Mr. Hermison

I am sure you would find it a bit odd too – seeing a wee girl, not much older than three, wandering alone in a meadow of wild flowers. It’s not the kind of scene you see every day, especially when only moments before you were sitting behind your desk in your air-conditioned corner office where you work as an accountant. Linear. Left-brained. Logical.

Nevertheless, that is where Mr. Lloyd Hermison found himself that hot July day. With his index finger, he pushed up his glasses which immediately slid down his excessively sweaty nose. It was truly sweltering hot, and his three-piece suit was not at all appropriate attire for a jaunt in a meadow.

Bewildered and somewhat dazed, Mr. Hermison watched the tot aimlessly meander through the field of brilliant colour. Her long golden hair fluttered freely in the gentle breeze and she wore a gleeful smile. Her grin grew wider and erupted into a giggle when she saw Mr. Hermison. Much to his dismay, she immediately and enthusiastically bounded toward him. Mr. Lloyd Hermison, the fearless suburban accountant, turned on his heels and ran for his life. He could handle a lot of things – but little girls chasing him through mysterious meadows was not one of them. Considering the hot sun overhead and the fact that he had last exercised in 1991, he did not get far before he decided it might be prudent to stop running and face his tiny foe.

He turned around and she was right behind him, offering up a bouquet of daisies. However, when he looked down into her eyes, he reeled back as if he had been slapped, for there was a look of familiarity about her; she looked like him. The little girl smiled and held up the bouquet, saying a single word… “Daddy?”

Mr. Hermison screamed, “No! No! You can’t be! We got an abortion!”

“Mr. Hermison? Mr. Hermison? Are you o.k.?” The secretary’s voice sounded far away. “Mr. Hermison?”

Mr. Lloyd Hermison awoke from his dream with a startle and knocked his coffee over onto his paperwork. A post-it note stuck to his cheek when he lifted his head from the desk.

“Are you okay, Mr. Hermison?” the secretary queried again.

“I… I’m just… I’m okay. But please cancel my appointments today. I need some time to myself. And, ummm… You know what happened between us three years ago? Maybe we should talk about it sometime.”

The secretary’s face softened with empathy. She lowered her voice and said, “Lloyd, I’ve been forgiven. I met Jesus and He has taken away my shame – He forgave me and one day I will see our little one in heaven.”

Mr. Lloyd Hermison cried like a baby. “I saw her today. She’s beautiful.”