Terrell sat in the first chair on the front row of the class. He was bright, entertaining, and more enthusiastic than any of the other 14 students. He had moved to Texas from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to his family home just north of New Orleans.
But as the rain continued, Terrell missed more and more days of school. One day after class, I asked him to stay a moment because I wanted to visit with him about his excessive absences.
Through tears he told me about his midnight flight from Louisiana during the hurricane. How the family had lost nearly everything they had except for a few personal belongings and an old Ford sedan. They had moved to Dallas, where they rented a trailer near a creek. Heavy rains had washed the trailer away. Now they were living in the car.
Terrell reached in his pocket and brought out a broken wing, discolored butterfly. “My granny told me that a butterfly in your pocket would bring you luck. So I found this dead butterfly and put it in my pocket,” he said. “The car is hot and I have to stay home and take care of my little brother, so Mama can look for work. That is why I can’t come to school.”
I couldn’t speak for a moment, but blinked away the tears, and told him I wanted to help.
“My granny says if you will put a butterfly in your shoe that it will also bring you luck.”