Awakened out of a deep sleep, the mother of a 16-year-old daughter shakily answered the phone.
“Hello?”
She could barely hear a frightened girl’s voice whispering “Mom?” But as she grabbed her husband’s wrist, the sobbing voice became louder.
“Mom, I know it’s way late. But just let me finish before you say anything. I’ve been drinking and . . . and I ran off the road a few blocks back and . . . ”
Holding her breath and pressing her hand against her forehead, the mother fought back panic and the urge to say something.
“And I got so scared. The car almost rolled over. I know I was wrong to run away, Mom. I want . . . to come home. I should have called you days ago, but I was afraid . . . ” The hurried words were interrupted by sobs.
Picturing her daughter’s face, the mother began to speak, “I’m afraid . . . ”
“No! Mom . . . please . . . you’ve got to let me talk! Please, let me finish!” the urgent voice pleaded.
“I’m in bad trouble, Mom. I think I might be pregnant and that’s why I ran away. I know I was wrong, but I was scared you’d get really mad at me.”
Her husband, now awake too, had grabbed the portable phone and the girl heard the click in the line. “Are you still there? Mom? Please don’t hang up on me! Please don’t be mad. I need you!”
After a moment, the mother, controlling her tears, managed to say, “I’m still here. I won’t hang up.”
“Mom, I know I should have told you . . . but I got so scared ’cause I didn’t think you’d listen to me . . . ”
As the voice trailed away, the mother whispered, “Honey, I’m listening now. ”
“The car’s not far from this phone booth. I walked back here and called a taxi and . . . uh . . . would you let me come home? Please, Mom?”
“Yes, honey, you come home. I’m not mad.”
There was a short silence. Then the girl’s relieved voice said, “You know, Mom, I think I could drive.”
“No! Do this for your mom, honey. Just wait for the taxi to come, and don’t hang up till it does.”
After a long, tense silence, “There’s the taxi. I’m coming home now, Mom, ” and the phone clicked off.
As though needing reassurance, the parents softly opened the door of their daughter’s bedroom and gazed with relief at their peacefully sleeping child.
“Wonder what’ll happen when the girl realizes she called our number by mistake?” whispered her dad.
What sorrow can result when vital lines of communication between parents and children are broken.
In Proverbs, divine wisdom for this life is often communicated to children. It begins with a father’s plea to “my son” (ch. 1:8) to hear, and it ends with the same earnest entreaty from a mother (ch. 31:2).
Abraham had a prompt “Here am I, my son” for his son Isaac’s question. Hebrew fathers were to have a ready answer whenever “thy son asketh thee. ”
Ed.