The following is a former winner of the Amazing but Incredibly True Story Contest.
Copyright Muse Enterprises, 1998
When I was 10 years old I did a drawing of how I would like to look if I was beautiful. It turned out great, which was weird because I was just past stick figures. My 11 year old sister instantly grabbed it and criticized it. "The eyes are too slanted, cheekbones too high, jaw too square for this kind of face." She then changed it, saying she just wanted to fix it for me. I was really upset and took the drawing away to make it right. I couldn't start again because I couldn't really draw. To me it was a miracle. The drawing seemed to take on a life of its own. I began talking to the girl in the picture. She was the classic 'invisible' friend. I could really sense her there and occasionally I thought I heard her answer.
Then when I was 14 our family went to see 'South Pacific' at the movies. When the girl called Liat on Bali Hai came on, I thought 'Wow, she looks a lot like my invisible girl.' On the way home, I was thinking 'I wonder why she looks like her. Maybe I should call her Liat' Then I heard her respond! 'Because I'm part Islander and my name is Lee but you can call me Liat.' She was yelling in my ear and I looked around to see if anyone else could hear. Naturally they couldn't. I guess I had always been kind of weird compared with other people. My Scottish nanna said I was fey. This time I thought, I'm really crazy now. My invisible friend refused to go away so I asked her who she was. She said she was my daughter. That was a stunner. I asked her when she would be born. 'When you're 36.' 'Don't I have any choice?' 'You have already chosen,' she said.
Liat hung around for years. We continued to talk and argue, discussing all kinds of metaphysical things. Sometimes she didn't know much more than I did. Other times she amazed me with her knowledge. Occasionally I would get images of her at different times in her life. She was really beautiful.
I married and had two sons. I got divorced, remarried, had two more sons, then got divorced again. I reached 36 and Liat started talking about being born soon. I banished her. She came back and sat in the background not saying much.
One night I went to a club with a friend. I had never been there before, as I was not really a club person. I saw a really young-looking man there. He was beautiful and exotic and looked about 22. I immediately began getting pictures flashing across my mind. I saw him, a baby girl and my boys playing 'happy family.' I ran out, jumped in the car and went home. 'God I've really lost it this time.' After that I rang a friend three times a day for a week in total panic. Liat said nothing. My last comment on the matter was 'Anyway, he was smoking. I'm allergic to smoke.' Then I put it out of my mind!
About six months later I went back to the club with the same friend. It was Christmas. We had finished work late and wanted to unwind. My boys were at their fathers'. In walked the young guy I had seen before. I thought 'Right, I am an old bat compared to someone his age, I'll just chat, find out who he is. Maybe I can work this out. We talked, and he was nice. My friend was being harrassed by a drunk. I asked him if he would rescue her. She was a lot younger than me and I thought he might be interested in her. He said to his mate, 'Bob ask her to dance,' and kept talking to me.We talked and danced all night. I told him I was divorced with four kids and really old. He smiled and said 'Yeah, right.' He was 26.
He kept coming to see me every day after that. I had just turned 37 but didn't want to get pregnant so when the time came we used cream, gel, condom, and diaphragm. There was no way I would get pregnant. By this stage Liat was not talking at all. I became pregnant, the condom came off, nothing worked. I thought then, 'Oh well, it was meant to be. Give in gracefully.' I told my beautiful man. I said he could stay or go it was okay. I already knew what being a single parent was like. I would have her. But he had to make up his mind now. He decided to stay and be part of our lives.
I told him all about our future daughter and how she was meant to be. I described her. He brought me a photo of one of his sisters. She looked uncannily like Liat. When I explained about the island girl, he said 'Yes, that's the Samoan in her.' He just accepted everything. When she was born Colin named our little girl Amy-Lee. I hadn't told him the name I had used all those years.
When Amy turned three she said, 'Mummy, I used to know you when you were a little girl, didn't I.' It was a statement. She is six now and really beautiful. Who knows what the future holds for her. She is already extraordinary and much loved by many people.
To contact the author of this story, write to Jenny Strong
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