Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Laughter (10/18/04)
TITLE: MAKE BELIEVE By Rita Garcia 10/20/04 |
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“Come on Tommy and Becky, I’ll race you to the water.” She called out as she started to run.
“That’s not fair Mom.” Becky called after her. “You have a head start.”
“Then you better hurry up.” Molly said over her shoulder.
Molly sat on a towel in the warmth of the sun. She watched the kids play, all too quietly. It made her sad, Tom would have been knee deep in the sand, helping them build sandcastles. He was the kind of father every child should be lucky enough to have. Why did God take him too soon? Molly picked up her cell phone to call her sister.
“Hi, it’s me.” Molly said.
“Hi Moll, what’s going on?”
“I just don’t know what to say anymore. You must hate my being so down all the time.”
“Molly, you’re my sister, I love you. It’s a difficult time for you.”
“I miss Tom so desperately. I feel like he took part of me with him.” The tears began to puddle in the corner of Molly’s eyes.
“I know, I would do anything to make it better. Molly, God will give you the strength to battle this storm. You believe that don’t you?”
“I want to believe. We had to sell our home, now I’m a working single mom. I loved being home with my kids. Now I can barely give them what they need. I just don’t know, Linda, I don’t know what I believe anymore.”
“You will make it through this Moll, He takes us through the darkest of storms.”
“That’s what I used to think. I better go, it’s time to take the kids home before they burn like lobsters.”
“Molly, I will be praying for you, I love you.”
“Tommy, Becky come on it’s time to go.” Molly knew the kids hadn’t had much fun, watching their sad little faces coming towards her.
At home Tommy went to his room to play. He spent way too much time alone in his room, especially for a seven year old.
Molly watched her daughter sitting on the floor, playing with her dolls. Becky was lost in her own little make believe world. She carefully dressed her dolls, and into the splashy red sports car they went.
If only life could be more like a make believe world, Molly thought. As usual her thoughts began to drift. She missed Tom, missed his smile, most of all she missed who she was, when she was with him.
Suddenly, snapped back to the present, by the sound of Becky’s laughter. She realized it was a sound not often heard in their home any more. She felt the tears want to well up, at that split second, something inside, made her get down on the floor beside her daughter. She had to make believe at first, forcing a laugh out, but it wasn’t long before they were both laughing so hard they could hardly catch their breath.
Tommy came rushing from his room, “Hey Mom, what’s going on?”
Molly reached for her son, “Come on join us, we’re having a laughing party.”
“A laughing party, I never-ha ha ha-heard ha ha ha,-of a laughing-ha ha-party.” By this time they were all laughing and laughing.
Molly wiping away the tears, from laughing so hard, said, “Come on guys, let’s go out for pizza and ice cream.”
“You mean it Mom! for reals?” Tommy said.
“I really mean it, get your jackets, this family needs some fun time.”
God really does work in mysterious ways, thought Molly. We are going to be O.K., I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I know who holds it in His hands.