Colorado Springs
It was 22 degrees and snowing hard. Two eighth-graders were clinging to a single bicycle, one pedaling and one riding shotgun. Both boys were standing because the bike did not have a seat. They were carrying a pair of old and battered shovels.
If you thought the days were long gone in which kids got up early on snowy days, pounded on doors, addressed the occupants as “sir” or “ma’am” and asked if they might shovel to earn a few bucks, well, meet Derrick Nelson and Joaquin Quintana.
Not all potential customers, however, viewed the boys’ ambition with a heartwarming and nostalgic feeling.
One woman, for example, answered the door of a large, $250,000ish home with a bit of a scowl. Five feet behind stood her husband, seemingly maintaining a safe distance.
After the boys had made a polite offer to shovel the entire driveway for $7, she said, “No. My husband will shovel the driveway!”
“Man, that guy did not want to shovel. His wife is making him do it,” said Nelson, 13, already a keen observer of the human condition.
And while the recent string of frigid, snow- and wind-filled days hadn’t been enough to shut down schools, it did deliver other lessons.
A woman who answered the door Saturday rejected the boys’ offer, telling them that her teenage son would be shoveling “when he gets up.”
It was 1 p.m.
“I’d like to be sleeping, too,” said Nelson.
No such luck. Not in a family where Dad is an Air Force officer.
“My dad suggested I do this,” Nelson said.
Suggested?
“Well, basically,” he said. “He woke me up and said, ‘Go shovel. Earn some money.”‘
Overall, a nice greeting
And so, with his friend at his side, he ventured out into Saturday’s storm. And overall, they received a nice greeting.
“I’ve lived in this house for 13 years, and this is the first time any kids have asked to shovel,” said Chris Scott. “I didn’t think kids did that anymore.”
As they shoveled his driveway, Nelson and Quintana got a bonus: a lesson in economics from a business owner.
“They asked for $10,” Scott said, out of earshot from the boys, “and I told them the snow wasn’t really that deep. And right away they said they’d do it for $5. I gave them $8.”
He then turned to the boys.
“Don’t drop the price so fast,” he told them. “You cut your price in half right away.”
At the end of the driveway, a chill running through his body as a wind howled, the 14-year- old Quintana responded with a loud “Yes, sir” as he tossed another shovelful of snow onto the front lawn.
Then, quietly, mostly to himself, Quintana whispered, “Basically, we take what we can get.”
“Good to see that spirit”
Homeowner Jim Hill, 50, also paid the boys $8 for their work. He said the knock on his door brought back memories.
“I grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and I did a lot of shoveling for money,” he said. “All through high school. I remember making about $7 all day. It’s good to see that spirit, to see some kids who still want to make a few extra bucks.”
Then he smiled.
“And I don’t have to shovel my driveway,” he said, the nasty string of tangled Christmas lights at his feet in his garage indicating that he’d have enough to do on this day. “It’s good for all of us.”
With another driveway cleared, the boys climbed back onto the seatless bike – Quintana driving, Nelson hanging on for dear life – and headed down the street, skidding and shivering and balancing shovels and also formulating a business strategy along the way.
“Let’s look for driveways with no tire tracks,” Quintana said. “That means they’re still home.”
“Or they left real early and they’re not home,” countered Nelson.
“Yeah, whatever,” said Quintana.
By early afternoon, the boys had earned nearly $100 for their efforts, shoveling about 15 driveways, walkways and sidewalks. They said they’d use the money not for themselves but for Christmas gifts for friends and family.
The snow kept falling.
Norman Rockwell would have smiled.
Staff writer Rich Tosches writes each Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at rtosches@denverpost.com.
