For St. Patrick’s Day this year I found a friend. It was my son’s school holiday party.
I had the day off from work and decided to attend this festive gathering with my son Cameron. Each student had to get up and speak about something they were lucky to have. I was impressed with the speeches of these six year old children wearing shades of green and wondered what my son would say he was lucky to have. My excitement grew as Cameron approached the front of the class. I was not expecting his answer.
“I’m lucky to have had Charlie as my friend. Charlie talked to me. He knew what it was like to be different…and yet the same. I will miss him.”
I didn't know who Charlie was. When recess came, I asked the teacher, “Who is Charlie?”
“Charlie was a classmate of Cameron who is no longer with us.”
“Did he move?”
“No. He passed away from leukemia. They were very close. In fact, they were study buddies. With the odd number of children in the class, Cameron is without a study buddy right now.”
“He just found one,” I replied. "I'll be his study buddy."
David Isham, from Avondale, AZ, is an aspiring writer with short stories and a novella waiting to get published. He writes that, "I'm married to a beautiful woman and we try our best to mentor seven children and two grand children." A small collection of Isham's writings and a bit more about him can be found at his website, http://www.myspace.com/irony007
© 2008 David Isham. Original for CCF (Isham grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).
Printer page
Email article
Top of Page
