At the Corner of Calvin and Monroe

For almost forty years now, since her little boy’s death and that fire, she walked to the corner on her way to lay flowers down at her family’s grave stones. On her walk, she would sing that old hymn, and pray for the girls that entered into the building that took the place of that old chapel, because she had once met a girl in need at that very place Mrs. Davis would spend about fifteen minutes, singing and praying quietly to herself. After her fifteen minutes, she would then walk across the street to the old graveyard, where her two Charlies were buried. Most people just thought it was a park, but it used to be a part of the old chapel and its where Phoebe knew, one day, her body would lay to rest within its wrought iron walls. But until that day, she would continue walking her path, because she knew there was purpose for it, and she was just waiting for that purpose to show itself. Phoebe Davis had been at the corner of Calvin and Monroe for about five minutes, and was humming her song when she saw out of the corner of her eye, a young hispanic girl. Couldn’t be more than eighteen, she thought to herself. The two ladies’ eyes met. There was pain in this young girl’s deep brown eyes. Phoebe smiled at her and spoke, “Oh honey child, aren’t you a beauty.” An uneasy grin appeared on the young girl’s face. But she quickly turned away from Phoebe and hurried into the the clinic. Phoebe began to hum that old hymn once again. Mrs. Davis was almost to the sixth verse of her song, when she noticed another young girl examining her. She only got a brief glance at the girl before the redheaded white girl headed through the clinic’s door. This girl was older than the last, but had that same uncertainly in her eyes. A few moments later, Mrs. Davis felt a tug on her heart. She knew what that meant, it had happened a lot over the years, and more often these last few. She closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sky as a rain drop splashed on her cheek. She whispered under breath “Father, I seek your grace on these two young-ins. They need guidance, they need a vision from you. Bless them that they may know you, and see what you have for them.” Phoebe continued to lift her words up, prompted to linger a little longer than she usually would at the street corner.