for everyone here.” Mr. Erdofi saw another blinding flash of light. The Erdofi Youth Center reappeared, but Janet and Laura were gone. The boy had also vanished. Everything was back the way it was. As a trio of happy kids was entering the youth center, a stunned Mr. Erdofi continued to walk around the town square. He was struggling to make sense of this bizarre experience. Was this other world real or did he imagine it?

***

Mr. Erdofi returned home and went to his desk to review today’s mail. He hoped to make some inquiries later to find out who that boy was. As he was looking over a charity solicitation, Janet came into the room.  

“Have you finished your speech yet?” Janet asked.

“My speech?”

“For the gala next week.”

“It’s almost done,” replied Mr. Erdofi. “I’ll show it to you tonight.” Mr. Erdofi looked carefully at his wife as she discussed preparing for the gala. She did not have that glow that he had seen earlier in the day. When Janet was supposedly married to another man, she showed a liveliness that was now absent. Mr. Erdofi tried to tell himself that this other world was not real, but to no avail. He could not remove the image of this other Janet from his head. The philanthropist was soon tormented with a painful question that he had never expected to ask. Where had he gone wrong?

Lewis Brett Smiler lives in West Orange, NJ, and enjoys creative writing and historical research. His stories have been published in Scarlet Leaf Review, Scare Street, Academy of the Heart and Mind, and Anotherealm.