Finding Happiness

 

It was Friday afternoon and little Sabrina was walking home as usual. Today, she felt like taking her time. She enjoyed the walk, basking in the warm sun, listening to the wind blowing through the leaves, hearing the sweet melody of the birds.

 

Sabrina always liked birds. Even though she had no idea of what they were or looked like, she still liked them. To her something that could make such beautiful sounds must be beautiful.

 

She turned on her everyday left and heard the sound of voices. These were not the sweet voices of birds that she loved, oh! so much, no. They were the voices of other people. This was the part of the day that she hated the most, when she would have to cross path with these people.

 

They were a group of mothers taking their children home. Every day she passed them, her heart sank to what they would say about her. As their voices came closer, she began to tense up, bracing herself for what was to come.

 

When they were within an arm distance away, she didn't need to walk on one side to avoid a collision. She would simply walk straight and they would part for her like the Red Sea had parted for Moses. But the sea had parted for Moses because he was holy and powerful. They parted for her because she was different.

 

She began to relax, thinking that today she had caught a break, that today her heart wouldn't deepen the hole it was already in. But she was wrong. They were a good distance away now, yet she heard it. “Mommy, mommy, wasn't that the girl you and daddy were talking about?” said a little girl.

 

“I tell you that child is a sign. A sign that this world is coming to an end. A child being born with no sight! Nonsense! Clearly the work of the devil; evil that has so much power over the Denis family that it turned one of their children into a freak,” said a woman. “If you asked me, I would have taken care of it when it was born,” whispered another.

 

She had heard this far too many times, yet she felt her heart drown in a pool of sadness. When would she become strong enough to stand up to those bullies?

 

She took her left and continued her walk peacefully. Well, as peacefully as she could. After that encounter, like every afternoon her heart began to whisper her things. Terrible things that scared her.

 

Her mother had always told her, “Listen to your heart, and it will guide you to happiness.” Sabrina was scared. How could her mother tell her to listen to something that spoke only of things that would bring her pain? Maybe hers and her mother’s heart spoke of different things. Maybe…

 

She clutched her chest as if to muffle her heart so it wouldn't speak. With one hand on the cool railing, she began to climb the steps to her home. She began to count.

 

When she was on the last step, which was the eleventh, she let go of her now silent heart. This was her daily ritual; this is what would calm her after crossing paths with the cruel women.

 

She entered her home and the overwhelming smell of it enveloped her. This smell brought her a sense of protection and care.

 

The moment she stepped into the house she heard, “Sabrina darling, I have wonderful news! Wonderful news indeed!” said her mother as she came down the stairs to hug her child tightly.

 

Sabrina's mother, Mrs. Denis, was an over-protective woman by nature. Having a blind child only made it worse. She had held Sabrina back for many classes because she was scared of how others would treat her. Even when they had found a special teacher in town to help her child with her studies, she was still reluctant to let go. She still feared Sabrina walking home alone from her teacher’s.

 

Mrs. Denis looked at her beloved child. Sabrina’s dull brown eyes seemed aimed at her in so many ways. She knew that deep down her child was hurting. She could see it in her eyes, how depressed and confused and discouraged she really was, and no matter how many jokes, how many hugs and kisses Mrs. Denis gave her child, she never had the chance to make nor see Sabrina smile, to see those big beautiful eyes of hers light up from happiness. This pained the mother greatly.

 

 “My child, Doctor Joseph called today! He said that after the numerous tests and studies, he's ready to do the operation! He's ready to give you sight!” squealed the mother.

 

Yes, this was true. After the countless studies Dr. Joseph had done on Sabrina, after all the tests, he was ready to operate on her. If he succeeded, he would be the first in the country to achieve such a thing.

 

Out of nowhere came Mr. Denis. “Calm down, Marguerite, you're going to make her go deaf too,” said the tall, burly man.

 

“Sweetheart, don't joke about such things,” said the mother.

 

“We're inviting the family over tomorrow to spread the news,” beamed Mrs. Denis. To say she was happy was an understatement. She had been praying for this, for a miracle to happen to her child. That miracle had come in the form of Dr. Joseph.

 

Sabrina lifted her head to where her mother was and only nodded. She didn't care much about it. The doctor had said that there was a great chance that she would pass away in the surgery, yet her mother still wanted her to go through with it. Sabrina wasn't exactly scared of it. She had figured that it was either growing up blind and useless or die trying to gain her sight.

 

The child made her way up the stairs and into her room. She had no idea what the room looked like, but her mother had told her it was painted pink. When she had asked what the color pink looked like, her mother had frozen. She knew she shouldn't ask these questions to her: her mother was sensitive to this. She felt horrible because her child would never know the joy of seeing the color pink, a rainbow, the colorful feathers of birds.

 

The next day, as said, Mrs. Denis invited the entire family to discuss the operation. She had prepared her famously delicious fried pork and plantains dish accompanied by red beans and rice.

 

Everyone was talking about the operation, most thought it was a waste of time. Who cared for such a child? She barely talked. While others, those who loved little Sabrina for who she was, would say a prayer for her tonight.

 

Little Sabrina was seated between the Martin twins, her cousins. These twins were never nice to her. “So you wanna see now, do ya?” said twin one. “Should have thought of that before going blind,” said twin two as he pulled her hair. Sabrina said nothing.

 

Everyone had left and Sabrina was back in her room alone. She listened to the birds and the wind. She wanted to be a bird, she wanted everyone to hear her and think beautifully of her.

 

The following week, the Denis family went to the hospital for the operation. Mrs. Denis was over the moon while her husband was worried about what could go wrong. Dr. Joseph was confident and ready for the surgery.

 

Sabrina was now on the operating table. Right before the drugs kicked in she heard, “When you wake up, you will be able to see your mommy.” For the first time, she felt scared of what would happen if she didn't wake up.

 

When the surgery was over, Mrs. Denis sat in the hospital room looking over her daughter’s sleeping body. The doctor had said that everything went well. The mother sat there watching over her baby, waiting for her to wake up… and see.

 

The next morning, little Sabrina woke up with a headache. She felt that her eyes were covered with things and she remembered why. “Mom, take these off. I want to see,” she said. At the sound of this, Mrs. Denis quickly called for the doctor and the rest of the family.

 

The doctor took out his scissors and freed Sabrina’s eyes of their bandages. Sabrina sat there with her eyes closed. Her eyelids felt heavy and she was scared that what she would see would scare her even more. Nothing would frighten her more than seeing the all too familiar darkness of the blind.

 

Slowly she opened her eyes; then she closed them, for the light had hurt her eyes. She tried again. This time she opened them all the way. Her vision was blurry, yet she saw a face. Then, her vision slowly shifted to the right focus, and she could now see perfectly.  

 

She was still looking at the face. It was a beautiful face smiling at her with tears in its eyes. Sabrina felt confused, not knowing who was in front of her.

 

“Baby girl, can you see me?” said the woman with a shaky voice.

 

This was her mother. She had finally seen her mother’s face! She reached out with shaking hands and embraced her mother with all her strength. This woman that she loved, oh! so much, the woman who loved her too so much, she could finally see her. For the first time anyone could remember, Sabrina smiled.

 

The day went by with Sabrina seeing new faces, Mrs. Denis’s tears of joy and Mr. Denis sitting with the biggest, happiest smile.

 

In a week, news had spread around that a little girl from Cap Haitian was blind and could now see. Some people were excited; others weren’t too quick to believe. Dr. Joseph had invited the Denis family to go on a road trip with him around a few cities just to show his work. They had accepted.

 

They were off on the road and Sabrina couldn't be happier. She had seen so many things since she gained her sight, things she had heard like the flutes and the wind chimes. However, nothing made her happier than to see the birds. “I knew it! I knew they were beautiful,” she had said to herself.  Later that day, she had asked her father to go bird watching with her.

 

Now that she was going on a road trip, she would make sure to see it all. She wanted to make up for what she had missed all these years. She was eager to start her long-awaited journey to happiness.

 

Phidjine, Bridge Academy, 12th grade