Contributor Cha'von K. Clarke is a native of Bermuda, where her stories have won several awards. This story is about a troubled young woman who seeks for emotional release by releasing several slips of paper, with handwritten names, into the wind. Unknown to her, several of those slips find their way to other who need healing as well.

This story can also be found in a new book that Cha'von has published, called Bermudian Christmas Stories for the Family. It can be purchased on http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=57051953.

Wind Chime by Cha'von K. Clarke

Just as the wind causes bells to chime, so does Christ mend hearts and bring closure when we turn to Him for signs. Celebrate Christmas by thanking Jesus for being our best friend and comforter!

The wind blew briskly across Milani’s cheeks and she shivered a bit, even with the thick Ralph Lauren sweater that covered her chest. She thought for a moment and stared out at the beautiful blue water that graces the shores of Astwood Cove. Then, she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath with her hands clasped in front of her.

“Lord, I have been through so much. My heart has been broken many times but still, I can always turn to You for guidance. Over the past year, I’ve learned a lot about myself and I know that even though I have seen some hard times, it was for a reason and lasted for only a season! I have grown into a woman of pride and self-respect. Thank you for showing me these things. I know that I need to let my past go with the wind in order to grow further. On this Christmas day, I come to You with gifts. I am returning love to You, the loves that I thought kept me going year after year. Instead, I recognize that You have helped me each year. These men, whom I have invited into my life, have used and hurt me, but I now release them to you, Father. Each one is now free and my mind, my heart and my soul are free too.”

Milani opened her eyes and stretched her arm in front of her chest. She then opened her hands and small pieces of cut paper flew in the wind. Some fell directly into the ocean while others drifted in the wind.

One piece of paper flew right into Tina’s lap, who sat just behind a large rock to the left of Milani. Tina sat thinking intently about Daniel and Trace. She was so confused. Both were good looking. Both seemed to care for her but she just couldn’t choose. She didn’t mean to end up in a love triangle but sometimes things happen in strange ways. See, she had been friends with Daniel since high school. He was her best friend, as a matter of fact. Over the years, they had grown into quite a team but she never considered him more than a friend. He was Daniel, after all, little Daniel from Langton Hill. Daniel was so smart and after graduating from Morehouse, he took up a job as an Engineer at BELCO. Recently, he confessed his love for Tina, revealing that he refused to keep it a secret any longer.

Tina was torn between her own special feelings for Daniel and her love for Trace. Trace was her high school love, which she just couldn’t get enough of. Even though she often questioned how genuine he was, all he had to do was call and she would drop what she was doing to get to him. Twelve years had passed and he never once called her his woman but he had many girlfriends in between. It hurt her but she had convinced herself that he was “playing the field” and would settle down with her when the time was right. Question was when would the right time come? Another Christmas had come and Trace had nothing for her, yet she had spent almost her entire paycheck buying gifts for him. Daniel, on the other hand, had given her a beautiful diamond necklace and though she wasn’t materialistic, the gift touched her because it belonged to his mother and the card said that he loved her enough to pass his mother’s necklace on to her.

A tear kissed her right cheek and she pulled her coat together as the wind seemed to pick up. When the small piece of paper fell into her lap, Tina just looked at it for a few minutes and thought of pushing it to the ground but something changed her mind as she reached for it. To her surprise, the piece of paper had a name on it and it was printed very neatly and clearly for her eyes to see. She wiped her nose and read the name again. The letters spelled out Daniel. Reading it took her breath away and she read the name over and over again. Then she looked out at the ocean and sighed hard. She knew that Daniel loved her years ago. The way he looked at her could only mean that he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. She chuckled to herself for a minute. Daniel was part of her family but not in a brother type of way. He always belonged and in her family, he felt welcomed at all times. They had so many dinner and family get together memories. He was like part of the furniture. It couldn’t be a coincidence that this paper with Trace’s name on it fell in her lap. It had to be a sign!

Tina folded the paper and put it in her purse. Then she pulled out her cell and dialed Daniel’s number. She stood up and started towards the car. It warmed her heart when she heard his voice and she almost bumped into a handsome yet disturbed gentleman who was rushing to the edge of the cliff as if he planned to jump. She watched him, while talking to Daniel about the piece of paper. Relief covered her when she saw him stop near the edge and sit down. Tina sat on the fence and chatted with her best friend, Daniel.

Julian grunted aggressively when he pushed past an attractive brown-skinned lady. If he were in a better mood, he would have apologized but for the last week, he hadn’t cared about anyone but himself. Actually, he didn’t even care about himself, to be honest with you! Chile, after the news that he received last Friday, he preferred to be dead rather than to wait for AIDS to take his life. He sat in Dr. Evan’s office and twiddled his thumbs waiting for the results. He just knew that the news couldn’t be good when the nurse asked him to come in for the results of his blood test. So many television shows revealed that doctors don’t tell really bad news over the phone.

When the doctor told him that he was HIV positive, it was almost as if he WAS watching TV. This couldn’t be his reality! Julian Morris used to be a lover and a playa but now he was a Christian, not a man dying of AIDS. Even though the doctor explained over and over that having HIV didn’t automatically mean he would acquire the AIDS virus, to Julian, he was a dead man! He spent the entire week on a road to self-destruction! He squandered money and almost lost his job. He almost ended his marriage with Sasha, the woman he loved. Though he was a regular at First Restoration Church, he hadn’t been to Bible studies or church. His mother told him that his life wasn’t over and that he should surrender himself to God but he couldn’t hear anything past the doctor’s voice telling him over and over that he had AIDS. It was his personal nightmare!

Today was the day, Christmas Day! He couldn’t live past today. He couldn’t tell Sasha, who was seven months pregnant with his son, that he had AIDS so he would rather die now. But he was torn between good and evil. The good angel to his left whispered that God will pull him through any and everything if he just believed in Him. The bad angel to his right told him to stop acting like a fool and jump so that his pain would stop.

Julian knew he was severely depressed but he was so confused that he didn’t know what to do. He sat down on a bench, dropped his head and started to cry, begging God to show him a sign, the right thing to do. He opened his eyes and to his surprise, there by his feet was a cut up piece of paper. Usually, he would ignore the paper like any other sane human being but this piece of paper was unique. The paper had his name on it, written bold and clear for him to see. The other amazing thing is that the wind was blowing so fiercely that leaves on nearby trees blew around him but the piece of paper remained firmly on the ground next to his foot.

Slowly, Julian picked up the paper and read his name. He stared at it for a while and then smiled slightly as he realized that God had sent him the sign. A divine intervention had just occurred and he would be a fool to not recognize that God was telling him that he needed to live. It was selfish for him to even consider taking his own life. His mom loved him and needed him. Sasha loved and needed him. His unborn son needed a father. No, he wasn’t proud that he was HIV positive but he recognized that God only gives him what he can bear so he needed to follow God’s plan, not his.

Three years ago he turned his life over to God. It was the best thing he had ever done! He met Sasha in the church and they married last year. He knew he had to tell her as soon as possible so that she could get tested and have the baby tested. He also knew that many people will turn their noses up to him and that he was in for some really hard times but he wouldn’t be alone. The love that he had in his life would help him overcome anything. God certainly is good!

Julian stretched his feet out and leaned back on the bench. He couldn’t believe that just a few minutes ago he was contemplating suicide. He looked out at the beautiful ocean and smiled. God had saved him from himself yet again. First, it was his battle with drugs. Then, he struggled with his alcoholism but God helped him through each day.

After a few more minutes, he got up and walked towards his car. Halfway to the parking lot, he turned and looked back. He saw a young lady standing close by. She turned to him, smiled and then looked back over the cliff. Maybe she was his personal angel!

Reaching his car, he started to open the door but realized that he was in the way of an older lady who opened her car door. She was parked so close that he had to wait for her to move in order to get to his door. She smiled but he could see the sadness in her eyes. Smiling back sweetly, he stepped aside and let her pass.

Liddy Ible thought that the nice young man in front of her looked similar to her Gregory. He had the same bushy eyebrows and was just as pale as her little man. Yes, even at thirty-five years of age, Greg was still her “little man”. Today marked five years since he left her and her heart was heavy. She couldn’t bare another moment in that house with relatives and even her precious grandchildren running around. Just a few minutes to think to herself and have a private word with Greg would make her feel better.

She made her way over to the cliff and took a deep breath. Greg loved Christmas so much. Smiling, she reminisced on his laugh as a little boy, squealing with delight as she read T’was The Night Before Christmas. At eleven, he insisted on her decorating the entire house with Christmas trimmings. At eighteen he decked her yard with beautiful decorations and worked extra hours to pay that high BELCO bill. And the year he died, he was thrilled to find out that they won the light competition just a week before.

A lonely tear escaped her eyes. She promised herself that she wouldn’t cry this time. She wanted it to be a happy moment. In her hands she held white roses because he loved white roses. He would draw beautiful pictures for her with white roses and when he married Dayna, yes, white roses were everywhere. What a sight!

As the tears streamed down her face, Libby searched through her bag for a tissue to wipe her face. She was interrupted when the wind started blowing so hard that she struggled to hold her packet of Kleenex in her little pouch. A little piece of paper flew in but she caught it before it got lost in her huge Burberry tote bag. She pulled out the paper and was distracted by the writing. Curious to see what the paper said, she unfolded it and her mouth dropped as she read her baby boy’s name clear as day! Who could be playing such a prank on her? She looked around, suspicious of who was near. Someone must know that she’s standing there and that she misses her Greg and they must have thrown the little flimsy piece of paper at her just as the wind blew across her nose. Impossible? If that wasn’t the case, this had to be a sign! Yes, that’s it! A sign! Greg had sent the paper as a sign that he was alright. He knew that she wondered if he was happy where he was. He knew that she hadn’t had a good Christmas since his death and now he wanted his mommy to know that everything would be ok. That Greg loved his mother so much! People always called him a “Momma’s boy” cause even as a man, he always stayed under her, making sure she was ok.

Libby smiled a huge smile and kissed the little paper. She then put the paper in her change purse and closed her bag. She drew her coat together to keep herself warm and walked over to the car. A pretty young lady was climbing into a car with a gentleman. They kissed passionately and smiled at Libby as she passed.

The nice young man who looked like Greg was still sitting in his car, deep in thought. She tapped on the window and when he rolled it down, she handed him her last white rose, smiled and then got in her car and drove off, satisfied.

Julian smiled at the elderly lady who handed him a white rose. He planned to give the rose to Sasha when he got home. He’ll keep his bad news to himself for a few days. Starting the ignition, he turned up Kirk Franklin’s song, Imagine, and drove out of the parking lot.

Milani took in a deep breath and then exhaled as she looked down at the pieces of paper scatter into the water beneath her. Closure and a new beginning, all in one! She was ready for the New Year! Her past had blessed her with many lessons and memories but leaving her past in the past helped her to grow into a more grounded individual. She pulled herself together and strolled over to the parking lot. It was empty and she smiled at the thought of Milani of the past would have thought of this moment as a sign that she was lonely and pathetic. Now, it was a sign that she had piece of mind!

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