Thank You Ma’am PDF – A short story by Langston Hughes. When an innocent woman is walking home one evening, a teenage boy attempts to steal her purse. During the attempted robbery the boy falls, and the woman kicks him before helping him to his feet. She then questions why he tried to rob her and declared that she was going to take him home to wash his face. The boy protests but couldn’t get away. The woman introduces herself as Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones and drags him home with her.
Leaving the door behind her open, Mrs. Jones pulls the boy into her apartment and asks what his name is. He introduces himself as Roger, and she instructs him to wash up. As he does, he asks whether Mrs. Jones is going to hand him over to the police. She says that she isn’t and offers him dinner instead, remarking that he must have been hungry to resort to stealing. Roger admits that he wanted the money to buy a pair of blue suede shoes. To his surprise, Mrs. Jones doesn’t scold him but instead reflects, “I were young once and I wanted things I could not get”
The two continue to talk and have dinner together. After dinner, Mrs. Jones gives Roger $10 to buy a pair of blue suede shoes, warning him to behave himself in the future.
Download “Thank You Ma’am” PDF HERE
