This little kid was stuck on a piece of rebar. He wasn’t moving. Nobody was helping him. He was laying there motionless in the tangled rubble of some abandoned house.
I stood by the truck waiting for something to happen. But he was lifeless, like he was just waiting to die. I ran over to him to see what happened. He wasn’t hurt. He was just so weak that he couldn’t get his shirt untangled from the rebar.
When I finally got him free, he was totally expressionless. He was just looking up at me with these big beaming eyes. I will never forget his eyes.
I pulled out a Cliff bar. “Hungry?”
No.
I pulled out a bottle of bubbles. “Want to play?”
No. Totally expressionless.
I didn’t know much Haitian Creole, but I’d learned to say, “What do you want?”
His response was immediate. He held out his arms.
“Hold me,” he said.
I held him in my arms. We didn’t say anything. We just sat there for a few minutes. I wish I could tell you that a little tear went down my cheek. But no, I broke down completely.
I wept.
I stood by the truck waiting for something to happen. But he was lifeless, like he was just waiting to die. I ran over to him to see what happened. He wasn’t hurt. He was just so weak that he couldn’t get his shirt untangled from the rebar.
When I finally got him free, he was totally expressionless. He was just looking up at me with these big beaming eyes. I will never forget his eyes.
I pulled out a Cliff bar. “Hungry?”
No.
I pulled out a bottle of bubbles. “Want to play?”
No. Totally expressionless.
I didn’t know much Haitian Creole, but I’d learned to say, “What do you want?”
His response was immediate. He held out his arms.
“Hold me,” he said.
I held him in my arms. We didn’t say anything. We just sat there for a few minutes. I wish I could tell you that a little tear went down my cheek. But no, I broke down completely.
I wept.
