As Trixie gazed at the paycheck in her hand, her busy mind had dividing it up to cover various household expenses.

"And this time," she thought to herself, "there'll be enough left over to go to Wimpy's!"

Trixie put her paycheck into her coat packet and unlocked her car. She cranked up the radio as she started on her drive home. However, the short ride came to an abrupt halt as Trixie encountered a road full of emergency vehicles. Ahead, Trixie could see an old farmhouse, totally engulfed in flames.

"I hope everybody got out of the house," Trixie said worriedly.

Pulling her car off the road, Trixie got out and made he way toward the safety barricade that had been set up around the house. She stood and watched as the roof of the burning house collapsed upon the remaining two walls. The flames shot upward as sparks settled on the surrounding ground. Trixie continued to watch the burning and crumbling house. Slowly, she became aware of a woman sitting on the back of a fire truck. The woman was crying loudly. Trixie went over to the woman and sat down next to her.

"Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

The woman just shook her head. With tears rolling down her face, the woman said over and over, "I can't believe it's all gone. I can't believe it's all gone."

Trixie sat with the woman for a while, desperately trying to think of what to say that would be of comfort to the woman.

As the sun began to set on the smoking remains of the house, Trixie felt her paycheck in her pocket. Taking it out, she scribbled her name on the back and pressed it into the woman's hand.

"Take this. You need this more than I do."

The woman looked at the crumpled check in her hand. Before she could say anything, Trixie stood up. With a quick hug to the stunned woman, Trixie hurried off to her car and left the smoldering remains behind her.