Kids Say the Earnest Things(Short Story)

It was spring, March 2003 when I experienced a moment of love I can never forget. I never smiled so proudly and felt so loved in my life. When they say kids say the earnest thing that is truly what it means. I was with my little niece who was such a wonderful and smart 4 year old. My little niece was a child born out of wedlock to a mother who didn't even care for herself, let alone the six kids she had birthed. My brother who mistakenly dated this woman found himself in a world wind of trouble over and over again. This girl when pregnant with my niece caused harm to herself just to frame my brother and get him jailed. He was determined to live a better life without the drama. He wanted to be there for the mother but she just caused him too much heartache and pain, therefore, he made a decision to move forward and prepare a life for him and his daughter as he knew he would end up with her. He went through the trouble he went through but vowed to ensure a life for himself and his daughter and that is why I respect him so. My brother is a true man, great father and he reproduced a vibrant child who made the spring day in March for me worth living.

While my brother was a great man, he still had to make a living and he needed someone to watch his daughter, raise her lady like and keep great care of her; he chose me and I am glad about it. She brought a lot of joy into my life and gave me some inclination of what it means to be a mother, which is the reason for this story. My niece and I would always have these intimate conversations about how she was feeling not having her mother around and it amazed me at how much of the situation she was aware of. I was glad she was comfortable enough to talk with me. One day when I picked her up from day care, she and I was having one of our intimate conversations and she kept talking and talking and seemed very happy that day. She and I got home and I fixed her dinner along with myself. My niece and I sat down to the table, prayed over our food and continued our conversation. Just when I thought the conversation was over, she said; "Auntie?" I knew something big was about to be asked and it would be strange because she would always say the strangest things or ask the strangest questions for a 4 year old. I believe she said them just to make me smile.

That day as she and I sat at the kitchen table eating dinner, she looked at me wide eyed with a smile. I looked at her and asked what the big smile was for and she proceeded to say, "You are my real mommy aren't you? You can't be my auntie because I'm with you all the time" and oh by the way, daddy has money growing from trees. I burst into laughter, showing a big smile and responded, "If you want me to be your real mommy, I will!" I asked her where did the question and statements come from and she said, "well, I see my friend mother pick her up every day, spend time with her everyday and tell her she loves her everyday and it is her real mommy." She looked with a smile and said, "You do the same thing with me every day so, auntie, which makes you my real mommy." I could not help but give her a kiss and say thank you. This was a wonderful life changing event for me and made me even more determined to love her and bring her up properly. When I asked her what made her say that daddy grows money on trees, she responded by saying," Well, he has a lot of it and its green, Auntie, you should know that."