Leap of Faith by Cassidy Shay (the giving tree read aloud .txt) 📕

She turns at the door and waves, and I wave back. As I’m pulling out into the street, I think about what the waitress said. Do we really look like a couple? Do we act like a couple?

At school on Monday, I keep thinking about mass, and how beautiful it was. I couldn’t hear the music or the prayers or the sermon, but it all calmed me down. There was an atmosphere of reverence surrounding everything they did. All day, I just think about next week, when I’ll go back.

That night when I call Mikey, we talk about it. “I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on, but I really enjoyed it. All the tradition that’s wrapped up in everything, all the people who really, truly believe in that church. And I felt so calm when I walked into the building, like I could really feel God’s presence.”

I can hear the smile in his voice. “Well, I’m so glad that you liked it. Most people just think that it’s boring.”

“Yeah, well, don’t tell my mom that I enjoyed it so much. She’s worried that I’m going to become a nun or something. For some reason she’s really against Catholics, and I still haven’t talked to her about going again. But I really want to.”

“What was your favorite part about it?”

The sound comes through my right ear, where I hold the phone, instead of through the radio speaker. I take the phone from my face, hold it in front of me. “How…?” This is the second time that this has happened with Mikey. First it was one word, but this time I heard a full sentence. “I don’t…”

“Amia? Amia, are you still there?” This comes from the radio, not the phone. I slowly put the phone back up to my ear as he calls my name again.

“Um… yeah. I’m here. I, uh… Sorry. What did you ask me?” The words still echo in my head. I know exactly what he asked me, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get that sound out of my head. But I need an extra couple of seconds to gather my thoughts. How is that possible?

He sighs, but it’s more relief than frustration. “What was your favorite part about going to mass?”

“Oh. Um… I guess being part of something bigger? I… I don’t really know what the Catholic Church is all about, and I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on. But, uh, it’s nice to know that you’re participating in something that’s, um, so much bigger than you, even if you’re just a guest.”

Through the radio, I can hear how distracted I sound. I shake my head, try to clear all my thoughts.

Mikey must notice it too, because his next sentence is addressed to the listeners. “Okay, it’s time for some more music. We’ll talk to you tomorrow, Amia.”

He plays a song, something by Skillet. I know that he must have hung up, so I put the phone down. I lay back on my bed and close my eyes, listening to the music. I think about my hearing. Am I going to be able to hear everything someday? Or will it just be the radio, with a few exceptions? Will I lose it all?

The next day in first hour, Mikey taps my shoulder. “What happened yesterday? You kind of scared me. You sounded so distracted, like… I don’t know.”

I look around at the classroom that’s filling up. “I’ll tell you later. There are too many people here, and I don’t want them all to hear.”

He nods, then goes to his seat as Mr. Thomas comes in from the lab. I try to concentrate on electrons and blocks and dot notation, but several times I lose concentration. It doesn’t help that I can feel Mikey’s eyes on my back the entire time.

When class is over, I stand up and walk over to Mikey. “Come on,” he says. “I want to hear this.”

We find a spot in the hall where there aren’t many people. “Yesterday, I heard you. Not just on the radio. On the phone.”

It takes him a minute to register what I said. A smile breaks across his face. “Amia, that’s amazing! How did you…? I don’t get…” He stammers out a few more sentence fragments. “Have you told your mom?”

I shake my head. “Not yet. I haven’t decided if I will or not. She’d overreact.”

He laughs. “Maybe she’d react just the right amount. To me, it seems like you’re underreacting.”

“If you think I’m underreacting now, just wait. Because… that’s not the first time that it’s happened. Remember when I went on the radio with you that day? I heard you then. Except that was one word. This was a whole sentence.”

His just stands there, not saying anything. “Close your mouth before a cow flies in,” I tell him, and then start walking down the hall towards my class.

He runs after me and gets in front of me. “Can you hear this?” he says, and I laugh.

“No, I can’t. It won’t happen like that. But I’ll tell you if it does happen again.” He nods. “Now you need to get to class. And I do too. I’m going to be late.”

I push past him down the hall. “Talk to you later,” I call over my shoulder.

For the rest of the day, I think about telling Mom and Lisa. Why haven’t I told them? I think about what would happen, how they would react. They would only blow it up and make it a bigger deal than it really is. Hearing one sentence? That doesn’t mean anything. Mom would make me go to more doctors, but they wouldn’t be able to tell me, just like they weren’t able to tell me anything before.

I finally decide not to tell them.

That night as I’m doing my homework, Lisa taps my shoulder. “We’re going to the store,” she says when I look at her. “Do you want to go with us or stay here and finish your homework?”

I think for a second. “I’ll go with you guys.” I grab a pair of shoes and hop into the car with Mom and Lisa.

Once we get there, my mom sends me to get some milk. While I’m walking toward the dairy section, I run into someone. “Hey,” he says. It takes me a minute to recognize who he is.

When I remember, I smile. “Hi, Joe. How are you?”

He holds up his milk and smiles. “Got my calcium to build nice, strong bones, so I’m good. How are you.”

“I’m good.”

“Are you coming to church with Mikey on Sunday?” I nod and tell him that I might even start going every week. “That’s cool. So how are you and Mikey doing?” He winks, and I blush.

“Um… we’re not… we aren’t together.”

He smiles and bobs his head up and down. “I know. I’m just teasing you. Mainly because I know that he likes you.”

How am I supposed to react to that? “Oh.” I look at the gallon of milk in my hand, and then back at Joe. “Well, I gotta go now. See you Sunday.” He waves goodbye as I walk away.

Mikey likes me? He doesn’t act like it. He just acts like my best friend. He doesn’t flirt with me, doesn’t try to make any moves. I decide to just ignore it. There’s no point in stressing over it.

The next day at school, I pay extra attention to Mikey. I search his face, watch his body language. I look for any signs that Joe spoke the truth.

When I find none, I’m surprised by the disappointment I feel.

“Here’s a softer song, but I still think it’s pretty great. It’s about coming together, acknowledging the beauty of God, and becoming stronger through our faith. Might as well start now, because it can only get better. Here’s City on Our Knees, by Toby Mac.”

I hit the play button and lean back, loving the music and loving my job. Of course, it’s not a real job. My dad refuses to pay me for this. But I can turn this into a real job later, right?

I concentrate on the chorus, then the last few seconds. I click the next song, and then think about the last couple days.

Amia’s been looking closer when I talk, almost like she’s searching for something. Her eyes switch from watching my mouth move to looking into my eyes, at my hands, my feet. What is she searching for?

I also think about Sunday. I still have to talk to my parents about bringing Amia again. I sigh and lean forward, creating a playlist of songs.

A little while later, I lean into the mic. “Alright, now it’s time for a phone call from our regular, Miss Amia Chasor.” I press the button to answer her call, and I listen as she greets me and everyone else.

“So… did it happen again?” I ask.

She waits a second before answering. “No. It didn’t.” She seems disappointed.

“Are you going to tell your mom and Lisa about it?” I think she should, but it’s not my choice.

“No, I decided not to. They’d just make an even bigger deal out of it, you know? I’d have to go to four billion more doctors, and none of them would be able to figure out what had happened. Well, they wouldn’t find any scientific explanation for it. So it just doesn’t seem like something that would be worth all that time and money and broken heart. So I won’t tell them. Not unless it starts happening more and more, then I’ll tell them. But for now, no.”

I nod, wondering if it will happen again. Then, I look at the calendar. Three more days.

“So, you’re coming with me on Sunday, right?”

“Yes. I haven’t asked my mom yet, but I’m planning on going. I just don’t know if she’ll be very happy. She’s kinda one of those people who just… doesn’t like Catholics.”

I laugh. I don’t know why, because it’s not funny. “I have to talk to my parents too. Because they’re the kind of people who don’t really like anyone who isn’t Catholic.” I never expected that from them, that they could be so closed-minded and exclusive.

“Cool,” she says. That single word drips with sarcasm. “So, basically, our parents are going to do everything they can to make sure that we don’t go to church together. Makes sense, right?”

I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Yeah. Makes perfect sense.”