![Lethbridge_Snowing.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmauZEpVmp5By5s7KKZE9TbEH1Hf5BTz55FdRUDFPJxi8q/Lethbridge_Snowing.jpg)


Erica was surprised and relieved to find Cheryl among a flock of friends- safe and unhurt. The text message was terse and urgent- " This is Cheryl. I will be at  Midway Tacos near Prime Towers around Eleven. Get cash as much as you can, I need the money urgently."
Erica and her husband, Gary had hurried to travel nearly two tense hours to reach Midway Tacos- It was Eleven fifteen.
Cheryl greeted her parents with a hug each and introduced her elderly friend Shiny. Shiny was a tall, thin bespectacled Indian who worked at the Mayor's Office. After making sure that Cheryl was OK and her refusing help, saying that the matter was solved. After a  few sentences of small talk Cheryl asked Gary to drop two of her friends a few blocks away. Four of them drove away followed by a coupe of other friends  who were there at Cheryl's call. Now except for Erica and Shiny their elder son Mark and his fiance nobody was left in the parking lot; and they went in to get a coffees.

Shiny began, when they were alone.

"Cheryl needs a lot of care."

Erica was all tense concern, "She's hurt, what.."

"No, Nothing like that. I found her climbed onto the  Creek Bridge railing."

Eirca's hands flew to cover her mouth which had formed a big O, shocked by Cheryl's attempted suicide.
"But she is so headstrong, Why would she do.."

Shiny continued to explain-
"She feels alone and stymied. Like she does not matter. She told me that nobody  liked her. And if she told you or anyone that she'd failed her paper, they would snigger - like they knew she would fail again. I told her that she looked good. That I would love to date her even though I was twenty years older. That is how I got her to listen and then to set up this experiment. I asked her to text the ten people that she thought, ought to care for her. And all of them responded. They came here. Mark's brought twenty thousand in cash. Cheryl really did not expect people to care. She'd shut everyone out."

"Thank God! Thank you for helping my daughter." Tears of relief leaked from Erica's eyes

"I just talked to her, listened to her for a few minutes. And we had a great meal; $30 for all the tacos you can eat.... Please keep talking to her without judging and stand with her. If she doesn't want to go to college, fine. If she wants to make furniture, fine. You can make her happy just by accepting her."

"I pushed her because I wanted her to .. succeed. And Gary thought planning in advance would help her focus."

"She can and will do excellently. Let her dream, let her stumble and get up and try to achieve her dream."