"Lisa, you need to stop being so insecure about yourself and your voice, your voice is beautiful and unique." " But mom you don't understand that no one likes my voice. I am 36 and my voice is high pitched, squeaky and annoying. My voice is not beautiful mom.." We have argued for hours, mom saying that my voice is beautiful and me disagreeing with her. A few days went by and all I could think about was what my mom had kept telling me and I tell myself that i'm going to be more confident about my voice but then I remember school and all the kids constantly making fun of me because my voice it's like a dark cloud comes over me and I lose all my confidence I have built up.
For years I have tried to make my voice sound normal but I just can't seem to get it deep enough. But one day I was at the store and a little girl who was rolling around in a wheelchair bumped into a shelf and couldn't back up. I walked over and asked her for help. "Do you need help getting unstuck?" The little girl just looks up at me confused. " Why does your voice sound like that?" She asked, completely ignoring my offer to help her. " Well, it's a disease I was born with, it makes my voice sound as though I am years younger than what I am." "I like it." The little girl says. I smile huge and say thank you. I help her get unstuck and help her find her mother. " Mama listen to this girl's voice, it sounds like she really young." I introduce myself to the mother and she thanked me for helping her daughter.
Since that experience I have become more confident with my voice and started going to hospitals just to read stories to the kids. I decided to go to hospitals and read to the kids because of the little girl I had met at the store, the little girl who had helped build up my confidence enough to be okay with the way I sound. When I go to the hospitals to read to the kids it gives me so much joy to know that I can put a smile on those kid's faces even though most of them are on the verge of death.
After a while I decided to do more with my voice. I taped my voice and sent it to a recording station. A month went by and I got in the mail that they loved the way my voice sounded and they wanted me to do a few voice overs in a new kid animated show they were working on. I body filled with excitement but also it with an uneasy feeling. "Is this really happening, am I really about to do this?" I instantly wanted to call my mom and tell her about the wonderful news. "Hello?" "MOM, you won't believe this! The Florida studio loved my voice and want me to do voice overs for a new kids show they are working on!" "That's great honey, I am so proud of you. What did I tell you?" "Yes I know as always you are right. I am so excited...." Then all the worries that something would go wrong kicked in, I went silent. "Honey are you okay?" "What if something goes wrong, what if I get there and start recording and they don't like my voice as much as they think they do?" "Listen honey, don't think about what could happen, think about what is happening, a studio just accepted you to go an amazing job voice overs for a kid show, I promise you they will love you." "You're right... I leave for Florida in a week, do you want to come with me? I would love for you to be there with me for this." "of course honey I would love to come."
The time flew by, it felt like just yesterday I had been accepted by the Florida studio to do voice overs. We get to the airport, my heart is beating out of my chest I'm so excited but nervous at the time, I can't think straight. "Flight 78 is now ready to depart." "Mom, what did they say, is that our flight, I can't hear it's too loud in here." "Yes, that is our flight, you ready?" "No, I'm so nervous." "It will be okay, believe in yourself." "I'm just glad you're here with me." We board the plane and we begin to lift off, my heart falls to my feet. I have never been on a plane before. It was going to be 7 hours before we arrive in Florida so I decide I'm going to take a nap. I look over to tell my mom and she is already passed out. So I close my eyes and slowly drift off to sleep.
I wake up to the sound of the flight attendant, ¨We have now entered Florida, we will be landing in 30 minutes¨ I turn to my mom, she's still passed out. ¨Mom wake up we are in Florida and about to land... MOM!¨ ¨What!?¨ ¨We are about to land.¨ ¨Oh, well you don't have to yell.¨ ¨You wouldn't wake up.¨¨ Still there is no sense in yelling.¨¨I'm sorry mom.¨ We were interrupted by the flight attendant. ¨We are now landing.¨¨Finally¨ I think to myself. We slowly stand up, get our stuff, and head off the plane. ¨We need to get a taxi and get to our hotel room so we can unpack." ¨Oh and can we get something to eat?" ¨I don't know it might be too expensive.¨ ¨Please mom, I'm hungry.¨ ¨Okay fine but right now we need to worry about getting a taxi and getting unpacked¨ ¨Okay.¨ We stand around waiting for a taxi, we see one finally and both yell for the taxi. ¨Taxi!¨He comes over to us and we put our stuff in the car. ¨Where you headed?¨He asked. As I was about to speak my mom interrupts me, ¨Key West Marriott Beach Side Hotel.¨ The hotel is only six minutes away.
As we were riding to the hotel we saw many restaurants on our left side and on the right side we saw the Atlantic ocean. It was so beautiful. The sun reflected off the ocean making it glisten in the most beautiful way. It looked so calm. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. We finally arrived at the hotel, I looked up to the top of the hotel and it was humongous it looked as though it was 50 stories high, I couldn't wait to get in, unpack and go eat. We walk in and automatically hear ¨Welcome to the Key West Marriott Beach Side Hotel how can i assist you?¨ Mom and I walk towards the counter while looking around at the huge lobby, they had black leather couches and a beautiful shiny brown coffee table with a bamboo plant and magazines on the table. The smell was wonderful it smelt like the ocean, salty but refreshing, relaxing.
We step up to the counter, ¨Yes, we have a room reservation for Mary Biggs.¨ ¨Okay Mrs. Biggs you will be in room 319 on the third floor. Enjoy your stay.¨ ¨Thank you. Come on Lisa." I followed mom to the room once we arrived and opened the door we were not disappointed in the room. It had two queen size beds with blue silk bed sets, a 7o inch flat screen TV, a beautiful painting of an ocean shore with a lighthouse in the distance on the wall, and the smell, oh my the smell, it smelt like sweet lilacs on a nice warm summer day. I loved it!
The next day comes and I'm headed to the Florida studio to record the voice overs. I get there and they all welcome me immediately. They tell me that I will be doing the voiceover of a mother rabbit and six of seven sibling rabbits. I'm filled with excitement and ready to this. I had so much fun recording the voiceovers and I did still visit hospitals but after a few years I have began to lose my voice and I think it is time for me to recover. I have had an amazing journey doing voiceovers and reading to children and I just want to say that it all thanks to my mom and the little girl I had met at the store for giving me the courage to want to share my voice and for making me believe in myself.
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I hope y'all enjoyed this short story.. Let me know what you think.
