give me five (Carrie in Aldea Infantile)

Two new boys came to the Aldea Infantil in Trujillo this past week. One is tall, quiet, nice and his name is Pedro. The other is Christian. Christian is about 8 years old and is missing all his front teeth yet still insists on biting people—myself included. Yes, I was bit by the toothless child and, impossibly, it still left teeth marks. I gave him a hug, and he gave me three red sores on my stomach.

As you can probably tell, Christian and I didn’t take to each other very quickly. I suppose this is understandable considering he had been picked up off the street only days before and may not be very used to affection. I tried to talking to him instead but that was a disaster too. Trying to understand a child that lacks all of his front teeth (very important for articulation purposes) and insists on screaming every word that comes out of his mouth is a struggle for someone who is still learning Spanish. Christian, for me, I could tell would be a difficult child to grow close to.

On Friday Christian, Pedro, and another new girl in the Aldea had to get their shots so we all piled into the truck for the hospital in Trujillo. I wasn’t terribly excited for Christian, the boy with possible ADHD and an anger problem, to sit next to me in a confined space for 40 minutes. That was just asking for a few more red sores, I thought. But, surprisingly, the whole ride he quietly held my hand and smiled as I counted out his fingers, “uno, dos, tres, cuantro, cinco—dame cinco!” (one, two, three, four, five--give me five!) It made me reevaluate the importance of holding someone’s hand. Christian, a boy who may not have received a lot of love in his life, deserves just as much affection as you, me, or the next person. Something seemingly so simple means so much. I’ve learned there is a renewed confidence, a sense of safety, and a feeling of belonging in the simple intertwining of fingers. Why do you think lovers hold hands? Why do children cling tightly to their parents’ palms? Why do best friends take each others’ hands before jumping off of anything?

Living at the Aldea has reminded me that, before we leap into life, we should have open arms and willing hearts because sometimes we ALL just need a hand to hold.

Sort of gives new meaning to giving five.