Thursday, May 04, 2006

The First Laugh

Without going into too much detail, my mentee is very quiet. Even when she speaks, it with a very hushed tone. Because of the unfortunate life situation she was dealt, she doesn't generally have much to smile about. Thus, she rarely does.

Wednesday I took my mentee to the River Parks pedestrian bridge and then to Sonic for her much loved Oreo Blast. While we were there, this is what occured:


Me: So, you totally know tomorrow is Star Wars day, right?

[Blank stare]

Me: Have you seen Star Wars?

[nods no]

Me: But you've heard the phrase "may the force be with you," right?

Mentee: Yeah.

Me: So, think about it...what month is it?

Mentee: May.

Me: What day will tomorrow be?

Mentee: 4

Me: Put it all together.

Mentee: May the 4th

Me: ...be with you. [throw my head back in a forced chortle]

Then, she looked directly at me after my fake laugh, briefly considers what I've just told her, and comes to the realization that it's a funny joke.

And then, unexpectedly and for the first time with me, her belly swelled, the sides of her lips began to move upward...

And she laughed. Audibly.

May 16th will mark my mentee and my first anniversary of our first activity.


Sometimes an inch can feel like a mile.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aww I'm glad you got her to laugh. :D

Anonymous said...

I had an oreo shake at Metro Diner last night... needed to be thicker..
bottom of glass was full of oreo bits.
That's my sad story.