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The crowd was stifling as Raquel and her new friend Tasha made their way through the mall on a Saturday afternoon. “The first thing I want to do,” announced Tasha, “is to find something cute for my niece.” Making their way past the different stores, they chatted and laughed which hindered Raquel from taking notice of their destination. This was why she stopped and gasped with great surprise and horror as she saw Tasha enter into the nearby children’s clothing store. Tasha turned and was shocked to find her new friend in such a condition. “Raquel? What’s wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?” The wide eyes tore themselves away from the store name and just barely glanced at her friend before the tears started streaming down the pale face. Raquel mumbled an apology and reassured Tasha of her physical soundness and asked if they could find a quiet place to sit down. A few units down was a bookstore and Tasha steered her friend into a back corner and into a cozy leather chair. She then dug out some tissues from her purse, handed them to the mysteriously distraught Raquel and sat in an opposite chair to await the explanation. A new trickle of tears raced to the floor as Raquel started her story. “When I was 16, I got my first job as a clerk working in that store,” she said. “One of my favorite things to do was to dress up the little girl mannequins in the cutest, prettiest, clothes and set them in the window for all to admire. I would pick out outfits that I thought would be perfect for a daughter of mine someday. Then, several years later, in college, I had just gotten an incredible internship opportunity which would really help to launch my career when I found myself pregnant. I was alone and scared and weighed my options-I chose myself and my career which I had been working so hard to obtain. I terminated the pregnancy and murdered my own dream of dressing up a beautiful child. I have since been afraid to go near that store and face my 16 year-old self whose heart would have been broken by my actions.” Her words dimmed to a whisper and she kept her eyes on the floor waiting for her own self-condemnation to be echoed back by her silent audience. A moment passed and Tasha’s gentle voice relieved the tension. “I can’t say that I know what you are feeling and I regret that you have been so tormented,” she said. “Of course there is never a way to go back to the past, but there are many ways to go forward and I think I have an idea that can help to soothe your soul.” She stood up and held out her hand. “It’s going to take a lot of courage, but just trust me.” Raquel moved her eyes from the inviting hand to the determined, caring face and with one last brush to wipe away her tears, she placed her hand in the other’s. Tasha led Raquel out of the bookstore and back to the children’s clothing store. “Alright,” she said, “I want us to go in there and pick out the cutest outfit you can find and we are going to buy it.” Raquel gave a nervous nod and took a deep breath as she crossed the once forbidden threshold. It only took a moment of looking around for her to see the dress she wanted. Ever so gently, she took the dress off of the rack and with encouraging words from Tasha she went to the register and paid for this precious item.
Half-an-hour later, Raquel found herself in a hospital parking lot. Tasha led the way inside and took them to a room a few floors up. There, lying on the bed was a little girl. “This is my niece, Erika,” said Tasha. Raquel needed no more prompting. She walked over to the little girl and introduced herself. “I brought a present for you,” and she reached into her shopping bag. The little girl’s eyes lit up and she gasped with joy as the light mass of swirls and sheen was placed before her. She reached out her little hands immediately for the dress and as Raquel gave it to her, tears began again to stream down her face-but this time was different. A smile came across her face as she recognized this relief. She had finally found peace.
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