The Hidden Message

At 17 years old Dee was a confused teenager in her senior year of high school. She had just found out she was pregnant. “What am I going to do with a baby”? She thought quietly as she stared at the pregnancy test. Her mom had tried to tell her about the birds and the bees, and the many things that could go wrong by having a child at such a young age. As the tears streamed down her face she felt lost. “ Why didn’t I listen to my mom, why was I so hard-headed?”, she thought to herself. She had so many plans, to finish school, go to college and get a degree as a business professional. That night Dee stayed in her room crying all night long not knowing what her life would turn into. She didn’t even know how to contact the father of her child since they had stopped speaking a month earlier. The next day Dee slowly walked to her mom’s room where her mom was peacefully studying and knocked on the door. “ Come in girl, why do you look so down?” Her mom looked at her with a confused but concerned look in her eyes. “Mom I’m pregnant”, she whispered. “What did you just say, speak up”? Her mom asked. “Mom I’m pregnant”! As the tears filled her moms’ eyes, Dee knew she had broken her mom’s heart. “Dee, I love you and although I’m hurt we will figure this out together”.

As time went on Dee went through her pregnancy without the help of her child’s father since she had no way of contacting him. She continued to study hard in school and even applied to a trade program offered through her high school where she could get extra credits to finish school and graduate with her class on time. She had her baby boy 9 months later finishing school 2 months earlier than she was supposed to. When she finished school she got a job working as a waitress at a local but popular restaurant “Dessert House”. She moved into her apartment. “ I’m going to get my life on track, and make sure I can take care of my baby”, she thought to herself.

One night after work Dee picked up her son from the baby sitter and headed to the bus stop to wait for her bus to take them home. As she rocked her sleeping baby in his stroller she noticed an elderly man walking towards her. He was wearing a long coat with a black Fedora hat, one of those hats with the pointed brim. As he came closer his presence bought her a sense of calmness that she couldn’t explain. “ Young lady, what are you doing out here with that baby so late, riding the bus”? He asked in a concerned tone. “ I just got off of work and I’m going home”, she explained. When the bus arrived, they found out that they were going in the same direction. That night as they rode the bus together he asked her many questions about her goals and what plans she had for her life. Before she got off the bus he whispered in a fatherly tone“ Go to the address on this napkin and ask to speak to Barb, tell her Dennis sent you. She will give you a little black notebook. Write your vision in that notebook and repeat it out loud for 30 days and 30 nights. Repeat those things until you know them by heart”.

Dee was very confused but there was something very special about this man. When he spoke to her it was in such a way that she knew there was meaning to his words. For once in her life after finding out she was pregnant she felt so much peace and calmness within her. She couldn’t explain the feeling. The next day she dropped her son off at the baby sitter’s and headed to the address that she was directed to go to. She came to an old 1 story brick home. There were trees and a beautiful water fountain in front of it. Something about this home was peaceful and beautiful. When she got there she rang the doorbell. An elderly woman came to the door. Before Dee opened her mouth to speak the lady looked at her and said “ Hi, Dee I know who you are”. She handed her a little black notebook that looked like a regular notebook. It had gold writing in cursive on the front of it that she paid no attention to. “ Baby, follow the directions that were given to you, and your life will change. You and your beautiful baby Cory will be ok.” Dee was at a loss for words. She took the notebook and placed it in her purse. “How does this lady know my sons’ name, I never mentioned it to that man”, she thought to herself. Dee was an optimistic person and so she always believed that nothing happened by chance and everything happened for a reason. That night as she sat at the bus stop with her baby, she wondered if she would see the elderly man again. This time he didn’t show up. When she got home, she took her shower and sat at the edge of her bed staring at the notebook. Something was different about this notebook, she just didn’t know what it was. She looked up images of the book and tried to find anything that would tell her what this notebook was or where it came from. “Who made this book”, she wondered.

Although she was nervous she still felt calm. She thought about her visions and her goals. She calculated up all of her bills. “ If I could pay my bills up for the year and get me a car, I would go back to school and get a degree and provide a better life for my baby”. She thought quietly to her self.

She opened the notebook and wrote:

1.) I will be able to pay my bills up for a year

2.) I will own a reliable car

3.) I will mentor and help other young girls like myself become better women

4.) I will open up a transitional living center for young women

5.) I will always remain humble

That night after she wrote down her vision she repeated the words out loud and once in her head. For 30 days and 30 nights, she repeated the words out loud and once in her head trying to see her self with the life she wanted to live. Dee woke up on the following day which was exactly a month later and looked around her apartment. Nothing had changed, she was still living in her 2 bedroom apartment, she still had no car. She looked at the notebook and thought to herself “ what was the purpose of this notebook”? Although she was confused there was still something inside of her that told her to stay motivated and continue to finish what she had already started with the book. She continued her usual routine day in and day out and continued to read over her book every morning and every night. It had become a new routine for her as if embedded into her subconscious. Although she hadn’t seen the man for some time she never forgot him. She was starting to feel a warmth in the inside. A sense of peace and calmness. That same feeling she felt at that bus stop that night. This time was different, this feeling was actually starting to dwell within her. She worked hard at her job she even started to save up for a car. She was slowly working towards these goals she wrote in the notebook. She was a very popular waitress because she had such a pleasant personality. She bought joy to the lives of many people who encountered her, especially her regular customers.

One day while working her manager came to her, “ Dee, I have an important party of guests coming in, will you work an extra hour and serve them?” Dee was tired from the busy day she had at work but knew she needed the extra money. “ Yes sir, I would love to” she answered in a sweet and thankful tone. She loved her boss because he gave her a job when she had no experience and really needed the money. She was truly thankful for him. During her break, she called her mom. “ Mom, my manager asked me to serve a party coming in, it will only take me an hour can you please pick Cory up for me?” “ Yes baby I’ll get him for you”, her mom said. Dee finished her normal shift and set the tables for her party coming in. As the party filled the restaurant Dee felt overwhelmed with the orders but stayed positive and kept a smile on her face throughout their stay. Before the party left, one of the members from the party walked up to her. “ Thank you for serving our party. I know we were a handful and I see you were working so hard to serve us. I left your Tip on the receipt. Have a great night”. Dee smiled and thanked the customer for coming in. As Dee clocked out and counted her tips she counted 250.00 in cash tips and smiled, thankful for the money. She walked up to the manager and asked for her credit card tip report. The manager printed out her report and smiled at her “ Dee they liked you, great job”. He handed her the report. As Dee looked down at the receipt, tears welled up in her eyes. The customer had left her a Tip of $20,000. She thanked her manager and was extremely grateful for those customers and her manager choosing her to serve them. “Everything happens for a reason”, she thought to herself as she smiled.

Dee caught an Uber home that day since all of the buses had stopped running. As she introduced herself to the driver she knew his voice sounded familiar but didn’t recognize him since he had on glasses. As she sat in the back of the car she cried and continued to smiled so thankful for everything going on in her life. She remembered the little black notebook she had stashed away in her purse and pulled it out. She noticed something written in the notebook in small cursive writing that she hadn’t taken notice to before. It read “ Believe In Yourself”, She kissed the notebook. At that point she knew the entire time believing in herself and never giving up had pulled her through times where she didn’t know what to believe in. As she pulled into her apartments before getting out of the Uber, the driver turned around and removed his glasses. It was the same man from the bus stop. He looked into her eyes and told her “Dee, work hard every day, always believe in yourself , never give up, and always stay positive no matter what you’re going through and you will see yourself through”. Dee hugged the man and thanked him. Dee got out of the car and started to walk towards her apartment. She forgot to ask him how he knew her sons’ name, but when she turned around the car was gone. Dee felt thankful and knew she had to finish what she had started. She paid her bills for the year, bought a reliable car, registered for school, and got a degree in communications. She went on to mentor other young women and opened a transitional living center for young moms. Most of all she remembered to never give up no matter the circumstances.