A College Seeress' Diary

Unknown X

Dear Jesus,

Patricia, who was doing her best not to complain that I was leaning heavily on her, tried to make the walk to the children's church as un-awkward as possible. She sparked up small talk which I gladly jumped at.

Meanwhile, I internally prepared myself for the imminent reaction from those little bundles of energy.

In a deep part of my spirit, I could sense something looming.
I couldn't pinpoint if it was good or otherwise so I raised my spiritual antenna higher and prayed in my spirit.

Lord, what are you pointing at?

We got there in a short time. There were only a few of them—children of the workers and ministers— left, which was no big deal since the service was done.

Their eyes were latched to the TV screen before them which was playing Super Story.

Their tutor, a young, black lady with chubby cheeks and spongy hair—Miss Diamond Lemin, as I correctly recall her name—was busy stacking up the empty plastic chairs.

I smiled at the scene.
An idea popped in my head and I gestured for Patricia to keep it down.
Getting my drift, Patricia nodded, smiling.

However, sneaking up on a bunch of kids with the announcing, clink-clank sound of my walking stick was virtually impossible. I should have known that and tried another tactic.

A few heads turned casually.
Even Miss Diamond looked up from the papers and wraps of sweets she was snatching up from the floor.

It took only two seconds and a half for their brains to process who they were seeing.
Yup, I counted, while I held my breath.

"Aunty Ray!" they chorused in a joint shriek/squeal/scream.
I cringed at how loud their voices rang.

They scrambled out of their seats and surrounded me like like a shoal of fish around a crumb of fish food.

Patricia laughed, giving me a shrug that said 'I have no idea how to help you out of what you willing walked into, Missy!' when I looked to her for a possible rescue.

She then gestured that she had to get back to her family. I nodded in understanding.
She slipped out without drawing the attention of any of the children, leaving me to tackle alone with my problem.

"Cat! Samuel! Mabel! Lily! Noah!" I called each name as I happily touched their faces and smiled.

As I greeted each of them, I noticed a new face seated at the far end, alone, looking at the display of sheer joy and love curiously.

He was a boy. About eight years or so.

He looked slightly unkempt with his crumpled shirt and matted black hair, but his eyes glinted of stubbornness and of being a perpetual outcast.

I caught his eyes and smiled at him while the kids around me kept tugging at me, asking a million questions at once.

The boy immediately cast his eyes down.
I frowned slightly, sensing something odd that I couldn't place about him.

Like I had met him before or knew him from somewhere.

I pulled my eyes away from him, crouched, and managed, after several loud seconds to quieten the kids' bantering.

"I missed you all so much!" I announced with a big smile.

"We too!" they chorused. Their curiosity reached maximum degree and the questions poured. 

"What happened to your leg? Are you crippled?" Lily asked, looking curiously at my cast and the walking stick I held in a tight grip so I wouldn't fall from all their hugging and jumping.