Whose Decision Took You To Heaven?

Each of us lives sits on one decision someone made. Awareness makes gratitude possible.

Image by Annelise Lords

“Why are you always complaining?” Lissette asks Cheyenne while enjoying themselves at Club Invention. “Of the four of us, you are in a better position financially, physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically.”

“You forget spiritually,” Ashley reminds her.

“Oh yeah,” Lissette said. “I forgot you go to church regularly.”

Cheyenne laughed, then said, “You think I am lying when I complain of my problems?”

“Yes,” Lissette shares.

“Well,” she said, stirring her drink with a red straw. “I am physically better than you because you all refused to exercise. But for the rest, I don’t know about that.”

“You were raised by two parents who loved and nurtured you. So emotionally, you are safe. All three of us were raised by single mothers who had two or three jobs. And they weren’t there when we needed them. Plus, between the three of us, none of us knows who our father is. ”

“It’s my parents’ responsibility to take care of their children,” Cheyenne said.

“And they did a damn good job in all areas of your life,” Lisette throws at her.”

“How can you tell?” Cheyenne asks.

“Are you ready?”

“For what?”

“A journey into the past,” Lisette informs.

“Do I have a choice?” Cheyenne inquires.

“Not really,” Lissette said, staring her down while struggling to subdue her anger, then pointed to herself, then to Ashley sitting beside Cheyenne. Then to Sara, sitting beside her. “All of us have to fight life. In contrast, your dream comes to you on wings. You chose the right field to go into.”

“Yes, I did,” she boasts. “My mother thought it was perfect for me. And it pays me a king’s ransom, too.”

“You were educated by parents who could hardly read and write,” Lissette reminds her. “We three had to learn from our mistakes.”

“It’s their fault they are illiterate,” she throws out.

Silent rage grabs three hearts, who gulp down the nasty remark, covering it with a smile.

“We know that they made sure that you aren’t illiterate.”

Cheyenne paused for a moment, easing her upper body backward.

“It’s their job. I didn’t ask them to bring me here,” she said.

Three pairs of eyes glared at her.

“You can afford to live in a better area than we.”

“Being a Traveling Nurse Practitioner comes with many incentives,” she gloats.

“You have the time and resources to do what you want, when you want to. With whoever you want to. We can hardly find the time to do anything for ourselves.” Lissette roars on.

“True,” Cheyenne agrees.

“You have only one child for a guy who cares. You found love. Real love. We are still searching and hoping.”

“Yes, I have,” she said with pride.

“All of your glory in heaven sits on one decision your parents made. One decision to leave everything they know. Traveling thousands of miles to face the unknown in hopes of giving their children what they didn’t have and couldn’t dream of. That one decision opens doors, routes, and avenues of opportunities to their children that weren’t available to them.”

Silence danced around as three pairs of eyes bored into her, then she cut through the silence and asked, “What if I didn’t make good use of what they gave me?”

“Then you would be us, boxing bones out of dogs’ mouths. If you don’t want your life, can I have it?” Lissette asks.

Each of us lives sat on a decision someone made. Awareness makes gratitude possible. Give thanks for everything in your life.

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it.