My child falls to the earth when
the news hits her ears
Suddenly everything has changed in her 15 year
old world
She no longer knows pure innocence-
San Juana died yesterday in a car accident
Stuttered her fearful friend over the phone
She now knows death
Who is this girl? I've never heard you speak
of her before
A girl on my basketball team, we warm up
together
Immediately I try to comfort my child in a loss
I know all too well
I take her entire catechism class to the church
to pray a rosary
Can we get confession?
What a brilliant idea
Yes, does anyone want to confess their sins?
Suddenly the children fall into a scary silence
They sit and they mourn but they do not yet have
a deep connection to
what has really happened
Everything is about San Juana now, everyday
Friday night's home game had a moment of silence
Korina's white jersey was soaked in sweat and
salty tears
She didn't want to talk, she just sat there in
the car...sobbing
So confused on what to do my husband reaches for
her weak arms
Initially resistance
Soon -falls into her father's firm hold
Why did this happen? It hurts so bad! I can't
imagine how you feel Dad.
Forgetting his own loss of his murdered mother,
he remains her pillar
Our little town becomes consumed with fund
raisers -bake sale,
t-shirts, a car wash
How do you budget for your 16 year old
daughter's death?
You don't
My pillar of a husband took Korina to the rosary
Shedding tears for both San Juana and his mother
he soon realizes he
isn't strong enough
He couldn't bear this loss if he had to
Korina attended the funeral with her team, an
experience she suffered
through without us
Skipping the burial, she later hears of the
shrieks of Vidi
No, I can't leave my sister. No, I have to
stay with her. NO, NO, NO, NO!
I come home to find my daughter curled up in a
ball, covered up by the biggest blanket
With the same salty tears still running down her
face
She falls asleep while I run my fingers through
her uneven hair |