He raised his head to look up at the cloudy night sky.  He hoped that it was not going to rain though it looked like it might.  As he stood there contemplating what to do, the chilly night breeze made him shiver.  The fact that he was wearing just a t-shirt did not help.  He rubbed his arms, hoping to warm himself when he heard his stomach growl.  It was then that he remembered that he had not had dinner yet.  He let out a sigh.  Not only was he cold but also hungry.

It was late.  He wondered if there was any place still open where he could eat.  He walked along the deserted streets, shivering when he caught scent of a delicious aroma.  It smelt so good that it made him even more hungry.  As he approached closer, he realised that it was a food cart, a noodle cart to be precise.  It was something that he had never seen before.  His stomach growled again, reminding him that it had yet to be fed.  There was a customer there who looked like he had just finished eating.  When the customer left, he made his way towards the cart. 

He walked up to the cart, about to order but his face faltered when he saw the man behind the cart looking like he was getting ready to pack up.  The man was busy cleaning his utensils and was not aware of his presence until his stomach growled again.

The growl alerted the man who looked up from behind the cart and saw a boy standing there shivering in a T-shirt.  He was ready to close up for the night so he was surprised to see the boy.  The man noticed the disheartened look upon the boy's face.

"Are you closed?" the boy asked.

"Just about to," the older man replied.  "It's pretty late."

The boy pursed his lips in a little pout and lowered his head.

The older man noticed the disappointed look on the boy's face and if he was not mistaken, he was sure that he had heard the boy's stomach growl before.  He looked at the little ingredients he had left.  There was just enough to make one last bowl. 

"There's not much left but if you don't mind, would you like a bowl of my special noodle soup?" the older man asked.

The boy's face immediately lit up with delight.  He nodded eagerly.  "Yes, please."

The smiled could not help but smile at the boy's reaction.  "Take a seat," he said.  "Won't be long."

Before sitting down on the stool, the boy reached into his pocket and gasped.  His eyes widened in horror when he realised that his pockets were empty.  He had no money on him.  No money to pay for the food.

"I...it's okay, you don't have to make the noodles," said the boy reluctantly as he turned to walk away.

The man frowned in confusion.  He was sure that the boy was hungry.  "Why?  What's wrong?" he called out.

"I don't have any money," the boy admitted.

The man smiled.  "I wasn't going to make you pay for it," he told the boy.  "Come and sit down."

The boy turned back to look at the older man who had already started cooking the noodles.  He slowly sat down on the stool and looked at the older man in confusion.  Why was the older man letting him, a stranger eat for free?  He was taught that money was everything.  Without money, you could not do anything.  Yet, here he was, about to be fed without a cent in his pocket.

His thoughts quickly disappeared when the older man placed a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup in front of him.

"Here you go," said the man.

A bright smile appeared on the boy's face.  "Smells good."

The older man smiled when he saw the boy's face.  He had never seen someone so happy over a bowl of noodle soup.  "Eat up," he said before heading back to his cleaning.

"It's delicious!" the boy exclaimed after the first mouthful.

The man simply smiled and continued to clean his utensils while the boy finished the bowl of noodles down to the last drop.

"That was the best noodle soup I've ever had!" the boy exclaimed with delight.  Not only did it fulfil his empty stomach, it also warmed him up.  "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," said the man.

"Tomorrow, I'll pay you tomorrow," said the boy.  "I promise."

The man shook his hood.  "There's no need," he said.  "It's late, you should head home now."

The boy's smile slowly disappeared from his face.  He stood there in silence as the man finished packing up.  When he saw the man about to push the cart he walked over to him.

"Let me help you," said the boy.

"There's no need," said the man, surprised by the boy's actions.  "You should hurry home."

The boy pouted.  "Please let me help you," he said, almost pleadingly.  "You let me eat for free.  I'll feel bad if you don't let me help you."

The older man could not win against the boy's persistence.

The two pushed the cart a short distance along the empty street before they arrived at a small and old looking house.  The boy stood and looked at the house with much curiosity.

"We're here," announced the man.  "Thank you for your help."

"This is your house?" the boy asked.

The man nodded.  "Yes," he replied.  "Is there something wrong?"

The boy shook his head.  "No, I'm just..."

"Then you should head home now," said the man.

The boy nodded reluctantly then slowly walked away.

He sighed deeply as he stood in the middle of the deserted street, not knowing where to go.  Finally, at his wit's end, he sat down on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around his knees.  He buried his head in his knees and sat contemplating his actions.  Shortly after, the heaven's started to open.  He felt the rain splattering down on him but he remained where he was with his head down.  Where could he could go anyway?  The rain continued to fall but he noticed that it was no longer falling down on him.  He thought it strange until he heard a voice.

"Are you alright?"