In the hustle and bustle of the subway station, Rachel sat quietly with her young son, Dave, nestled in her lap. Commuters rushed by, focused on their daily routines, oblivious to the hardships this mother and child were enduring. The train was coming, but Rachel hadn’t come for it. She focused only on her sick son.
Dave, a frail six-year-old boy, spoke in a weak and frantic voice, “Mommy, I’m hungry and my leg hurts.” Rachel’s heart sank as she realized she had used up all her lunch money. Desperately, she placed an empty cup in front of her and began to sing a song that held a special place in her heart.
Her melodious voice filled the station but seemed to go unnoticed by the rushing crowd. Many were engrossed in their phones, some looking for spare change to put in her cup and others simply ignoring her. Rachel was undeterred by their indifference. There she was, trading the song she’d been humming all her life for a pittance. With a pained expression, she sang the same lullaby that pulled her young son to sleep, looking at the dirty floor of the station with pleading eyes.
Their stupidity didn’t bother Rachel. In exchange for the tune she hummed all her life, she was there asking for alms. She made a long expression, singing the same song she always sang to her little son to sleep, and staring at the dirty floor with her frantic eyes.
The melody? I’ve heard it before. But who sings it? How do they understand texts?
“God, please help me through this trouble. She sang, ‘I would have enough to buy my son dinner and ointment, even if all these people gave every penny.’
Rachel soon heard a few pennies being dropped into her cup. She did not smile, but painfully turned to the individual to express her gratitude and cry. It was reasonable to assume that he was just another childless, abandoned homeless person who relied on his talent to support himself.
Rachel sang the song on repeat for a while longer. Nothing seemed strange at first. When the train arrived, passengers began to board it while several others got off and hurried to the main exit.
Rachel took a short break to check on her baby. “Dear Dave, just a few more seconds. And then get out of here, okay?”
Dave took a deep breath. He was hungry and in discomfort from his broken leg. Dave suffered a terrible fall while playing two days earlier. The mother and boy were sleeping on top of a pile of used cardboard they picked up from a dumpster when it happened in the same parking lot.
Rachel was startled by the presence as the train hurtled past the platform. She sighed before she resumed her tune and adjusted her voice. However, this time the rich man who just got off the train was curiously attracted by her voice and words. For whatever reason, it was 27-year-old Jeffrey who realized he had heard this music before.
which song I’ve heard before. But who sings it? He approached Rachel and asked, “And how does she know lyrics that only my grandmother, sister and I knew?”
Jeffrey’s eyes began to water as he approached the site. As a long male shadow fell on Rachel, it disrupted her ability to focus on her amazing melody.
God, God! RACHEL are you there? Jeffrey stopped sobbing and knelt down and said, “Jesus, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry if I offended you, sister.
Rachel’s pulse quickened. All of Rachel’s previous suffering came flooding back at that moment, making him feel as if he wanted to jump out of his chamber.
“Brother? For God’s sake, Jeffrey, are you there?” She sobbed.
The siblings exchanged teary looks as they remembered the one mistake Jeffrey had made 18 years ago that had cost Rachel more than just her happiness.
When Jeffrey and Rachel were young, their parents died in a car accident. They moved to live with their grandmother Alice, who took over as their parents’ carer. They had nothing but her.
She often sang them a beautiful melody to soothe them whenever the siblings were sad about their parents. “Say this song out loud whenever your heart is troubled. She often reassured Jeffrey and Rachel, holding them in her arms, “And you’ll feel so much better.
When Rachel and Jeffrey embraced in a subway station, their history together came back. It was a history marked by love, loss and a bond that transcended time and circumstance. Their reunion was a testament to the family’s enduring strength and ability to forgive and heal.
Rachel wiped away her tears and managed to smile through her emotions. “Jeffrey, it’s been so long,” she said softly. “Let’s catch up and I’ll tell you all about the life I’ve been living since we broke up.”
Overcome with emotion, Jeffrey nodded, grateful for this unexpected twist of fate that brought them back together. The siblings, once torn apart by circumstances beyond their control, are now brought together and determined to make the most of their newfound second chance at family and happiness.
As they sat together in the subway station, a new chapter of their lives was beginning – a chapter full of hope, reconciliation and the promise of a better future. It was a story about the tenacity and enduring power of love, and it served as a reminder that sometimes, against all odds, life has a way of bringing people back together when they need it most.