I am
certain that each of us has wished or prayed that a particularly difficult
situation or issue would change or magically evaporate leaving no trace or
memory of its existence. That is Naomi’s issue. And it is because she takes
matters into her own hands that what you are about to read happens.
As
before here are some thought questions you might want to reflect upon as you
see what happens to our heroine.
What
is the scariest thing that ever happened to you?
Where
you alone?
Was
the problem resolved?
(Since you saw Tía
rescue Naomi
from immigration, I’ve moved to the scene on the bus.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The
Text – Continued~~~~~~~~~~
When
Naomi did not respond, her sponsor turned to pat her hand. Naomi glimpsed a
manacle around Tía’s wrist and knew she must flee. She began to stand. The old
woman felt her move, grabbed her hand in a vice-like grip, pulled her into her
seat, and handcuffed their wrists together.
Naomi
froze. Her heart beat so fast she feared she would pass out. She opened her
mouth to scream. No one would do this to someone who is here legally. If you
scream, you will end up back at immigration and you will be deported. Forcing
herself to act calm, she closed her mouth and said nothing. When the lady
sitting behind her asked her a question, she bit her lip, shook her head, and
tried to look relaxed. Aware that she was trapped, a feeling of resignation
washed over her as she upbraided herself for having mistaken the old woman for
kindness itself.
She
stared at her sponsor, spotted a Catholic church through the window behind the
woman and was horrified. Spanish Harlem, she
thought, I left Spain
Tía
smiled, nodded at her, and cooed, “Now we will have lots of time to talk.”
Naomi
glanced at her handcuffed wrist. “All right,” she said in an attempted show of
bravery, which she feared fooled neither of them. “We will talk.” She grasped
at her last shred of courage, lifted her chin, and squared her shoulders. “Then
we will see about this!”
“Good.”
Tía stood to get off the bus and dragged the girl along as she hid the
handcuffs with her scarf. “It is a short walk from here to mi casa.
Trust
me. This will work out well for both of us.”
They
left the bus stop, turned right at the first corner, walked a block, turned
right again, and continued past three houses. Naomi’s eyes darted in all
directions, frantic to find anyone who would help her. There was no one on the
street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Summary~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If Naomi knew God personally, she might have remembered Psalm 33:20 were it says, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” Or maybe she would have prayed the words of Psalm 17: 8, praying, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,” and they comforted her. However, having grown up in a place where her Bible and her very existence were forbidden, she did not know these words of comfort.
Perhaps
that is your experience. On the other hand, you might have heard about this God
but believe him dead, or worse, one who does not care. No matter what you think
or why, whether you have ever known God or not, one thing is true, The Creator
of the Universe cares for you.
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