A Long Cold Walk

It was January 12th, 2008 and as 17-year-old Lucky sat in her Calculus class awaiting the bell to ring something just did not feel right. She was usually very involved in class and focused but today was different. One of her friends Latera in the class said “Ayo Lucky what’s up girl. You good”. Lucky responded that she was cool and just had some things on her mind. The bell finally rung, and Lucky could not wait to get home and see her grandmother. As Lucky begin to walk towards the door to exit the school Latera joined her on the walk home as usual and they chatted. Latera talked about the cute guys at school, prom, graduation, college, and all the normal things that teenage girls talk about. Today Lucky was not as interested in the conversation and Latera could tell. As they continued walking and were near Latera’s block, she said to Lucky “Girl I can tell something is wrong with you so just call me later if you want to talk. You know I got cha.” They hugged, said goodbye and Lucky continued walking home. See Lucky was a beautiful girl, about 5’8, brown skin with beautiful dreadlocks, smart, and talented in many ways but she was a loner. She had a few friends but really enjoyed just being with her grandmother. Her grandmother was 65 years old and battling some medical conditions. She always felt the need to make sure her grandmother was okay and never wanted to be away from her for too long. As she walked through her neighborhood that eerie feeling suddenly came over her again but this time worse. Although she was used to this feeling having grown up in an environment where violence, drug dealers, and being poor was common this feeling was unlike no other. It was normal to see the police, hear gun shots, or see fighting, and drug dealers so she was always prepared for the worst. She knew that something was wrong. Her heart began to race, and her mouth was extremely dry, but she continued walking. As she walked down the block that she lived on she could hear ambulances but again that was not uncommon. She continued her journey and as she got closer and closer to her home that she shared with her grandmother she noticed paramedics coming out of her house. She immediately begins to run towards them yelling and crying “That s my grandmother!!! What happened to her?” She kept yelling for her grandmother to wake up until one of the paramedics pulled her to the side. He explained to her that they received a 911 call from Tyler who was one of the neighborhood children she babysat after school. Tyler stated that after he got off the bus and entered Ms. Thompson’s home, he noticed she was not there to greet him as usual. He stated that she would have snacks for him after school but today that did not happen. He begins calling her name “Ms. Thompson, it is me Tyler. I am here! I am going to start my homework” He did not receive a response, so he decided to start his homework but after thirty minutes of not seeing or getting a response from Ms. Thompson he decided to go upstairs and check on her. He knew that there were a few times she was doing something in the attic or in her bedroom, so He walked upstairs to Ms. Thompson’s bedroom and there she was laying there peacefully. He thought that she was asleep and tried to wake her up, but she was not responding, and her body was cold. He immediately ran downstairs and called 911 but when the paramedics arrived, they attempted to resuscitate her, but it was already too late. She had a massive heart attack. We are very sorry for your loss and in the meantime, is there any family members that you can call to notify them of what has happened?”

Lucky was so overwhelmed with so many emotions she could barely talk. She just saw her grandmother before heading to school this morning and she was so happy. Her grandmother always wished her a great day and had a delicious breakfast waiting for her. Never in a million years did she ever imagine that when she walked out of the door and said goodbye it would be goodbye forever. She wondered who she could call. There were no close relatives around. Her father walked out of her life at a very young age and her mother died from drugs in 2004. Her grandmother was very involved in the church and the community so she knew that she would have support but now she was at a loss of words. Although Lucky did not come from the best situation her grandmother always made her feel like she was a princess and that no matter what trials and tribulations she faced they would always get through things together. She knew that she did not have much time to mourn because things needed to get done and this was her last year of high school. She knew it was time to put her big girl panties on and make decisions for herself since her grandmother died. She immediately called her grandmother’s pastor, Mr. Jackson and explained what occurred and he and his wife immediately came over.

The pastor and first lady of the church arrived with their deepest condolences and prayed with Lucky saying they would be there for her. They along with several church members, community leaders, and neighbors were there every step of the way. Ms. Thompson left a mark in Philadelphia and was loved by so many people.

The next day Lucky and some of the church members begin cleaning out the home and preparing for the funeral service. As Lucky was cleaning, she noticed a little black book next to her grandmothers’ bible. She opened it and began reading it. The black book had phone numbers and lots of other personal information if there was ever an emergency. It also had a total of $300 in the back of the book in cash. As lucky kept turning the pages and reading the book she found a page where her grandmother wrote a letter to her.

The letter read:

“Dear My Beautiful and Smart Lucky,

If you are now reading this then you know that I am no longer with you physically. Please know that I will always be here with you in spirit and I will always be here smiling and proud of you. I have instilled great things in you, and I know that you will continue to make me proud. Sometimes in life we are given difficult battles and assignments but, in the end, it helps to shape us to become who God wants us to be. I am very sorry that I had to leave you so soon but my work on Earth is now finished and I have gone to take my rightful place in the Kingdom with God. When I left, I knew that you would be okay and that is why I was able to die in peace. I raised you to be a strong young lady and to never be afraid of what life throws your way. Now I need you to step up to the plate! You have got this! You will need to reach out to John Jackson at 1-800-435-1238 and tell him what has occurred, and he will guide you through everything to help you get through this. Also be sure to reach out to the Pastor as well. I will always love you!” You are truly a Lucky young lady and I was Lucky when I was given the right to raise you as my own daughter. I never wanted to make the mistakes that I made with your mother, so I learned from those mistakes when I was granted custody of you and you are going to do amazing things in this world. “

As the day was coming to an end Lucky decided that she would get a little rest and somehow try to make sense of all of this. Although she wanted to sleep her mind was racing with thoughts. She was still in disbelief that her grandmother passed away. She wondered what she would do moving forward. This was all a lot for a 17-year-old to take in, but she decided to wipe her tears and be the strong woman that her grandmother raised. She made a promise to herself, God, and her grandmother that she would make everyone proud who believed in her and that her grandmother’s death would not be in vain. She got her knees and prayed asking God to give her the strength to get through all of this.

The next morning Lucky called and spoke with John as her grandmother instructed her. John was the administrator of her grandmother’s estate and he knew exactly what needed to be done. He explained to Lucky that Ms. Thompson had been saving since Lucky was a small child and had an insurance policy worth $100,000. The family home was also left to Lucky. Lucky did not know what to say. She was in shock but knew that all of this meant she could start a new life for herself. She wanted nothing more for her grandmother to be here through all of her accomplishments but she was at peace knowing that the affairs were handled which made the process so much easier for her.

Months after the funeral Lucky graduated from High school and decided to rent out the family home to a young couple that moved to Philadelphia recently that way she could always visit and have memories. She went off to college in Atlanta, Georgia and eventually became a successful scientist. She developed a chip that was to be inserted in anyone over the age of 60 years old. The chip was designed to automatically know when the body is shutting down and emit the necessary chemicals in the body to keep them alive long enough to seek help. Lucky invented this chip in memory of her grandmother. The chip is currently going through testing phases and Lucky is adamite about making sure she can help get this chip out to as many people as possible.

Today Lucky is a successful woman, married with two children and feels her grandmother’s spirit in everything that she touches. Sometimes she hears her voice saying how she proud of her she is and sees her face smiling like she was on the last day that she saw her on her way to school.

Word from the Author

Who would of thought that a young, Black girl from the streets of Philadelphia would grow up and be a successful scientist and beat all the odds against her?

This short story was written to inspire and give hope that you do not have to be a product of your environment and that life is not designed to be easy, but it is designed to teach us lessons and help us to become who we are supposed to be in this life. It also teaches us to cherish our loved ones because life is very short, and we never know when it may be the last time, we will see or be with them. The journey will not always be pretty, but we must always trust the process.

17-year-old Lucky knew that she had big shoes to fill and she had no time to waste crying and being sad because was going to move with or without her. Her grandmother’s death happened at a time when she was graduating from high school and preparing for college which is a pivotal time in a teenager’s life. She had to grow up a little bit faster than a lot of kids her age but in the end, she turned out to be an amazing woman. She allowed all the pain and heartache to push her into her destiny to help others.