That Day At The Park
A girl, just when she thought her life had lost its purpose goes to the park and meets a little girl...... how one day at the park changes her way of looking at life.
My parents are dead...I said again and again, too grieved and shocked to believe it. They died in a car crash. A car crash ... That's what had ruined my whole life? ... How will I ever be able to live without them, I thought.
I didn't want to........ part of me was already dead.
I kept crying silently ... I was shaking from head to foot. My heart had shattered into a thousand pieces, it hurt so much. At least no one could see me then ...it was raining. The last thing I wanted was for any of my selfish relatives to find me and say things like "your parents will be happy in heaven".
I was sitting on a bench in the park. I chose that place because it was mostly deserted. But not anymore... I could see a little girl coming.
As she sat beside me, I quieted down a bit. No one could understand how lonely I felt then and how... empty.
The girl looked over me, she kept staring. I avoided her steady gaze.
"You crying miss?", she asked
"No I am not", I retorted, somewhat rudely.
"I am small, but I am not stupid", she said
"Alright, I am crying. Just leave me alone", I told her.
"Maybe I can help miss", she said.
"No you cannot, please go", I retorted.
"But I can-", she started again.
"For god's sake", I cried "where are your parents? How could they have let you loose here?"
"Let me loose?" the kid said getting angry at me and I felt ashamed of what I had said. "My parents are dead missy. I am an orphan, and I live on the street."
I felt so bad... I looked at the girl. She looked barely seven.
"What? Then who do you live with", I asked.
"Jim and Lucy", she answered.
"And they are-", I wondered..
"I don't know. But they are not my parents", she said, quite casually.
"I looked at the poor girl, she was living with complete strangers. There may be a hundred girls like her around here.
"What's your name?"
"Sarah"
"Sarah, I am sorry I said all those things to you. I have lost my parents too.
" You have ?"" yeah, they died in a car crash a week ago."
"So that's why you are crying?", she asked, her lovely blue eyes boring into mine.
"Yes. I can't live without them. I really can't"
"How old are you?", she asked
"Twenty seven", I told her.
"Are you married?"
I smiled though my eyes stayed wet. "I am engaged", I said. Then I felt worse, my parents wouldn't be there at the wedding. Tears started flowing down my cheeks into my hand.I looked at the ring, I remembered the happy moments. My parents had been thrilled for me and tom.
"You are lucky", Sarah said
"What?", I choked " I have lost my parents"
"At least you have the memories. You remember how they looked; I don't know anything about my parents, not even their names. ", Sarah said to me.
"A lot of good that did me. We all loved each other so deeply. I have lost all of that."
"Lucy says love lasts forever, though lovers don't. You will have that love. "I smiled, Sarah was so innocent. She reminded me of my childhood.
But no, she didn't. I did have a nice childhood with dolls, swings, expensive coats and pretty dresses... and this girl had nothing. Yet, she seemed so much stronger than me.
Sarah looked into my eyes "you know what miss?"
"What?"
"Don't feel sorry for me. People do that I all time, and I tell them not to.", Sarah said with much feeling.
"Aren't you sad", I asked her "of not having anything ?"
"I have everything miss. I am happy. "
"You are?", I asked. I couldn't believe that.
"Lucy says that the person with a smile on his lips and a spark of hope in his eyes - not just for a sec, but for every time of the day, is god's own child. And god will never let his own child be sad. Would he?"
"He won't", I said . I felt much lighter. Sarah had won my heart over with her sweet innocence.
She had shown me a new way of living life. I started my life afresh with Tom. I now sit here with my children, living a life I could only dream of then. Not of riches and comfort - they are not all that important, what really matters is love and happiness.
And I would never forget my parents or their love for me, and although it still gives me pain that they are not around to see their grandchildren , I don't let grief overcome me as it did before...
Sometimes I feel that my parents will always be there ... smiling with me, seeing the world through my eyes. They will always have that special place in my heart .... And so will Sarah.
We meet every week. She comes to our house with Lucy. She says she can't thank me and Tom enough for giving her money to go to school. I say it's nothing. For she had taught me all of this. She had changed my life, starting from that day at the park.
I didn't want to........ part of me was already dead.
I kept crying silently ... I was shaking from head to foot. My heart had shattered into a thousand pieces, it hurt so much. At least no one could see me then ...it was raining. The last thing I wanted was for any of my selfish relatives to find me and say things like "your parents will be happy in heaven".
I was sitting on a bench in the park. I chose that place because it was mostly deserted. But not anymore... I could see a little girl coming.
As she sat beside me, I quieted down a bit. No one could understand how lonely I felt then and how... empty.
The girl looked over me, she kept staring. I avoided her steady gaze.
"You crying miss?", she asked
"No I am not", I retorted, somewhat rudely.
"I am small, but I am not stupid", she said
"Alright, I am crying. Just leave me alone", I told her.
"Maybe I can help miss", she said.
"No you cannot, please go", I retorted.
"But I can-", she started again.
"For god's sake", I cried "where are your parents? How could they have let you loose here?"
"Let me loose?" the kid said getting angry at me and I felt ashamed of what I had said. "My parents are dead missy. I am an orphan, and I live on the street."
I felt so bad... I looked at the girl. She looked barely seven.
"What? Then who do you live with", I asked.
"Jim and Lucy", she answered.
"And they are-", I wondered..
"I don't know. But they are not my parents", she said, quite casually.
"I looked at the poor girl, she was living with complete strangers. There may be a hundred girls like her around here.
"What's your name?"
"Sarah"
"Sarah, I am sorry I said all those things to you. I have lost my parents too.
" You have ?"" yeah, they died in a car crash a week ago."
"So that's why you are crying?", she asked, her lovely blue eyes boring into mine.
"Yes. I can't live without them. I really can't"
"How old are you?", she asked
"Twenty seven", I told her.
"Are you married?"
I smiled though my eyes stayed wet. "I am engaged", I said. Then I felt worse, my parents wouldn't be there at the wedding. Tears started flowing down my cheeks into my hand.I looked at the ring, I remembered the happy moments. My parents had been thrilled for me and tom.
"You are lucky", Sarah said
"What?", I choked " I have lost my parents"
"At least you have the memories. You remember how they looked; I don't know anything about my parents, not even their names. ", Sarah said to me.
"A lot of good that did me. We all loved each other so deeply. I have lost all of that."
"Lucy says love lasts forever, though lovers don't. You will have that love. "I smiled, Sarah was so innocent. She reminded me of my childhood.
But no, she didn't. I did have a nice childhood with dolls, swings, expensive coats and pretty dresses... and this girl had nothing. Yet, she seemed so much stronger than me.
Sarah looked into my eyes "you know what miss?"
"What?"
"Don't feel sorry for me. People do that I all time, and I tell them not to.", Sarah said with much feeling.
"Aren't you sad", I asked her "of not having anything ?"
"I have everything miss. I am happy. "
"You are?", I asked. I couldn't believe that.
"Lucy says that the person with a smile on his lips and a spark of hope in his eyes - not just for a sec, but for every time of the day, is god's own child. And god will never let his own child be sad. Would he?"
"He won't", I said . I felt much lighter. Sarah had won my heart over with her sweet innocence.
She had shown me a new way of living life. I started my life afresh with Tom. I now sit here with my children, living a life I could only dream of then. Not of riches and comfort - they are not all that important, what really matters is love and happiness.
And I would never forget my parents or their love for me, and although it still gives me pain that they are not around to see their grandchildren , I don't let grief overcome me as it did before...
Sometimes I feel that my parents will always be there ... smiling with me, seeing the world through my eyes. They will always have that special place in my heart .... And so will Sarah.
We meet every week. She comes to our house with Lucy. She says she can't thank me and Tom enough for giving her money to go to school. I say it's nothing. For she had taught me all of this. She had changed my life, starting from that day at the park.
Post Comment | View Comments
