She is All Grown-up Now!

It was 1976; I was 34 and she was 8. I was an EMT and she was a beautiful little girl. She was busy exploring the meat market in a local, country grocery store; I was busy running the meat market in my own grocery store. The call came and I hurriedly left my meat market to travel to "her meat market," where she had just stuck her right hand into the hamburger grinder. Whoever called was in a panic and rightly so! I will never, ever forget that ambulance call, nor will I ever forget the little girl I transported to what was then the Macon Hospital (I don't think the name had changed then). What I remember most is that she never shed a tear--not even one. In 1976 my daughter, Amy, was also 8 years old, so you might imagine at least some of my feelings. Anyway, 32 years have come and gone, since that fateful day, and, if my memory serves me correctly, I haven't seen her since, though I have never forgotten her! Roughly 2 1/2 years ago, Annis told me that Teresa had been hired to work in the program at Central Georgia Tech,where Annis was working. In all of my comings and goings at CGTC, since Annis has been employed there, I have never laid eyes on Teresa UNTIL yesterday, when I stopped by Annis' office to tell her something. Realizing that a lady was discussing something with Annis, I was politely waiting on her to finish, when all of a sudden, it hit me and I exclaimed, "Are you who I think you are?" Obviously, she was and my mind and heart went back 32 years, and all I could see was a little, barefoot, 8 year old girl with blood all over her, and one hand mangled beyond recognition. The blood has long since been cleaned and the hand has healed and she is even more beautiful now than she was then and that is saying something about her. Believe it or not, she can tie her own shoes!! I am of the opinion that the whiners of our society couldn't stand long in Teresa's presence, not because of Teresa but because of her tenacity.