I caught a shivering boy stealing bread. As I grabbed his arm, he sobbed, “Please don’t call the police, my brothers are starving and mom hasn’t woken up in two days.” skeptical, I followed him to his rundown apartment. When I pushed the bedroom door open, my heart froze…

the fabric of Ricardo’s trousers. “Please… I beg you… I’ll pay you back… when I grow up, I’ll work and pay you back!”

A ripple of cruel laughter echoed through the aisles. Ricardo violently kicked his leg out, shaking off her tiny hands as if she were a rabid stray. “Pay when you grow up?!” he scoffed. “You think you’re going to live that long, you continue reading …