She was sitting underneath the stars with her dad in the bed of the truck. They were looking at each individual star. She looked up at the stars and she said, “Daddy do you see that star right there?” He said, “yes, what about it?” That star is shining brighter than the rest of them, I bet it Mama’s star.” At that exact moment the star twinkled a little brighter. He said, “I bet it is”. Allie had had a hard life. She had lost her lost her mama 3 years ago to cancer. All she had left was her Daddy, her Grandpa, and her Grandma. They lived in a very small town, called Converse in Louisiana. She is only 14. Losing your Mama at the age of 11 is tough, I know. I am Samantha, Allie’s best friend. And I too had lost my mom at the age of 11. But I am 15. I had lost my Mama in a car wreck. It was a head on collision with a drunk driver. He lived. Figures huh? I’m not here to talk about me I’m here to talk about Allie. I have known Allie since we were little. So we grew up together. We grew up best friends. I felt really bad for Allie when her Mama died. She had been there when my Mama died a year before. I tried to tell her I knew what she was going through but she refused, you don’t understand. I was the same way, ornery. I didn’t want to hear it.

Life is hard for both of us. These are the years that we really need a mother’s comfort. These are the years that are most important to a teenage girl. The years that you need dresses for school dances. The years that you need someone to talk about boy troubles with. The years that friendships are like roller coaters and the only person you can rely and trust is your mother. Things you couldn’t talk to your dad about and your grandma isn’t the most reliable person to talk to. You know the kind of grandma that says ohhh let me call Betty Jean and tell her all about your first kiss. This is why you want and need a mother in the teenage years.

Anyway, Allie and her dad slept in the bed of the truck that night and went fishing early the next morning. They didn’t catch much but they enjoyed the time they spent together. Allie was also having it rough because she knew her grandpa wasn’t going to be around much longer. He had a very rare cancer that basically sucked the life right of you. He had been informed of this 5 years ago. He had had it 10 years. The estimated lifespan of someone with the cancer in 5-9 years. Her grandpa had outlived it by 1 year, so far.
When they get home late that night they pull into the driveway and see red and blue flashing lights. Allie’s heart stopped. A million thoughts rushed through her mind. Oh my gosh is my grandpa okay? Please let him be okay. She prayed a million prayers in a split second. Her dad floors it all the way to their house. Before he even stopped Allie and managed to get out and into the house. She looks up and down for her grandpa but she didn’t need to he was sitting at the table signing paperwork. Allie looked out the window and sees the ambulance slowly driving down their driveway. She immediately asks a million questions. What happened? Is Grandma going to be okay? What’s going to happen? They finally sat her down and explained that her Grandma had had a stroke. She asked when she was going to come home from the hospital. Her grandpa and dad looked at the floor and finally said, she is home, with Jesus. She cried. She cried herself to sleep and cried up to the day of the funeral and the day of the funeral she had no more tears to cry. A year later her grandpa was in the hospital with his cancer acting up all the doctors said he was going to be okay. It wasn’t okay; a week later he died right there in the hospital bed of room 108. It was just her and her dad left. You know I thought I had it hard but Allie had lost of the most important people in her life. I still had my dad and grandparents. She just had her dad. Every night now she looks up at the sky with her dad and says, “there’s mama’s star” and it twinkles. Then she says,” there’s grandpa’s star.” And it twinkles. Then she says, “ there’s grandma’s star.” And it twinkles. And every morning right before the stars go away and the sun comes up she tells all three of them good night and I love you.