�Stephanie! It�s Maya!� called my mother from downstairs. I jumped up in surprise and grabbed the cordless from my mom�s room. �Mom! I�ve got it!� I yelled. I put the receiver up to my ear and waited for the click that signaled that my mother had hung up.
�Hey, Maya!� I said, flopping onto my unmade bed.
�Omigosh! Hi Steffers! I haven�t talked to you in like, forever!� she cried. �Sarah just gave me your phone number, and I just had to call you!�
I smiled. �So, what�s up?� I said, re-opening my book.
�Josh is worried about me,� she said, taking on a new tone.
�Why?� I asked, reading and barely engaged in the conversation.
�I was depressed about my �family situation�, and he�s taking me on as his �project�,� she explained. �He told a friend of mine he�s going to �pound the depression out of me no matter what�, but it�s making me mad. I don�t like being thought of as someone�s project like I�m something that needs to be fixed. So we�re fighting.�
�Tell him!� I urged.
�I�m actually not supposed to know he said that. But my friend wasn�t supposed to tell him that I cut my wrist or ran out in front of a car, either.�
I felt a pang in my chest as her words slowly sunk in. She had actually tried to kill herself. I couldn�t believe it.
What was I supposed to do? Adults always tell you to tell them, but who could I tell? I didn�t know her parents. I didn�t know the new Youth pastor, Pastor Aaron. Could I do this myself?
�What did you do that for?� I said.
�I was depressed, I still am,� she said.
I tried many different arguments to get her to reconsider: emotional, religious, common sense. Nothing worked. I was getting angry.
�Oh, come on, don�t refuse help because it feels good to be depressed. Don�t deny it, you know it does,� I snapped.
�How is it helping, if I want to leave and they won�t let me?� she retaliated.
I sighed. �Because you�re not SUPPOSED to leave,� I said. �God has a plan for you, and if you leave, His plan will go to waste.�
She scoffed. �That�s what everyone keeps telling me, but how do you know?� she stated boldly.
�God has a plan for everyone,� I said.
�Well, maybe my plan is to leave early,� she offered.
�No! You have great stuff in store for your life,� I said. How could she not believe me? I didn�t get it.
�You sound like you�ve been spoon-fed this your whole life, and you�re just repeating what you�ve always heard.� She was irritated now. �Do you know how hard it is to have parents who don�t believe in ANY higher power? I�ve been grounded for four months and I don�t even remember what I did anymore! How am I supposed to get to church and stuff without transportation, and I�m grounded?�
I didn�t have an answer to that, so I changed the subject.
�Okay, you wanna hear it in �my� words?� I asked her.
�Sure, why not,� she said.
�YOU CAN�T LEAVE ME!� I shouted into the phone.
�You�re just saying that,� she argued. �Come on! How long has it been since you�ve last heard from me?�
�Hello, I totally miss you all the time,� I answered, offended. I changed the subject yet again. �You know the story of the footprints in the sand?�
�Who doesn�t?� she replied.
�Lots of people. But think about it. God is with you right now. He doesn�t want your life to end now.�
�You do know how cheesy this sounds, don�t you?� she asked me.
�It�s not cheesy, it�s the truth,� I protested, sighing. Nothing was working. Unless�
�I want you to hear a song, okay?� I told her, rushing over to my CD player. I searched through my CDs for the one that said, �Fine Arts Festival 2005: Barlow Girl, Never Alone.� I set it up and waited for her okay to start it.
A soft piano intro started playing on my CD player. Gently the words started:
I waited for You today
But you didn�t show, no, no
I needed You today
So where did you go?
You told me to call
Said You�d be there
And though I haven�t seen You
Are you still there?
I cried out with no reply and
I can�t feel You by my side so
I�ll hold tight to what I know
You�re here
And I�m never alone
And though I cannot see You
And I can�t explain why
Such a deep reassurance
You�ve placed in my life
We cannot separate
�Cause You�re part of me
And though You�re invisible
I�ll trust the unseen
The chorus and second verse played through again in a rock tone, then the music paused. It resumed with a bang on the chorus, and then the song ended with a quiet piano note. I picked up the phone and held it up to my ear.
�Still there?� I asked gently. I heard sniffling on the phone and hoped it was a good sign.
�Strikes home, doesn�t it?� I asked.
��A little,� she replied quietly. ��A lot.� I smiled. �Convicting,� she finished with a hesitant giggle.
A wide grin took over my face. I had succeeded. �Remember, I love you,� I said. �And more importantly, God loves you.� And if you have a hard time believing God is there, just think of this song.�
Maya paused. I could hear her sniffling over the line. �Okay, Stephanie, I�m��
�You�re�� I prompted her when she stopped.
�I�m all right,� she said with an air of confidence. �You�re really good at that. You know your stuff.�
�So you don�t want to commit suicide anymore?� I asked.
�Definitely not,� she said. �I can�t see why I ever did.�
***
A few months later, I went to New York for Thanksgiving. I got to see all of my old friends, including Maya. She gave me a big hug, and we hung out for a few hours, along with my friends Sarah and Ren�e.
Spontaneously, she said to me, �Steph, I don�t think I ever thanked you for what you did for me.�
�No thanks needed!� I replied. I put my hands over my heart dramatically and said, �It was out of the goodness of my heart.�
�Well, thank you,� she said. �I�ve been a lot better since then, and it�s all thanks to you.�
I smiled and though to myself, �Score, for another life I have helped to change for the better.�