Celia Thomas and Amy Jordan had been friends for a very long time. As Amy put it, “We’ve been friends since ‘forever ago’.” They had most classes together at school and sleepovers as much as possible. Amy lived straight down the street a few blocks from the school. Most everyone knew where she lived, but she was very shy and Celia was the only one who was able to befriend her.
Because they were so close, the slight changes in Amy were easy for Celia to recognize. Amy became quieter and didn’t seem to be the happy girl she had always been. The question, “Amy, are you OK?” was always answered with an unconvincing “yes”. Other things began to change; the main change was a new rule made by her parents that Amy was to have no friends over to her house. The reason given was that Amy’s dad was working at home now, and couldn’t have any disturbances. The girls took this in stride and spent more time at Celia’s house.
But Amy’s time at Celia’s house became less and less, and her mood became more sullen with time. After school and weekends, Amy spent most of her time at home, and questions about why she was so busy were answered, “I’m helping my parents”. Her free time was reduced to almost none. The time at school became almost the only time they spent together.
Monday at school, Amy looked even worse. She appeared to be holding back a flood of tears.
During lunch, Celia had to ask, “Amy, something terrible must have happened for you to be so sad and be quiet about it. Could you tell me about it? Please?”
“Let’s go outside.”
The two girls went and stood by a tree in a part of the schoolyard away from the other kids.
“OK, Celia, you have to swear not to tell anyone this.”
“I swear!”
“OK. My dad’s new business at home is drugs. There are drugs, guns, and a lot of money at my house! People are coming in and out of the house all hours of the night. Sometimes, my dad makes me count money.”
“Oh no! What are you going to do?”
“I can’t call the police. Some of the police are actually involved with drugs, too.”
“Amy, my mom works for Child Protective Services and I could ….”
“No! Don’t tell anybody. They’ll know it came from me; swear you won’t tell anyone!”
“OK, I won’t tell anyone!”
Now, Celia was even more worried about her friend. She barely heard anything her teachers said the rest of the day. She trudged home after school and fell across her bed. She felt helpless. Finally, still dressed and with all her books scattered on the bed, she dozed off.
“Celia?”
Celia awoke with a start and sat up. Then, Amy’s problems hit her again and she plopped back on the bed. “Hi, Mom.”
“Honey, what’s the matter? You look like you lost your best friend!”
“Not yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t say. I swore not to tell.”
“Oh. OK. Well, get your homework done. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
Suddenly, all the stress of holding in her friend's troubles pushed torrents of tears from her eyes. “Mom, I can’t tell. A friend is having trouble at home and I swore I would not tell!”
“Honey, would this have something to do with the girl who lives just down the road from the school. She’s always been a good friend to you.”
Celia hesitated. “Mom, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell.”
“OK. You didn’t tell. I’ll just say don’t worry about your friend. She will be alright.”
Celia’s mom went to fix dinner, and her mother’s reassurance made her feel a little better. She tried to put the subject out of her head and hoped she would see Amy tomorrow.
Amy showed up at school the next day looking not quite as gloomy as she had been. Celia hoped that she had helped Amy by sharing the burden. Then, after just a few minutes in class, Amy was called to the office. On her way out, she looked at Celia. It wasn’t an accusing look. It looked more like a sad “goodbye”. Celia was sure Amy would be back, but just the fact that she was called to the office set Celia’s mind to manufacturing terrible scenarios. Maybe Amy’s parents were headed to prison. Maybe Amy was headed to prison! Whatever was happening could not be good!
For the rest of the school day, Celia’s mind created one scenario after another about the future. Some of her scenarios even had Celia going to prison. What should have been a day of learning became instead a day of worrying.
As Celia left school that evening, she looked down the road at Amy’s house. She was sorely tempted to go ask about her friend, but remembered the guns and drugs and kept her distance.
She went home to another sleepless night, worrying about her friend. Finally, she was able to go to sleep about 2 hours before time to get up.
After that insufficient sleep, she trudged to the kitchen with her eyes half-open. Her mom was fixing breakfast and commented on her daughter’s appearance. “I see you’re losing sleep over your friend. OK, you will see some things today that may worry you, but let me assure you that your friend is perfectly safe. Listen carefully, though. If anyone asks you about Amy, she told you nothing and you don’t know what happened to her or where she is. That should be easy because you really don’t know anything. Please take my word, though, she is a lot better off than she has been for a long time.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Celia wondered what was going on, but she knew her mom would not give any more details. She ate just a little breakfast, picked up her backpack, and headed for school.
As soon as she turned on the school street, she could see down the road at Amy’s house a crowd of police cars, ambulances, firetrucks, and whatever other kinds of official cars and trucks the city could come up with. Lights flashed red, blue, and yellow. Celia’s heart sank. Was Amy down there? Was she in the back of a police car or was she already in prison?
Celia came up with a scenario that she thought was likely: Her mom called the police about the drugs at Amy’s house. The police went in and arrested everyone there. That would include Amy. Celia wondered if Amy was counting money when the police came in. That wouldn’t look good on her record. Celia smiled at the thought, "Maybe it will help her get into an accounting school."
When she got to school, the one subject of gossip was murder at the house down the street. Murder? Celia’s mom said Amy was better off now. Did that mean she was in heaven? One thing was sure; whatever happened was all Celia’s fault for getting her mother involved. But Child Protective Services was supposed to protect children; not get them killed.
The gossip at school was that there was a disagreement over a drug deal. Guns were drawn, and everyone there was shot and killed. Celia knew now for sure that her friend was dead, and her mom’s comment that Amy was “better off” meant that Amy was in heaven.
That school day was seemingly endless. When she finally made it home, Celia went straight to the web to see what she could find out. “Five dead in drug dispute.” “Disagreement over drugs initiates shooting, killing 5.” The headlines didn’t help much. Was it 5 adults? Surely they would say if a child was killed!
Finally, Celia’s mom came home. Celia was at the front door waiting. “Is Amy dead, Mom?”
“Oh, no, Honey!” She held her daughter close to her chest. “I told you she would be fine!”
“But everything I can find out talks about people dying!” Her lip trembled.
“I’ll tell you everything I can tell you. Amy was not there and she will be sent to a place where she will be safe and happy.”
“Can I call her?”
“I’m sorry, Honey, you can’t. The police don’t think it’s safe. Amy’s parents were dealing with some very dangerous people.”
One thing was sure; whatever happened was all Celia’s fault for getting her mother involved.
That school day was seemingly endless. When she finally made it home, Celia went straight to the web to see what she could find out. “Five dead in drug dispute.” “Disagreement over drugs initiates shooting, killing 5.” The headlines didn’t help much. Was it 5 adults? Surely they would say if a child was killed!
Finally, Celia’s mom came home. Celia was at the front door waiting. “Is Amy dead, Mom?”
“Oh, no, Honey!” She held her daughter close to her chest. “I told you she would be fine!”
“But everything I can find out talks about people dying!” Her lip trembled.
“I’ll tell you everything I can tell you. Amy was not there and she will be sent to a place where she will be safe and happy.”
“Can I call her?”
“I’m sorry, Honey, you can’t. The police don’t think that anyone would go after her, but we can’t be sure for a while. It’s possible that you may see her again, but not for a very long time.”
Celia went to her bed, fell on her face, and sobbed. She had lost her best friend, and it was her own fault!
Amy showed up at school the next day looking not quite as gloomy as she had been. Celia hoped that she had helped Amy by sharing the burden. Then, after just a few minutes in class, Amy was called to the office. On her way out, she looked at Celia. It wasn’t an accusing look. It looked more like a sad “goodbye”. Celia was sure Amy would be back, but just the fact that she was called to the office set Celia’s mind to manufacturing terrible scenarios. Maybe Amy’s parents were headed to prison. Maybe Amy was headed to prison! Whatever was happening could not be good!
For the rest of the school day, Celia’s mind created one scenario after another about the future. Some of her scenarios even had Celia going to prison. What should have been a day of learning became instead a day of worrying.
As Celia left school that evening, she looked down the road at Amy’s house. She was sorely tempted to go ask about her friend, but remembered the guns and drugs and kept her distance.
She went home to another sleepless night, worrying about her friend. Finally, she was able to go to sleep about 2 hours before time to get up.
After that insufficient sleep, she trudged to the kitchen with her eyes half-open. Her mom was fixing breakfast and commented on her daughter’s appearance. “I see you’re losing sleep over your friend. OK, you will see some things today that may worry you, but let me assure you that your friend is perfectly safe. Listen carefully, though. If anyone asks you about Amy, she told you nothing and you don’t know what happened to her or where she is. That should be easy because you really don’t know anything. Please take my word, though, she is a lot better off than she has been for a long time.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Celia wondered what was going on, but she knew her mom would not give any more details. She ate just a little breakfast, picked up her backpack, and headed for school.
As soon as she turned on the school street, she could see down the road at Amy’s house a crowd of police cars, ambulances, firetrucks, and whatever other kinds of official cars and trucks the city could come up with. Lights flashed red, blue, and yellow. Celia’s heart sank. Was Amy down there? Was she in the back of a police car or was she already in prison?
Celia came up with a scenario that she thought was likely: Her mom called the police about the drugs at Amy’s house. The police went in and arrested everyone there. That would include Amy. Celia wondered if Amy was counting money when the police came in. That wouldn’t look good on her record. Celia smiled at the thought, "Maybe it will help her get into an accounting school."
When she got to school, the one subject of gossip was murder at the house down the street. Murder? Celia’s mom said Amy was better off now. Did that mean she was in heaven? One thing was sure; whatever happened was all Celia’s fault for getting her mother involved. But Child Protective Services was supposed to protect children; not get them killed.
The gossip at school was that there was a disagreement over a drug deal. Guns were drawn, and everyone there was shot and killed. Celia knew now for sure that her friend was dead, and her mom’s comment that Amy was “better off” meant that Amy was in heaven.
That school day was seemingly endless. When she finally made it home, Celia went straight to the web to see what she could find out. “Five dead in drug dispute.” “Disagreement over drugs initiates shooting, killing 5.” The headlines didn’t help much. Was it 5 adults? Surely they would say if a child was killed!
Finally, Celia’s mom came home. Celia was at the front door waiting. “Is Amy dead, Mom?”
“Oh, no, Honey!” She held her daughter close to her chest. “I told you she would be fine!”
“But everything I can find out talks about people dying!” Her lip trembled.
“I’ll tell you everything I can tell you. Amy was not there and she will be sent to a place where she will be safe and happy.”
“Can I call her?”
“I’m sorry, Honey, you can’t. The police don’t think it’s safe. Amy’s parents were dealing with some very dangerous people.”
One thing was sure; whatever happened was all Celia’s fault for getting her mother involved.
That school day was seemingly endless. When she finally made it home, Celia went straight to the web to see what she could find out. “Five dead in drug dispute.” “Disagreement over drugs initiates shooting, killing 5.” The headlines didn’t help much. Was it 5 adults? Surely they would say if a child was killed!
Finally, Celia’s mom came home. Celia was at the front door waiting. “Is Amy dead, Mom?”
“Oh, no, Honey!” She held her daughter close to her chest. “I told you she would be fine!”
“But everything I can find out talks about people dying!” Her lip trembled.
“I’ll tell you everything I can tell you. Amy was not there and she will be sent to a place where she will be safe and happy.”
“Can I call her?”
“I’m sorry, Honey, you can’t. The police don’t think that anyone would go after her, but we can’t be sure for a while. It’s possible that you may see her again, but not for a very long time.”
Celia went to her bed, fell on her face, and sobbed. She had lost her best friend, and it was her own fault!
The Promise - Chapter 3
Life goes on. The house down the street from the school was torn down. Celia thought to herself, “Even if Amy could come back she wouldn’t have parents or a home to go to.” She was sure Amy must grieve for her parents. She loved them regardless of what they had done. But a hail of bullets had ended any chance of ever seeing them again. Celia wondered how Amy could deal with the loss. She was sure she couldn’t if it were her parents.
As time passed, Celia made new friends, but she thought about Amy a lot and wondered what happened to her. Reform school? Celia’s mom said Amy was “better off”, but sometimes adults’ view of a kid being “better off” were better for everyone except the kid. To adults, a child “better off” usually meant “straightened out”. Amy, however, didn’t need to be “straightened out”. She was a wonderful person and a good student. Her parents were the ones that had gone astray, and now they were beyond help.
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The summer before Celia started high school, her dad got a new job and the family moved to Houston, Texas. They moved from a town of about 100,000 people to a town of millions. Her dad was now making a lot of money, and they lived in a very nice house. Celia made friends in her school. She never forgot Amy, but she realized that any chance of seeing her again was likely completely gone.
As Celia progressed through high school, it became time to think about what was next. Some kids were glad to get out of school and start working. Celia, however, was “college material” and wanted to do the type of work that her mom did, but her parents saw potential in Celia’s love for science. She made very good grades and encouraged her to go to medical school. She realized that a career in medicine was something available to relatively few people and she felt that to go that route would be a great advantage to her as well as pleasing to her mom and dad.
She breezed through 4 years of pre-med but was advised by her counselor not to get over-confident. She was admitted to Rice Medical School and soon found the counselor was right. The hours and the quantity of work were incredible. There were many times she was completely ready to give up. Full-time enrollment in pre-med was at least 12 hours. After that, full-time enrollment was multiples of that. During her internship, sleep became a rare treat.
Celia made it through medical school, but boards were next. She needn’t have worried; she had studied hard, and now just a review brought back everything she had learned. That, combined with the fact that she was an excellent test taker enabled Celia to pass easily.
With so much pressure released, instead of complete happiness, Celia felt somewhat depressed. She was happy to have a career available to her, but the sudden change from being busy every moment of the day to having some free time brought on, among other things, thoughts of Amy. Celia felt a slight feeling of guilt about having her dreams come true, while Amy…. Amy what? Reform school? On the streets?
“Mom, is there any way you can find out what happened to my friend, Amy Jordon?”
“I’ll check, Honey, but even if I can find anything, I still may not be able to disclose it.”
Celia held out little hope for any information from her mom. Child Protective Service was more secretive than the FBI. She decided that when she got to know people at work, she would be able to get some insight into where to find information. She wouldn’t give up.
Chapter 4
Celia had always attended church with her parents. School, internship, and now work kept her away quite a bit. Still, she had a deep faith in God and thanked Him for the wonderful way her life was going. She realized that of all the times she had prayed, she had not prayed about Amy since she had been gone. She decided to pray that she would find her friend. “When all else fail, pray,” she thought to herself. Then she felt a touch of contrition. She knew prayer should be first on the list … not last. Finding Amy became a major part of her prayers. She made sure, however, not to omit thanks to God for blessing her, for He had blessed her greatly. Trials she had been through had been minor and were soon resolved. Things she learned in school and at work strengthened her belief in God. It made her wonder how so many intelligent people could be atheists. Honestly, the intricate functions of the human body were the result of a “Big Bang”? The term “spiritual blindness” came to mind. These super-intelligent non-believers could not accept God. They were just as puzzled about how someone could believe in God as Christians were about non-believers. One difference was so many atheists thought of believers as ignorant or stupid.
As she mused, she realized that there were not that many women she could think of who had been more blessed than she. Mary, of course. Maybe Joan of Arc? Maybe not Joan of Arc, since she was burned at the stake. Still, during her life, God had spoken to her and led her many times, and she was greatly praised posthumously. Celia didn’t feel a need to be praised if it meant being burned alive. Additionally, Celia thought about how Joan needn’t have been killed had the king of England acted as he should, but apparently, events unfolded as God willed. “God is love”, but he can sometimes be harsh; “tough love” some call it. Celia brought her mind back to the present. To say her mind sometimes wandered was an understatement.
Celia felt positive about finding Amy now, for she trusted God. Maybe her faith was not as big as a mustard seed, but she didn’t need a mountain moved. She just wanted to find her dear friend and know that she was OK.
Since she decided to pray for Amy, it was only natural that she began expecting to find her soon. She didn’t think it would happen immediately, but she began noticing women her age, looking for any resemblance to Amy, being careful to not look long enough to offend anyone. But days, weeks, and months passed without any indication of a reunion between the childhood friends. Finally, she prayed to God that, if it be His will, to please let her find Amy. If it wasn’t His will, please watch over her and keep her safe. With this prayer, Celia all but gave up any hope of ever seeing her friend again.
One Friday, Celia’s workday was over. She sat in the hospital cafeteria and relaxed a few minutes before beginning the drive home. She saw a young, female doctor coming toward her. “Mind if I sit here?”
“Sure, go ahead! You must be new here.” The woman’s nametag said, “M. Stewart, M.D.”.
“Yes, after med school and my internship, I went to work in Dallas. I got an offer to come to Houston and I took it. It’s close to where I lived as a child. I still think of that city as ‘home’.”
Celia began to feel she had seen this woman before. She reached out and shook the woman’s hand. “Glad to have you here. What’s the city?”
“Beaumont, Texas.”
Celia's eyes widened. “Seriously? I lived there until I was in the 9th grade, then my family moved to Houston.”
“Do you recognize me?”
Celia looked closer. “No, I don’t think so, were we in classes together?”
“Oh, yes. Many classes!”
“Well, is ‘Stewart’ your maiden name?”
“It is now.”
“Celia smiled. So you’re an enigma?”
“You might say that. Brace yourself. The ‘M’ on my nametag is for my middle name, ‘Michelle’. When I lived in Beaumont, my name was ‘Amy Michelle Jordon’.”
Celia’s body went numb. She braced herself to keep from falling over. She opened her mouth, but no words came. Tears began to course down her cheeks. Finally, she found her voice, “Oh, Amy it really is you! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” She began to sob.
Amy embraced her. “What on earth! Tell me why you’re sorry.”
Celia calmed down just a bit. “I’m sorry for telling my mom about your parents and causing you to have to have to leave home!”
“Oh, Celia, I’m so glad I found you! You have a totally wrong idea about what really happened! When your mom picked me up at school, she disclosed to me that the police had been watching our house for a while. That’s why you said a friend was in trouble she knew exactly who you meant. The day you talked with her, she discussed the situation with both the police and her supervisors, and it was decided that the situation was so dangerous that I had to be removed from the home immediately. When I was called down to the office, I was not allowed to go home. I couldn’t even pick up any of my belongings. I was taken to a ‘safe house’ that day. That night was when the argument over a drug deal started people shooting. When that happened, it was determined that it might not be safe for me to stay in town.
“I was driven to Houston in an unmarked police car. They didn’t put me on a plane because they weren’t even sure I would be safe in an airport. When we arrived in Houston, instead of going to the police station, I saw that we were going through a very expensive neighborhood.
We pulled up in the circular drive of one of a huge house. Dr. and Mrs. Chad Stewart were waiting for us. Mrs. Stewart took me up on the
second floor to a beautiful large bedroom decorated pink and baby blue. The room was for me! She told me to take a shower and put on a robe, then come downstairs for something to eat before bedtime.
“So, my parents died and I couldn’t even go to a funeral. I had lost all my earthly possessions and all my friends. Well, I lost all my earthly possessions and my friend (singular). I wanted to be mad about the situation, but the Stewarts treated me so good my anger soon was forgotten. I loved my parents, and it hurt knowing I would never see them again, but I realized I was blessed to be taken in by such a loving couple.
“After I had been with the Stewarts for a few weeks, they asked if they could adopt me. I would have had to be insane to say ‘no’!
“They enrolled me in one of the best private schools in Houston. Everyone there was wonderful. I wasn’t teased about being adopted, but there were a lot of questions about what it was like. I couldn’t tell them everything, of course, so I came up with a completely different story. I wanted to call you, but I was told it was too dangerous.
“Dr. Stewart (my dad, now) found that I had a talent for math and science, and told me he could help me get into medical school. He wanted me to go to the school he went to. Guess what school that was!”
“I give up!”
“Harvard.”
“No way!”
“That’s what I said. I had no hope of getting admitted to Harvard Medical School. I didn’t realize my dad’s determination or the connections he had. With the support he had given the school over the years, they would have been hard-pressed to say ‘no’. Of course, I had the grades to get in, but a lot of people with the grades are rejected.
“So you can see that things worked out for me. Back to your promise; you didn’t break your promise. Not only that, if your mom hadn’t pulled me out of school when she did, and I would have been there when the shooting started I would have most likely been killed. Those guys don’t leave witnesses … not even if they have to kill a kid. Celia, thank you for saving my life and making this possible!” She held out her hospital badge.
Celia sat stunned for several seconds. She didn’t trust her voice. She feared another bout of tears. Finally, she composed herself enough to speak. “Amy, my life has been going great. The one empty spot was one only you could fill! I never forgot you; not even close. I could die happy now; knowing you’re all right.”
“Please don’t. We have stuff to do; lives to save and all that.”
“Right, I’ll die sometime in the distant future; hopefully still happy.”
“Good plan. Here’s my cell number. Dial me and we’ll have each other’s numbers. You have to come meet my wonderful parents. They don’t have a rule about ‘no company’, and there are no drugs there. I think my dad has some guns, but they’re locked up. He also has a lot of money, but it’s in banks and he doesn’t make me count it. They know about you, you’re part of my escape story, you know. They’ll be thrilled to meet you!”
The girls stood up to part and hugged. Tears came again as Celia hugged her friend. “Now that I’ve found you, I never want to let you go.”
“I’ll be here, Celia, and thank you again for saving my life.”
The End