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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Culture / Heritage / Lifestyles
- Published: 05/23/2016
Tammy was born in the late fifties. Tammy’s parents, Hilda and Peter, were overjoyed at the birth of their daughter. They had waited and saved their money for four long years so they could buy a home before having their child. Tammy was a beautiful baby. She had black curly hair and big brown eyes. She weighed nine pounds and was about 27 inches.
Tammy’s parents were devout Catholics. They had a big feast for Tammy’s christening. Hilda’s brother, a priest, performed the ceremony. They christened her Tamara Elizabeth. Her neighbors and Godparents, Susan and Alex were ecstatic. Their Cheryl had a playmate now.
Tammy grew up very fast. She was a healthy child with a big appetite. Her curly black hair grew longer and her big brown eyes always smiled. She was a girly girl. Her parents dotted on her. They bought her lots of toys - dolls, easy bake ovens, ice cream makers. They always dressed her up in beautiful dresses. She looked like a little doll herself. Tammy and Cheryl played with the dolls and the easy bake oven all day long. They were inseparable.
But when Tammy turned five she asked for a toy car. Hilda and Peter bought her a beautiful one. She could actually ride it around the house. When Tammy got her car she stopped playing with her old toys. Cheryl came over daily and asked her to play with the dolls and the easy bake oven but Tammy just refused.
At age six, Hilda and Peter sent her to school. Hilda dressed her in a pretty pink dress and tied her curly hair in pigtails. Tammy pouted all the time. Hilda thought it was just the jitters of going to school. Tammy and Cheryl went to the same school. When Tammy came home from school she told her mother she didn’t want to wear dresses. She wanted shorts and shirts like the boys at school. Hilda told her that she was different from the boys, that girls don’t wear shorts to school.
When Tammy turned seven she refused to wear dresses anymore. Her mother gave up and got her shorts and shirts. That made Tammy happy. But Cheryl couldn’t understand her friend any more. At school Tammy played ball with the boys and was popular with them. Tammy and Cheryl grew apart.
For her first holy communion Hilda sewed Tammy a beautiful white dress. But Tammy didn’t want to wear it. She wanted white pants and a white shirt. She threw tantrums for many days but Hilda did not relent. At last Tammy wore the beautiful white dress. That night, though, when Hilda was putting Tammy’s clothes away she saw a big cut in the communion dress. It was like Tammy had taken the scissors and cut the dress on purpose.
As years went by there were many arguments between Hilda and Tammy. Susan and Cheryl could hear them argue on days when Peter and Alex left for work. Tammy always got her way.
One night after her sixteenth birthday party Tammy did not return home. Hilda and Peter waited until midnight. There was no sign of Tammy. Hilda, Peter, Susan, Alex and Cheryl searched for her the rest of the night. They wrote a police complaint. They put posters on all the tree trunks and lamp posts with Tammy’s picture. They prayed for her safe return. A month passed and there was no news of Tammy. Then a year passed without any news. Hilda and Peter went to church every day and prayed for her return. The priest always said a special prayer for her too.
Fourteen years had pased since Tammy’s disappearance. Hilda was fifty and Peter was fifty-three. Cheryl had grown into a beautiful woman. She married, moved away and had children of her own. Every time Cheryl visited her parents she went over to Tammy’s house and spent some time with Hilda and Peter. She normally came back on weekends. She would attend the mass on Sunday and then go home.
One Sunday during mass, the parish priest announced they would have a new priest coming to the church. Father Joe. He said Father Joe was a Jesuit priest who requested a post at this diocese. The priest asked all the parishioners to welcome Father Joe and make him feel at home.
Father Joe was a young man in his thirties. When Cheryl saw Father Joe she felt something very familiar about him. His black curly hair and his big brown eyes reminded her of Tammy.
Father Joe always met with the parishioners after the mass. He came out to the front of the church and shook hands with everyone. He would visit the older parishioners in their homes during the week.
Father Joe especially took an interest in Hilda and Peter and visited them several times each week when Peter fell ill. Some days he stayed for dinner and only left late at night. Father Joe would sit next to Peter’s bed for hours, reading him verses from the Bible. Sometimes he brought the Holy Communion home for Hilda and Peter. Occasionally he recited the mass to them in their home so Peter could partake in the ritual.
Father Joe often told Peter and Hilda that they reminded him of his parents. They said he was the son they never had.
Peter passed away a year after their friendship bloomed. Father Joe said the funeral mass. When Peter was lowered in the grave Cheryl saw a tear flow down Father Joe’s cheek.
Everyone came to Hilda and Peter’s home for Peter’s wake. Cheryl saw Father Joe there. He stood alone facing the wall at the end of the living room. She tip-toed to him and whispered, “Tammy?” Father Joe turned around startled. He hugged Cheryl and wept. The two friends took their secret to their graves.
Father Joe(Rita Cherian)
Tammy was born in the late fifties. Tammy’s parents, Hilda and Peter, were overjoyed at the birth of their daughter. They had waited and saved their money for four long years so they could buy a home before having their child. Tammy was a beautiful baby. She had black curly hair and big brown eyes. She weighed nine pounds and was about 27 inches.
Tammy’s parents were devout Catholics. They had a big feast for Tammy’s christening. Hilda’s brother, a priest, performed the ceremony. They christened her Tamara Elizabeth. Her neighbors and Godparents, Susan and Alex were ecstatic. Their Cheryl had a playmate now.
Tammy grew up very fast. She was a healthy child with a big appetite. Her curly black hair grew longer and her big brown eyes always smiled. She was a girly girl. Her parents dotted on her. They bought her lots of toys - dolls, easy bake ovens, ice cream makers. They always dressed her up in beautiful dresses. She looked like a little doll herself. Tammy and Cheryl played with the dolls and the easy bake oven all day long. They were inseparable.
But when Tammy turned five she asked for a toy car. Hilda and Peter bought her a beautiful one. She could actually ride it around the house. When Tammy got her car she stopped playing with her old toys. Cheryl came over daily and asked her to play with the dolls and the easy bake oven but Tammy just refused.
At age six, Hilda and Peter sent her to school. Hilda dressed her in a pretty pink dress and tied her curly hair in pigtails. Tammy pouted all the time. Hilda thought it was just the jitters of going to school. Tammy and Cheryl went to the same school. When Tammy came home from school she told her mother she didn’t want to wear dresses. She wanted shorts and shirts like the boys at school. Hilda told her that she was different from the boys, that girls don’t wear shorts to school.
When Tammy turned seven she refused to wear dresses anymore. Her mother gave up and got her shorts and shirts. That made Tammy happy. But Cheryl couldn’t understand her friend any more. At school Tammy played ball with the boys and was popular with them. Tammy and Cheryl grew apart.
For her first holy communion Hilda sewed Tammy a beautiful white dress. But Tammy didn’t want to wear it. She wanted white pants and a white shirt. She threw tantrums for many days but Hilda did not relent. At last Tammy wore the beautiful white dress. That night, though, when Hilda was putting Tammy’s clothes away she saw a big cut in the communion dress. It was like Tammy had taken the scissors and cut the dress on purpose.
As years went by there were many arguments between Hilda and Tammy. Susan and Cheryl could hear them argue on days when Peter and Alex left for work. Tammy always got her way.
One night after her sixteenth birthday party Tammy did not return home. Hilda and Peter waited until midnight. There was no sign of Tammy. Hilda, Peter, Susan, Alex and Cheryl searched for her the rest of the night. They wrote a police complaint. They put posters on all the tree trunks and lamp posts with Tammy’s picture. They prayed for her safe return. A month passed and there was no news of Tammy. Then a year passed without any news. Hilda and Peter went to church every day and prayed for her return. The priest always said a special prayer for her too.
Fourteen years had pased since Tammy’s disappearance. Hilda was fifty and Peter was fifty-three. Cheryl had grown into a beautiful woman. She married, moved away and had children of her own. Every time Cheryl visited her parents she went over to Tammy’s house and spent some time with Hilda and Peter. She normally came back on weekends. She would attend the mass on Sunday and then go home.
One Sunday during mass, the parish priest announced they would have a new priest coming to the church. Father Joe. He said Father Joe was a Jesuit priest who requested a post at this diocese. The priest asked all the parishioners to welcome Father Joe and make him feel at home.
Father Joe was a young man in his thirties. When Cheryl saw Father Joe she felt something very familiar about him. His black curly hair and his big brown eyes reminded her of Tammy.
Father Joe always met with the parishioners after the mass. He came out to the front of the church and shook hands with everyone. He would visit the older parishioners in their homes during the week.
Father Joe especially took an interest in Hilda and Peter and visited them several times each week when Peter fell ill. Some days he stayed for dinner and only left late at night. Father Joe would sit next to Peter’s bed for hours, reading him verses from the Bible. Sometimes he brought the Holy Communion home for Hilda and Peter. Occasionally he recited the mass to them in their home so Peter could partake in the ritual.
Father Joe often told Peter and Hilda that they reminded him of his parents. They said he was the son they never had.
Peter passed away a year after their friendship bloomed. Father Joe said the funeral mass. When Peter was lowered in the grave Cheryl saw a tear flow down Father Joe’s cheek.
Everyone came to Hilda and Peter’s home for Peter’s wake. Cheryl saw Father Joe there. He stood alone facing the wall at the end of the living room. She tip-toed to him and whispered, “Tammy?” Father Joe turned around startled. He hugged Cheryl and wept. The two friends took their secret to their graves.
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