still small *symphony*

A family of five move into a lovely house on a middle-class street. The father of the family is a doctor and the mother is a lawyer who is only hired for the biggest cases. The eldest son is recruited by NASA to become a scientist in the lab and the middle child is a young woman who receives honors in all her college courses and has a promising future. The youngest of them all is a young girl who, unlike her parents and siblings, is rather clumsy and forgetful. Having been born with slight complications and premature, she was a mistake, but her parents decided to keep her despite the huge gap of years between her other siblings and herself.

Everyday, she wakes up and gets ready for school on her own. By the time she is ready, she toasts her own slice of bread and locks the door as she leaves, walking the 2.5 miles to school. The father and mother have to wake up earlier and take the train to the city to make it to their jobs on time. The oldest son drops off the older daughter on his way to work. Alone but understanding, the youngest carefully makes he way to school and back. Though she returns around three, she is the first to reach the empty house.

After a small snack of whatever she could find in the pantry, she moves through the house, looking for dirty laundry and washing them, using the step-ladder when she can’t reach the detergent. Hanging the clothes on the lines in the backyard and then collecting them again all before six. In between, while she waited for the laundry to wash and dry, she would clean what needed to be cleaned, make a list of “needs” on the refrigerator, and other miscellaneous tasks.

By the time six-thirty rolled around, she would be in her room, doing her homework quietly. One by one, first her father and mother returns. Both tired and speaking softly, they seem to attempt to relax. Then her older brother and sister return home, both quite exhausted from the day’s events. And, when dinner is ready, the little girl skips down stairs, joining her family in a quiet meal. Usually, halfway through the meal, both parents are called away from the table due to phone calls. When the older siblings finish, they hurry off to their rooms to do their homework and studying to prepare for the next day. But, with quietness, the little girl would clean up what she could and head back up stairs to her room, unable to do more for her family.

And so, the days passed, each year that passed filled with more and more neglect until, one day not too far in the future, the little girl returned home to find a man in a uniform waiting on the front steps. Knowing her manners, she invites him in. And as he waits for her parents to return home, he watches the little girl rush around the house, doing the laundry and cleaning. As she finishes, she rejoins him, giving him a cup of water. Close to five, another officer, a woman, rings the doorbell and the young girl invites her in.

The minutes creep by and the young girl, finally, finds that all her family members are late. As she picks up the phone, she checks the messages to find that none are left. She checks the garage to see that no cars are there, and as she opens the front door to wait, the two guests join her, sitting on the front steps with her.

As nine rolls by, she stands and bows apologetically, saying, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s keeping my parents and my brother and sister. They’re usually home by seven, but I can’t get a hold of any of them.”

At that point, the woman officer speaks up, “Oh dear, well, I am from the station down in the City. I needed to tell your brother and sister that your parents died in a subway accident. They won’t be coming home anymore,” she adds, sadly.

At that point, the man speaks up as well, “Well, I’m here on behalf of NASA. There was an accident and your older brother was involved in it. Sadly, when I attempted to contact your parents, I couldn’t reach them. Your older sister was also involved in an on-campus shooting. Neither will be returning to this house,” he finishes.

Both look at each other and then to the little girl who still stands before them. Contemplating what to do, the little girl bows again, “Thank you for telling me. Good night.” Rushing into the house, she shuts and locks the door behind her. And, on her knees, she begins to pray to God.

***

Although the occupations aren’t true, this short story is based on a true story. Kids that fall victim to “accidents” are everywhere. The question is how they choose to see things, and whether or not you will be there to help/guide them or not.

***

Years later, the young girl, having been placed with her grandparents, walks into a small chapel. Kneeling before the cross, she bows her head, closes her eyes, and begins to pray. As she finishes, she rises and leaves, on her way to the small community’s high school on the edge of town.

***

She could have chosen to look at all the things that have been taken from her, but she chose to have faith in something greater than her sorrows. And, from that, she was able to lift her head and live on, for the sake of those she had lost.

When she told me about all this, I was surprised and asked her what God told her all those years to help her get past such a difficult ordeal. And, with a simple smile, she replied, “Well, it was a still small voice that rose into a symphony of love written especially for me.” With that, she laughed and took a sip of the coffee that sat between us.