The ice cream store was half-full of those students from the nearby University as Nicole and her 9 year old daughter Jamie stepped inside. Nicole is a young mother in her mid 20’s. She bore her daughter at the age of 17 and her man left him 3months after. Still beautiful but full of poignancy, she manage to give her only child a life of a princess of her own right.
Nicole: “What do you want honey?”
Jamie: “Peanut butter frost with choco fudge and marshmallow.”
Nicole: (Turning to the waiter) “Give her… that and one coffee crumble please.”
Waiter: “Is that all, ma’am?”
Nicole: “Yes.”
For about 3 minutes, the waiter return with their orders and then went to another table.
Jamie was about to eat her dessert when her mother remind her to pray first. After praying Jamie asked –
Jamie: “Mom, is Jesus really married to Mary Magdalene?”
Nicole: “Where did you get such question?”
Jamie: “Keith said his brother has this book that tells Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.”
Nicole: “D’you believe that?”
Jamie: “Um… if there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Nicole: “Coals have smokes but there’s no more fire in them. Engines blow smokes but they don’t have fire. Our car blows smokes though it’s not in fire.”
Jamie: “So it’s not true?”
Nicole: “I don’t know. But it’s not because there’s smoke means there’s also fire.”
Jamie: “You’re saying that because we believe in God.”
Nicole: “I want you to believe in God.”
Jamie: “Why do I have to?”
Nicole: “Everybody has a God.”
Jamie: “Why do we have to believe something just to fit in the world we’re living? Why do we have to believe just to make ourselves feel better about the world? Why are we afraid of the fact that we have no one and nothing else to rely on?”
Nicole: “I want you to believe in God not because He is real but because it is much better for you to believe in Him. Because the world is cruel and hostile, we can never change it. And if you don’t believe in something, you’ll never feel secured. I don’t want you be scared. I want you to feel secured even in the midst of your hostile environment. That’s why I want you to believe in God. It is nice to think that there’s someone out there who cares for you. Though it’s just your mere illusion that blinds you. The world is cruel, and if you don’t feel secured, you’re making it worse because there’s no where to run, and you can’t even run to yourself. I want you to believe in Him because I want you to feel secured, because only by then, you can face the hostile world.”
Jamie: “Well, if God is just an illusion, where did we come from?”
Nicole: “Where d’you think we came from?”
Jamie: “I will believe in God NOT just to feel secured but because I know He is real. And because He is real, I don’t just feel secured, I’m REALLY secured.”
Nicole looked at her daughter and smiled. A smile that both of them understood even in the midst of silence.
As the mother was once the daughter and the daughter becomes the mother.
This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people and real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s (my) imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.