The Big Happening

The Big Happening

Ester Groham went through life unseen and preferred it that way. She wasn't shy or afraid or daft or anything like that, it's just how she was. She had a knack for blending into her surroundings, kind of like a super power, which allowed her to observe rather then to participate. It was through this observation that Ester came to know a great many things about the world around her and the people in it.

For example; there was Mr. and Mrs. Garrett who lived across the street and their absurd little dog Chi Chi who, like Mrs. Garrett, dressed in the fashion sense of Paris Hilton. From Monday to Friday Mrs. Garrett left the house to walk Chi Chi at 7 am and again at 6:20 pm promptly. It was also observed that her husband, Mr. Garrett, left the house every morning at precisely 7:30 am and arrived home at 6:30 pm every evening. It is interesting to note that Mrs. Garrett would arrive back from her morning walk at 7:35 am, just after her husband left for work and she would arrive home from her evening walk at 7:10 pm, just after her husband finished his dinner. Mr. Garrett could be seen through the dining room window sitting down to eat, an already prepared meal, from 6:30 to 7:00 pm, after which the light in his study would turn on until 9 pm, when he would retire for the evening. When Mrs. Garrett arrived home from her evening walk she could then be seen clearing the table and puttering around the kitchen. She spent the rest of the evening in the living room until 9:15 pm which is when all the lights in the house would go out for the night. The Garrett's had a carefully timed dance planned in order to avoid seeing one another. It was only on the weekends when you would see them together making an appearance at a back yard BBQ or town meeting when necessary, to hold up the image of a happily married couple.

Then there was Timothy Baker, an 8 year old salesman who could sell anything to anyone. He was often seen with a table set up in his front yard selling random items that he would collect over the week. Sometimes there would be lemonade for sale or baked goods when his mom was up to helping him. He would haggle with the neighbourhood kids trying to convince them to spend their allowances on a GI Joe or a yo-yo, and it worked! This kid was witty and would surely be a success in the world, but mainly he looked after his mother. It was just the two of them and she was not managing life so well. He could often be seen through the window cooking at dinner time and bringing food up to his mothers room. They would hang out together until bed time when he would tuck himself in for the night. Ester found it very unfortunate that kids sometimes had to take on the role of adult, but it wasn't for her to judge or get involved. It was her job just to observe.

If asked, Ester could go on for days talking about the coming and going of all the characters in her neighbourhood, but nobody asked because nobody noticed, and Ester would not talk to them anyway. Her observations were like an ongoing drama series that never ended and she found this to be much more interesting then anything she could watch on the television, unlike Mr. Alderman who lived next door. He favoured his comfy chair in the living room where he would watch documentaries for most of the day. He was a retired Vet who saw more than his fair share of suffering in the world, if anyone deserved to bail out of society, it was him.

Ester was not nosy, or a busy body or a gossip. She respected people and their privacy too much for that. It was just this uncanny gift for blending in that allowed others around her to act in their natural state, as if she was not there and as if they were not being observed. This granted Ester access to the seemingly uninteresting details of other people's lives, details that most did not notice.

Ester was uncomfortable with attention. She worked in a large office building in a small cubicle at the back of the room where few people walked past, and she preferred it that way. She enjoyed her job of entering data into the computer and coming up with logical and predictable results. On the occasion when the numbers would not add up, her heart rate would escalate at the prospect of having to bring it to the attention of her manager, as this would cause many discussions and figuring of things out, and was therefore to be avoided.

The other employees at the office did not seem to notice this slight and plain women sitting at the back of the room. On the occasion when Ester would pass a co-worker on route to the bathroom there would be a polite nod, never a hello, and certainly not a conversation. She made sure to walk swiftly as to not give anyone time to speak to her. The stairs were used for arriving and leaving to avoid the elevators and anywhere else groups congregated. Her favourite part of the day was taking the commuter train. All those people crowded together with no one saying a word or noticing her. She could quietly sit and observe all of the interesting coming and going of people on their daily commutes.

Ester had a fairly normal childhood. She was the younger sister of a dashing brother who was her complete opposite. While he was off being a star quarterback, dating the cutest cheer leader, and going to parties, Ester was happy to sit quietly at home reading a book or staring out of the bedroom window. Why the mundane coming and going on of others was of such interest was a mystery to herself and everyone around her. She just innately knew that the seemingly unimportant happenings of others was a window into the more personal aspects of their lives. You could learn a lot about people by piecing together the string of tasks throughout their day. What time they put the garbage out and which member of the family did it, who left the house and when, and who would arrive home in the middle of the day when they thought no one was looking. How many visitors they had, what was delivered, and the list goes on. It was her way of knowing people and having a sense of connection to them, without ever having to actually be around them.

Ester's parents had a difficult time accepting their daughters oddities. They tried their best to expose her to different activities and friends, but all to no avail. If they put her in a dance class, their young daughter would just stand in the back of the room and stare. They tried art classes, sewing, board games and even a book club which she would surely enjoy? But all ended with similar results. Ester would just sit quietly and watch. In fact the only people that Ester would talk to was her own family, and even that was minimal.

When they were young Ester would play with her older brother. He was kind to her and was told to be careful, their parents would not allow for any rough and tumble. She was to be treated like the dainty girl that she was. As they reached adolescence the interaction became less and less. It would only be at dinner time when the family would sit together and talk. Her brother would go on about the game and what coach said or how he wasn't involved in the toilet papering scandal at the Johnson's house. Dad would sometimes talk about work or golfing and mom would talk about who was finally getting married or the poor aunt of someone who was being placed in a home “but you kids would never do that to me, right?” she would say. They would just smile and nod.

Of course Ester would sit quietly and listen. She enjoyed family dinner, so long as the attention was not placed on her. However, mom made it a rule that everyone had to say something and Ester knew this was the one time she was not going to find a loophole. She had to say at least one whole sentence. With sweaty palms and her heart rate escalating she would usually muster up something along the lines of “I started reading a new book today” or “Mrs. Garrett dressed Chi Chi in a pink outfit today” and that was all they were going to get from her!

At the age of twelve Ester's mother finally had enough of her daughter's uncommon behaviour and put her into counselling. Once a week, for 6 months, she was submitted to a torturous hour where she would have to sit and stare at a total stranger. She was offered a variety of things to try; art supplies, board games, music or books, as the therapist tried to get a glimpse of what might be going on in the brain of this walled up girl sitting before her. Ester would just smile and politely say “no thank you”. She was a sweet and kind girl, but never budging. After 6 months the therapist declared that Ester was who she was and would not change until she herself decided to do so. Until then her parents would just have to learn to live with it, and so they did, case closed.

Ester lived in a one bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor of Mrs. Hansen's house just three blocks from where she grew up. She liked Mrs. Hansen who lived alone and didn't talk much. The suite was perfect with a large window facing the front, where she could have a clear view of the houses across the street, a side window that faced the next door neighbour and the park, and a back window which faced the alley way allowing a view of the houses behind her. She enjoyed viewing back yards as there was much more happening then in the fronts. Moms hanging laundry and having afternoon tea with a neighbour, young kids running around, BBQ dinners, late night talks between couples and teenagers sneaking in late at night when the parents would be asleep. What more was needed, Ester was as content as she felt she could be.

In the fronts of houses the happenings were more spars, but no less interesting. There were deliveries, the mailman coming and going with the shenanigans of dogs barking and chasing him, people leaving in the mornings and returning at night. Mundane activities for most people, but not for Ester. Her super power would allow her to see the most minute details that no one else would notice, and it was this ability that, to her great dismay, got her involved in the big scandal on Hemlock Street in the Fall of 1987.

It all started on a dreary October morning. A cold rain had been coming down all night and Ester had not slept well. Waking up in the early morning, feeling cold and lethargic, she was barley able to get out of her warm bed. Ester, who had never missed a day of work, was forced to call in sick. She managed to make herself a cup of tea and found her way to her favourite chair, placed perfectly by the front window for viewing. She sat contently sipping her tea as the neighbours could be seen running to their cars while holding onto umbrella's, trying to avoid puddles and getting their work clothes wet. Mrs Garrett, even on a day like today, was on schedule for her morning walk at 7am with Chi Chi. Mr. Garrett, however, was no where to be seen at 7:30 am. He was never late for work. Perhaps he had the same flu that had taken Ester hostage as well? She was intrigued by this unexpected turn of events and sunk into her chair, as one would, when getting to the good part of a book or movie. She continued to watch.

As per clockwork, Mrs Garrett appeared from around the corner heading toward home at 7:35 am when she noticed her husbands car still in the driveway. She stopped walking and stood for a moment with a bewildered look on her face, not knowing what to do. She looked around to see if anyone was near bye, and assuming she was not seen, she ducked in behind the hedges of the Johnson's yard, 2 houses down, and peeked through the shrubs watching for her husband.

Only a moment passed when Mr. Garrett came rushing out of the house in a panic with his coat hanging off of one shoulder and fumbling to keep hold of his lunch box and brief case, while trying to hold an umbrella over his head. Ester had never seen him look so frazzled and unkempt. He quickly plopped himself into his car, backed out and drove right passed his wife hiding in the neighbours bushes. Ester could hardly believe what she was seeing, what an odd morning indeed.

Mrs. Garrett carefully stepped out from behind the hedges and put Chi Chi down, whom she had been holding to keep quiet, and continued walking toward home as if nothing had happened. She entered the house, locked the door, and then appeared in the front window where she drew the curtains. Mrs. Garrett was an open book, other then the details of her marriage, and she liked to show off her stylish clothes and home. It was very rare to see the curtains of the Garrett house closed. Ester was on the edge of her seat as she watched with anticipation.

The rain slowly dissipated as Ester continued to observe the Garrett house. Twenty minutes passed with not one thing happening. There were no deliveries on the street, no joggers or dog walkers passing bye, it was too early for the mailman and it was not a garbage day. There was literally no one in sight, and it made Ester feel uneasy. It was like the calm before a storm and the feeling in her gut a warning that something was about to happen. To this day she wishes she had turned away and not seen what she was about to see.

It was a dark blue van that pulled up to the Garrett house that morning. It had no windows on the sides, preventing her from seeing in. An unfamiliar middle aged man stepped out from the drivers door and walked to the back of the van, unlocked a latch and swung open the back door. He reached in and tucked something under his left arm, shut the door and headed up the walkway towards Mrs. Garrett's front porch. He sat a box down that was wrapped in brown paper, hiding what was inside. The man knocked on the front door, very deliberately 3 times, and quickly walked back to his van and drove away. The door opened. The lady of the house quickly grabbed the package and disappeared again.

Now to most people these things would have seemed uneventful and not out of the ordinary, because most people would not have noticed the comings and goings of the Garrett's in the first place, but Ester was beside herself! She was still feeling quite tired from her lack of sleep, her tea was cold and she had to go to the bathroom, but how could she peel herself away from the window now, who knew what was about to happen. So she stayed put and watched for as long as she could.

An hour passed and nothing had happened, reluctantly she went on with her day while keeping a close eye on the window. She watched as she made breakfast, she watched as she got dressed, she watched as she made another cup of tea, she watched for hours ... nothing.

Was it fate that made Ester stay home that day? was it fate that put her in that window at just the right time? She didn't know if she believed in such things, but what were the chances of this happening on the one day that she was forced to call in sick? One has to wonder. Sitting for all those hours and watching the Garrett's house that day gave her a lot of time to think about such things. She was not one to evaluate herself, compare herself to others or to realize her own nature. She knew she was not like other people, but it was never a problem or in issue and she really did not care. She just lived in her own careful world and had no need for others to be involved, that is just how it was.

Suddenly, she saw the front door open and Mrs. Garrett emerged with Chi Chi for her evening walk right on schedule. Mr. Garrett's car pulled into the driveway, like clockwork, at 6:30 pm. He looked tired and dishevelled as he walked into the house, and as per usual the light in his study turned on at 7 pm. With the curtains closed, Ester could no longer view what was happening inside, only lights turning off and on. Mrs. Garrett and Chi Chi returned right on schedule at 7:10 pm. Ester could see the light in the kitchen turn on and then off again, then the living room light turned on until 9:15 pm when it was turned off as usual. Everything seemed normal but for one detail, the curtains remained closed.

By 10 pm Ester succumbed to her bed. The days events had left her feeling drained both emotionally and physically. Observing could be hard work sometimes. Tomorrow was Saturday, she was grateful that she would not have to go to work the next day and could spend more time keeping an eye out on the Garrett house. Her eyelids began to droop as she drifted into a well deserved sleep.

It was 1:00 in the morning when Ester woke up to the sound of sirens and lights flashing into her apartment. Car doors were opening and shutting outside and people were talking loudly. Ester fled from her bed to the front window. There was an ambulance parked in front of the Garrett house, along with a police car and a firetruck. There was no smoke coming out from the house that she could see. The front door was open and all the lights were on. Neighbours stood around watching and whispering among themselves. Shadows of people walking around the house could be seen behind the drawn curtains. Her heart was racing and it felt like her chest would implode, but all she could do was to watch. She took note of every detail, knowing that this would somehow be of great importance. She found herself imagining what could possibly have happened. Did someone have a heart attack? did Mrs. Garrett finally have enough and use what ever was in that package to kill her husband? this was too much excitement for her to bear, but Ester knew it was no use to jump to conclusions. Many years of observing had taught her two things; Do not get involved and do not get attached to any outcomes.

A few minutes later out came a gurney with poor Mr. Garrett strapped to it. His head was not covered, that was a good thing she thought, he wasn't dead. Trailing behind was his wife in a house coat, holding a handkerchief to her face and looking overly distressed, in Ester's opinion, but how could she know how one should act in this situation, she had never seen such an event before. Mrs. Johnson appeared and put a hand on Mrs. Garrett's arm while talking to her, which seemed to have a calming effect. The ambulance driver gave her a paper and off they went with her husband in tow. A vehicle appeared with Mr. Johnson in the drivers seat, his wife coaxed Mrs. Garrett into the car and the three of them drove off after the ambulance. The police told everyone to go home, some people tried to ask questions but with no success. The crowd dispersed and the fire truck drove away. The police stayed behind to make sure the house was locked up while poor Ester sat there in shock. The last car drove off and everything went silent, then she thought of Chi Chi.

In all of the kerfuffle, the poor little dog must have been forgotten. Chi Chi was a timid dog, often shaking when approached by strangers. Ester felt a growing concern about poor little Chi Chi being left alone in a dark house with no Mrs. Garrett there to comfort her. Oh how she wished none of this was happening and she could go back to her warm and peaceful bed, but she could not rest knowing the dog had been left unattended. Ester made a decision that went against everything she stood for and that would take her far out of her comfort zone and, unknown to her now, would change her life forever. She got involved. Before she could think, she slipped into her house coat and boots, and was venturing out the door.

Careful not to be seen, Ester walked along the side of her house and then crouched down in between the cars in the driveway. When she was sure the coast was clear, she darted across the street and walked along the trees at the edge of the Garrett's yard and crept along the flower beds, until she reached the front porch. She knew, from her observations, that the Garrett's kept a spare key underneath one of the flower pots by the front door. She quickly found the key, unlocked the door and slipped inside. The house was dark and it was difficult to see, but she dare not turn on a light, for fear of being noticed. She had been in the house once before and had a sense of where things were so she slowly began to walk, grappling the walls to guide her.

“Chi Chi” she called out in a whisper. “Chi Chi ... come Chi Chi”. She stumbled from the living room to the kitchen, but the dog was no where to be found. She stopped at the foot of the stairs contemplating "what would she find if she went up, what horrific things had happened there?” But she knew she had to continue her quest. She crawled up the stairs on her hands and feet as she didn't want to trip or make any sounds. “Chi Chi” she called again as she climbed. Finally, feeling the flat of the upstairs floor, she stood up and used the railing to guide her towards the master bedroom, regretting each step, as she moved closer and closer.

The door to the Garrett's bedroom was open. What an invasion this felt like, to be in someone's home like this and, it just occurred to her, to possibly be breaking the law. With the curtains closed, not even the street lights were shining in, there were only shadows of large furniture pieces, and then she heard growling. “Chi Chi” ... “Hi Chi Chi, it's ok” she said in a comforting voice. The growling continued. There she stood in a dark room, in the middle of the night, with a scared growling dog that she could not see. In all of her life, Ester could have never imagined herself in such a conundrum, these things only happened to other people. For a moment she had forgotten her worries about what might have happened in that room, and what she might see.

She had no choice but to find a light switch or preferably a lamp that was not so bright. She reached out for the wall and began to slide her hands up and down the smooth surface as she inched her way forward until she came upon what seemed to be a desk or a dressing table. She carefully skimmed over the objects on the table, one by one, until she felt a round metal base of what seemed to be a lamp. The growling continued, which was making this whole search even more stressful. She slid her hands up the base of the object and felt a chain dangling. She pulled the chain and the room lit up.

There Chi Chi stood, just three feet away from her, gnarling her lips and growling even louder. Ester looked around the room. It was total chaos. Broken glass, pillows and blankets thrown about, a chair toppled over and a large red blood stain on the expensive cream coloured carpet that Mrs. Garrett must have doted over time and time again as she showed off her home to the surrounding neighbours. Ester's worst nightmare had come true and she was truly panicking now. She couldn't breath, she felt herself become light headed and her legs weakened. A darkness came over her as she fell to the ground.

When Ester regained consciousness, Chi Chi was licking her face and whining. Her head hurt. She felt confused and had forgotten where she was for a moment. She sat up, feeling nauseous and week, “oh what a mess, what a predicament, this is exactly why you NEVER get involved". Her mind was racing. She could leave, she could just leave and go home and never mention a word of this to anyone and nobody would even know she was there, but for the dog. What was she even going to do with the dog anyways? I am sure Mrs. Garrett would have a plan for her poor precious Chi Chi. “Oh what an idiot I am” she said out loud. Chi Chi was looking up at her trembling in desperation. She scooped the pitiful dog up into her arms and pet her for a moment, they both began to calm down.

She slowly made her way to her feet and left the chaos of the room. Making her way down the stairs, still feeling dizzy, she stopped and sat on the bottom step and stared into nothingness for a while. There was a faint light beginning to show through the curtains, it was dawn, she needed to get home. She would take the dog with her and just say she found Chi Chi wandering around outside, who would remember in all that chaos that the dog was left inside, the door had been left wide open, Chi Chi could have easily escaped. She was about to get up and leave when she heard the front door opening. “Oh Shit" she mouthed to the dog. Ester never swore.

Mrs. Johnson swung open the door calling out “Chi Chi” then paused in shock to find her reclusive neighbour sitting on the stairway holding the dog. “What on earth?” Mrs. Johnson said in bewilderment. Ester said nothing, she just sat there looking at Mrs. Johnson in a daze. “Are you alright dear” she asked. Ester continued to Stare. Then, with no warning, Ester stood up and put the dog into her arms and swiftly ran out of the house.

It wasn't until Ester made it back to her house, short of breath and panicking, that she realized she had not taken her keys and was now locked out of her apartment. “oh no, no, no, no!” she whispered in frustration. At this point Ester thought she would surely have a heart attack. She desperately needed to get back into her apartment, her safety, her world and she knew in order to do that she would now have to wake up Mrs. Hansen. The only thing worse then what she had already experienced, was having to talk to someone else. She placed her hand on her chest and began to breath slowly, in and out, in and out. She had been shown how to do this in those awful counselling sessions all those years back, it was the one thing that had actually helped her.

With only a door coming between her and her comfort, she became overcome with distress and felt a wave of emotion well up inside of her. She began to cry. Ester never cried. The crying turned into sobbing, an excruciating, unbearable sobbing that would not stop. She had never felt such a thing before, she had always felt detached, distant, numb. She never understood the emotions of others and why they wanted her to be the same, it must be that they felt so miserable, from these emotion things, that they couldn't bear to be by themselves. They did not know the peace and solace of being alone as Ester did. What an awful existence, she thought, and made a pledge “I don't ever want to feel this way again”. Just then she felt a hand on her back, it was Mrs. Hansen.

We all have our angels in life and Mrs. Hansen was such to Ester. She seemed to understand her in a way that others didn't. Most people would try to talk to Ester in this situation, to try and comfort her and offer her things like tea, but not Mrs.Hansen. She simply unlocked the door, gave Ester a smile and walked away. A wave of relief came over the distressed young women as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. She pulled off her boots and crawled into bed where she slept for what seemed like days. Never again would she get involved, but unfortunately for Ester, this was not the end.

It was Sunday morning when Ester woke up feeling a little more like herself again. She made a tea and went to sit down on her favourite chair as she did most mornings. This is where it had all started; where she first noticed Mr. Garrett being late for work, the package arriving and the curtains. The memories of the day before starting seeping in and she began to feel very uneasy. She wanted to forget the whole fiasco and go back to her normal life. She got up and went to sit on the couch where she could not see out of any windows. She was not feeling quite as much like herself as she hoped.

She began to rationalize what had been seen in that upstairs bedroom. “Maybe Mr. Garret had gotten dizzy and knocked over the chair as he fell to the ground, hitting his head, and we all know how much even small cuts on the head can bleed, and in a panic Mrs. Garrett must have grabbed the blankets to try and find something to stop the bleeding and in doing so also knocked over the glass vase, yes of course, I mean Mrs. Garrett, a killer? that is simply ridiculous. There would be a simple explanation, of course there would be, and as far as me being in the house, well I was just bringing Chi Chi home and comforting her for a bit at the stairs. How did I get in? well the door was open, the police officer must have forgotten to lock it” ... It was then she realized she had forgotten the key some where in the Garrett house. She was doomed.

Ester was not afraid of going to jail, or being caught in a lie or anything like that. Her only concern was having to talk to people. What a complete and total disaster this all was. It was then she heard a knock at the door. She could hear Mrs. Hansen calling out “Ester, are you there”. Ester did not answer. She sat frozen on her couch wishing them away ... they did not go away.

A few minutes passed when the door opened and Ester could hear foot steps coming up to her apartment. A familiar voice called out “Ester, it's Mom. I need to speak with you”. Mrs. Hansen had informed Mrs. Groham of her daughters incident. She was the only person Ester would be willing to talk too and Mrs. Hansen knew that. She truly was an angel. Mrs. Groham sat down beside her daughter and tried not to look as concerned as she was. “Honey, the police are hear and they need to ask you a few questions”. The worst words that could have come out of her mother's mouth. She began to cry again.

For so many years Mrs. Groham had wished for her daughter to be like a normal girl, to play and laugh and cry. But in this moment, the pain that she felt for her precious daughter ached deep inside. Ester's safety had also been her mom's safety. Mrs. Groham never had to endure what other mothers had to endure with their normal daughters; the drama's, the broken hearts, getting in trouble at school. Ester simply didn't do those kinds of things, and in some ways it made both of their lives easier.

Mrs. Groham placed her arm around her daughters shoulders to comfort her, and most astonishingly, Ester did not pull away as she normally did. They sat together for a while until Ester gained her composure. They walked down to Mrs. Hansen's living room where the police officer had been waiting. Mrs. Hansen had informed the officer of Esters shyness, as they would call it, and they questioned her with much care, mainly directing the questions to Mrs. Groham while Ester answered with nods and whispers into her mother's ear. When they asked Ester how she got into the house, she knew she would have to tell the truth, and when she did a wave of relief washed over her. She began to feel a lightness that she had never experienced before, as if a weight had been lifted from deep down inside of her. She felt joy.

As expected there was a perfectly reasonable explanation as to what happened at the Garrett house that night.

Mrs. Garrett had ordered an exquisite set of very expensive sheets, made in a remote village somewhere, which were to arrive by a private courier in a blue van. Mr. Garret had been feeling ill that morning and was late for work. Mrs. Garrett had hid in the bushes that morning to avoid her husband, as she was worried he would see the package that was expected to arrive at any moment, and question her about how much money she had spent. When she arrived home, she had closed the curtains so that the maid, who had entered through the back way, could clean them. A detail that even Ester missed. Mrs. Garrett was very excited to receive her new sheets and spent the rest of that day preparing the new bedding and fussing over which pillow to put where and well, one thing led to another, and she had re-arranged the whole bedroom. Poor Mr. Garrett, still not feeling well, had gotten up in the night to get a drink, forgetting that his wife had changed the furniture around. He walked into a table and knocked over a glass vase, lost his balance and grabbed for a chair which tumbled over, along with Mr. Garrett, who hit his head on some broken glass as he hit the floor. Mrs. Garrett woke up in a start from the noise and knocked over a glass of juice, which she kept on the bedside table, all over her new sheets. Assuming Chi Chi had gotten into something and not having seen her husband on the floor yet, she began tearing the bed apart to save her precious sheets. It wasn't until she moved to the other side of the bed that she noticed her husband lying on the floor bleeding. She immediately called 911. She knew her husband would be fine as he only had a small gash, we all know how much even the smallest cut on the head can bleed, but she was utterly distraught over her new sheets and her expensive carpet being ruined. It wasn't until she got to the hospital that she remembered Chi Chi and sent Mrs. Johnson home to look after her. They were all surprised to have found Ester, whom they rarely saw, sitting in the house holding Chi Chi and had informed the police of the odd occurrence. After investigating, the police concluded that it had all been a big misunderstanding and Mrs. Garrett sent over a nice bouquet of flowers to Ester, thanking her for looking after Chi Chi, when everyone else had forgotten about her.

Then, the most amazing thing happened. Ester, who never spoke to a single sole other then her family, walked over to Mrs. Garrett's house, knocked on the front door and waited. Mrs. Garrett opened the door and was surprised, once again, to find Ester standing on her front porch. Ester, barely able to make eye contact, simply said “Thank You” and walked away.

Now to most people this might not seem like a big deal, but Ester was not like most people. No one would ever know the courage that it had taken for her to make such a grand gesture that day, except Mrs. Hansen, who had been watching from her living room window with a big smile on her face. For she knew a miracle had just occurred.