Charlotte (Miss S)

THE GIRL
First day of junior high and I am on my way. And there she is, Miss S. I knew she would be
out on the sidewalk on her way to the bus stop…. heading downtown to the reading room. Her
daily ritual is unshakable. She is looking at me and I wonder what she thinks of my new (Mom
made it) red plaid sack dress. Shapelessness is in this year! And my white buck shoes with the
red crepe soles make for a vision in geekiness, and I know it. I would think that Miss S. would
understand my unique dress style as she is by no means a fashion icon. Can you say thrift shop?
Dark heavy hose, and the sweaters, and coats, and the hat? Add to that, she is only four and a
half feet high and shrinking daily.

Mom says she is an “old maid” retired schoolteacher. She does have visitors who come for
her on occasion; but we think they are not “blood” but church family. We can see the window of
her second-floor studio in an old, subdivided house, three doors down. And yes, she can see us
too, and see us she does. I cannot get out of line even a smidge without her checking in with my
mom to make sure I am not on the road to He double LL.

With all her might she is determined to show us the love of Jesus…. I will always carry with
myself the certainty that God does indeed exist, and he sent Miss S to lay that on my heart. I
remember the leaflets she would pass along, and the big blue, cloth covered book, full of Bible stories!
She gave this to me and my sisters.

And how did I know that she loved me as much as God does?
She always stopped to visit and ask about my schoolwork. She gave me 15 cents to buy a new
kite when mine crashed into the power lines. She would be there to help me up when I fell into
the concrete and rocks when my skates caught crack in the sidewalk. She watched over us like
a fierce lioness and I know she prayed for us every day with a passion unknown to most.

CHARLOTTE (MISS S.)
I will miss them…the girl and her family too. It makes sense for them to find a little more
space now that they have the new little one. And oh, what a cutie she is too. Four girls, the mom,
and dad fill that bungalow to capacity. I watched them from the moment they moved in just
three doors down nine years ago. A lot has changed since that cold day when the mom, the
original dad and the three girls came from the prairie to the city and settled on my street.
And there she is…the girl all grown up! She is awkward but determined. She believes that her
sisters are all prettier than her and yet she carries herself apart with a certain sense of purpose
and passion. She has grown into this second family and seems to have overcome the idea that
she is lacking because of her early loss.

She seems to have settled into her family and left the pain of abandonment behind her. I have watched with anticipation as she stepped out of childhood and into that vast unknown world of adolescence. While she appears to be fearless, it is obvious to me that she is not fearless but brave. She swallows her fear and jumps forward into unknown and uncharted places. I hope and yes, I pray daily that she will continue to grow in her faith and embrace her own worth going forward.

We have shared Bible stories, and school stories, the happy and sad stories. We have been a
constant in each other’s lives. I shared her sorrows, challenges and her happy times. When
her mom got married to the new dad. She cried and resisted, but finally accepted and loved him
with a fierce determination to never lose him.

Now they are leaving and that is okay because I will be leaving soon myself. The girl will carry me in
her memory for her entire life, and I expect that when she is done with this earth we will be united in Glory.