The New Girl

A cousin of ours and her little dog have come to stay with us for a few days while her father is out of town tcb. She is a beautiful little girl, eight years old, bright as a 200-watt bulb and funny as they come. In many ways she is a typical young child, standing on the front porch ringing my doorbell (until I have to cover my ears) and giggling hysterically, practicing her cartwheels, drinking chocolate milk. Then there are things about her that are different from the children you typically know; these are a result of her unusual upbringing.

She was born in Thailand to a Thai mother and expat American father. She and her dad have been back in the states for about a year now, living in Arizona until circumstances brought them to Detroit, then the Chicago area. Amy's eyes are huge; they sit atop otherwise small features and are highlighted by her dark, dark brown bangs and silky hair that falls well past her shoulders. She is petite - size small falls off of her - but she is a ball of energy that didn't stop once yesterday until she was sound asleep. When you ask her a question that she doesn't want to answer she is perfectly silent. When Pam and I joked about her dog, she burst into tears.

My sister has come to stay with us this week to care for our cousin while I am at work. Need I say that this is a Godsend?

When I look at this little girl I see someone who, like all of us really, has been deeply formed by her life situation. She is so very young and I can see perfectly how she has been influenced and what she has been taught. Children may be silent with certain words, but the ones they do use speak volumes.