Cry, my beloved people

Chapter 9 Linette Part 67

Gregory enjoyed the youth camp a lot more than he thought he would.  These kids were far more serious about their spiritual life than the average kid and the lessons that father John gave was truly uplifting.  He told them to pick a goal in life and to stick with it, even if it means that they have to sacrifice some of the stuff they used to enjoy.

The discussions that followed were really interesting, some made him laugh and others made him sad.  He remembered the service the priest gave about the seed that was planted and changed when it was nurtured into a beautiful plant that bared lots of fruit.

Father John showed them another example, the one about the caterpillar, which destroys plants, then digests itself and turns into a pupa and the beautiful butterfly emerges from the pupa and starts working to pollinate the flowers so that they can produce fruit.  He urged them to become pollinators instead of caterpillars.

Instead of thinking only of themselves, they should inspire others and help them to see the good in other people, and encourage them to practice it to strengthen themselves.

That Sunday after church, he surprised Jessica with a soft toy lamb.  He told her it was her early birthday present.  She was so happy and surprised and hugged him the whole time, while they enjoyed their ice cream.  "Must you leave for school again?"  She asked with a sad face and made him gulp his own tears away.

The last semester was pretty busy, except for preparing for the exams, they had to harvest some of the crops and planted the new maize fields.  The exams went well and he surprised himself with his own marks.

At last, the December holidays started.  That Friday night he slept well and everything seemed to be in place.  He was happy and felt content, he will see Jessica on Sunday, maybe he should take her to a swimming pool on Sunday and give her some swimming lessons.

On Saturday he and Father John were drinking their coffee when he noticed this girl in the garden.  She was sitting with her back toward them and it seemed as if she was crying.

"I wonder what's wrong with her." He said, looking at father John.

"The only way you would find out is to go and ask her, take her some coffee but don't be pushy." He said, smiling at Gregory.

He took the coffee to her, not sure how to approach her.  Her shoulders were bent forward and moved slightly as the sobs shook through her whole body.  Sympathy overcame him as his thoughts went back to the days, shortly after his mom died.

He held the coffee out to her, "drink it and if you feel like it, you can tell me what it is that makes you feel so horrible.  I will be here."  He said, as her beautiful green eyes met his.

Her cheeks were messed up by streaks of fallen tears, some still lingering in her eyes. "Thank you, I thought I was alone."  She said through the sobs.

"It's okay, I'm Gregory and I know the feeling, I'm still crying after I lost my mom, especially on my birthdays.  You can tell me when you're ready."

"I'm Linette, and how did you know I lost my mom?"  She asked suspiciously through the sobs.

"I didn't know, but I recognized the pain, would you mind me giving you a hug?"  He asked and to his surprise, she gave in to his hug.  They sat like that for a while, she leans into him and he held her.  "What happened to your mom?"  He asked softly.

"She was shot by my dad." He held her even closer.

"No!" He cried.