Just before the holidays, I had the great good fortune to be the winner in a drawing held by Mommycosm. The prize was this wonderful photograph by LouCeel titled Nobody's Home. Shortly after the drawing was held, the picture was delivered, and it is even more enchanting than it appeared online. I promised Lou that I would post a picture of it hanging in situ, and that picture (actually three pictures) is below. But Lou's photograph is so haunting, so evocative, that I was inspired to accompany it with a little story. And so, Lou, this one's for you.
Nobody's Home
It seemed like he’d been invisible his whole life, like no matter what he did, no one ever noticed him. Not really. Oh, sure, if he got an A+ on a spelling test, Mom might say, “that’s nice, dear,” with all the excitement in her voice that she might use to remind him that the grass needed mowing. But when his older brother brought home a good grade, you’d have thought Tom had just invented the wheel. He was just never as smart or as talented as Tom. Everything he did was mediocre. He simply couldn’t achieve anything extraordinary.
He didn’t really have any good friends, either, except those guys who sought him out to get close to his sister Becca. Every time Becca opened her mouth, what came out was “clever,” “charming,” or “hilarious.” Whenever he tried to tell a joke or a story, he got that look that said, “I don’t get it.” No doubt about it, he was boring.
He hated to admit it, but he was “a nobody.” He might as well carry vanilla pudding in his pocket for identification.
Well, he’d had enough. He was moving out. Oh, he wouldn’t go all at once, even though he doubted anyone would even notice when he was gone. But he’d found the perfect place, and bit by bit, he’d move his stuff into his new digs. So far he had a refrigerator and a bed. It was a good start. He was really looking forward to having a place of his own. For the first time in all his 12 years of life, he’d feel like he was home. Maybe he’d even put up a sign.
“Nobody’s Home”
Thank you, Patti. The photograph has obviously gone to a good home. I am so glad you like it - and equally glad you found inspiration in it enough to write the lovely story in this post.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so good where it's hanging. Thank you, for showing it.