chIck-fIL-a free verSe By chaSe MccauLey

Orange Juice

Adams Shang

LookIng outSIde of the WIndoW, the raIn WaS faLLIng, and the Sound of raIndroPS BeatIng on the roof WaS very PLeaSant. roadS to

the aIrPort Were croWded WIth carS, and PeoPLe Who Were headIng to theIr deStInatIonS Were thInkIng In theIr heartS.

PeoPLe coMIng and goIng; the croWded aIrPort couLdn’ t conceaL hIS SadneSS. he hugged hIS adoPtIve ParentS tIghtLy; another exPedItIon Meant the end of a MyStery. he reLeaSed theIr handS, turned hIS head, and SMILed knoWIngLy... the cornerS of hIS eyeS Were Wet WIth cryStaL-LIke tearS. he got on the PLane, But the raIn, outSIde of the caBIn, WaS StILL faLLIng. he Looked out through the WIndoW after the PLane took

off, thouSandS of MeMorIeS caMe to hIS MInd…

12 years ago, in an aMuseMent park

“gao! gao!” She had Shouted at the croWd. he Stood there at a LoSS, he heLd a Box of orange juIce and raISed hIS head, and trIed to Say, “MoM, MoM,” But that LIveLy atMoSPhere overWheLMed hIS voIce. noBody couLd hear What he WaS SayIng, not even hIMSeLf. he trIed to graB the trouSer LegS of other aduLtS, But no one PaId any attentIon to hIM. he WIPed the tearS WIth hIS handS, and crIed So Much that he couLdn’ t even SPeak; he WaS Scared... juSt aS he WaS PanIckIng, a couPLe WIth a chILd caMe over, they Squatted doWn to coMfort hIM and trIed theIr BeSt to fInd hIS Mother. unfortunateLy, they dIdn’ t fInd her. thIS frIendLy couPLe adoPted hIM one year Later, But fIndIng hIS Mother WaS StILL In hIS MInd. he deSIred to have a norMaL chILdhood juSt LIke otherS. he Wanted and trIed aLL hIS effortS on fIndIng hIS

Mother and MISSed hIS oWn hoMe. aLthough he WaS too young to reMeMBer Many thIngS When he Wandered aWay froM hIS Mother, he StILL reMeMBered her Love for hIM. She WouLd aLWayS Be By hIS SIde and huM a LuLLaBy to coax hIM Into SLeeP. She WouLd aLWayS BrIng that Second-handed caMera to record hIS groWth. She WouLd aLWayS reMeMBer to Put a Box of orange juIce In hIS BackPack BecauSe She kneW thIS IS her Son ’ S favorIte drInk...

When he thought aBout theSe, hIS eyeS Were MoISt agaIn. aLL theSe yearS have PaSSed, he haS changed froM that naIve and Ignorant Boy to a caLM and Steady youth.

“do you Want orange juIce, SIr? SIr?” the SteWardeSS SaId PoLIteLy.

“Sorry, yeah, that WouLd Be great. thank you.” he reSPonded

Back. the PLane Landed, he dIdn’ t reMeMBer What It LookS LIke here, But he kneW that there WaS hIS Mother WaItIng In that terMInaL

BuILdIng. he quIckLy ran to the arrIvaL gate, yet he couLdn’ t recognIze her over the croWd. But thIS tIMe, In the croWd, he caLLed out, “MoM! MoM!” a gray-haIred oLd Lady WIth a Box of orange juIce In her hand turned around and SMILed knoWIngLy...

Background Art by Ben Franzone