She came out of nowhere, and my first instinct was to grab my purse that I had left on the floor lest she run off with it. She just sat at the neighbouring bench quietly and watched my friends and I laugh and enjoy our last night out of the year together. This was the second time I saw her at the same place, and she couldn’t have been more than 5.
Every few minutes or so, a giggle would escape from her and I felt my heart break. This child had her childhood robbed from her, being brought into this harsh world and left alone to live a life of poverty and begging. I invited her to join us, and she willingly accepted, and she played and jumped and laughed so hard it made my heart heavy. I just kept thinking about where her mother would be, and I felt so guilty for making her feel like a criminal when she first approached us. She just wanted to be a child.
Live. Laugh. Love.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow… that’s heart felt.
subhanAllah
… where are her parents?
i don’t know abaayo. i saw her three weeks ago as well, same place, dressed in the same clothes, alone… i keep hearing her laugh in my head.