An Event in the Life of a Young Woman

Image courtesy of wikipedia under creative commons

Todd Herskovitz

He spoke to me again at church, and told me he wanted to explain a complicated idea he had. I took him outside, and we sat on the steps with the sun rising. I could smell the lilacs and hear the weeping willow rustle beside the pond.

He told me that he was wondering about life. That he didn’t know if life meant anything. He told me that sometimes he would watch me pray at church, and he believed I understood whether or not life had meaning. I asked him why he said these things.

“I don’t know,” he told me. “I am just wondering about life. I thought you might know. Why stand on ceremony in a world like this.”

He said it like a statement instead of a question. He looked very taken with some sorrow. I didn’t know how to respond, and so I pressed his hand companionably and went back inside the church. He stayed there, until Arabella went out to fetch him, and then they left together.

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