A Brave Journey from the Country to the City

My older sister grew up in the country, miles from any large town. That was a time before the main road was ever repaired. For a long period of her life she lived in a low wooden house. The whole family planted vegetables nearly every week of the year. At the age of nineteen, in the month of May, she decided to change her whole life. She did this after a calm summer of quiet thinking. She said the village was lovely, but it had nothing left to teach her.

She did not want to spend her lifetime in one small place. She was afraid of nothing except boredom. As for the future, she believed that the capital could offer her a real opportunity. She had read in a library book that the modern age rewards brave people. Those people are brave enough to move. So one night she told our parents her plan, and in the end they allowed her to leave. Maybe it was luck, she said. She might have been afraid, but she never showed it.

The trip itself took almost a whole day. The weather was fine, and a soft wind moved through the green fields. The bus carried her east. She paid for her ticket in cash and received a little change. She kept it in her pocket. She passed the security check at the bus station without a word. When the bus finally stopped, she stepped out and covered the last mile on foot. She stared up at the tall buildings. All the noise and light looked like something from another world.

Inside the city everything felt new and fast. The noise rose to a level she had never known. The contrast between the quiet country and the busy streets struck her at once. She found a small room to rent at a low cost. A kind neighbor helped her find a bargain on a second-hand bed and a table. The cost of living was high. But she told herself that this was part of building a better life. She began to look for work the very next morning. She helped the neighbor move a heavy box into her new room before noon.

Within a week she found a position in the sales department of a small high-tech company. The manager was a difficult person at first. But he clearly knew his work, and she learned the job easily. He asked her to keep a profile online and to attend every morning meeting. He also asked her to always be on time. She decided to join the team, and she soon proved that she could learn quickly. The salary was low, but the medical benefit was a real advantage.

Her first job was to add up the daily sales and count the money. Then she had to check every figure twice. There was no need to rush, her manager said, but every number had to be right. She learned to perform each task with a new technique she had taught herself. At the end of the year she got an increment as well as a warm letter of thanks. She would add a short note to each report to explain her method. The work demanded patience and care.

She soon became a leader among the younger staff. The company let her form a partnership with a small local agency. The two offices worked side by side, sharing one net of customers. Her net income grew. She used part of it to buy a few green plants for the office. She also used part of it to help the needy in her neighborhood. The benefit to her own mind was even greater than the money. She began to see her own potential. Helping the needy became an important habit. Every month she gave a little money to a local charity. In large amounts the donations helped many families. She began to believe that even one person could have a real effect. This work gave an indication of the kind of woman she was becoming. Her only requirement was that every gift be given quietly.

In her free time she decided to join a small band. It played in the town center on weekends. She learned to play the guitar. Soon she could feel the beat of the music in her chest. On summer evenings a happy crowd would gather to listen. Her heart would beat faster as she prepared to perform on the small stage. She kept a rubber band around her wrist to tie back her hair.

One autumn night, however, a serious event changed her quiet life. A man was attacked outside her building, and the police asked for her help. She was the only person who had seen the attack. An officer asked her to question a suspect at the station. She tried to identify the man from a row of photographs. At first she could not be sure, and the memory troubled her all week.

In the end she did identify him, and she was praised for her courage. The man was charged with selling drugs in large amounts, and the case went to court. The charge was serious, and the judge read the sentence in a calm voice. Behind the desk, a security officer watched the door. Outside the building a nervous crowd waited for the news. Obviously the man was lying. She responded calmly to every question from people of every age and sex.

The trial taught her a difficult lesson about trust. She had to trust her own memory, even when it frightened her. The lawyer for the other side tried to attack her story. But she answered every question clearly and did not let the pressure trouble her. The jury voted, and the court found the man guilty. A separate officer later explained the whole history of the case. He was an old government official from a national agency. A newspaper asked her to represent the ordinary people who had helped. She also reminded everyone that the right to vote is precious.

Later she learned that the injured man had been rushed to hospital. A doctor had to operate on him at once. The surgeon used a drug to ease the pain and a second drug for the night. A nurse was asked to attend to him day and night. The doctor's technique was careful. He asked the police to estimate how long the attack had lasted. Two nurses had to lift him gently, and she rode the lift to the fourth floor. The doctors learned to operate the new machine without a single error.

Looking back, she often tells me that three things saved her. First, she did not fail the history exam, though she had feared she would fail it. She passed the next course in the history department six months later. Second, she kept her body strong with regular exercise. She worked through each grammar exercise in her workbook at regular hours. At the same time, she studied a separate subject for pleasure, and she never let herself fall behind. Otherwise, she said, she might have lost all the progress she had made.

During those same weeks she had to purchase a new telephone. She made the first payment on a small apartment unit on the edge of town. She wrote a check for the deposit, and the shop made no charge for delivery. To raise capital for a tiny bookshop, she decided to build the business herself. She learned to book a table at the local cafe for client meetings. She hoped the shop would open in the spring. She could use her savings for the first stock. In particular, she saved every coin she could count. She sold a few green plants for extra cash. Each purchase is easier when a person plans ahead.

After three years she came back to pay a visit. She promised to visit again in the spring. She said the whole country was proud of her. The countryside still looked the same. She showed me her position on a map of the city. She loved to tell a story about her first lonely week. Her husband stood beside her, and my sister smiled more than I had ever seen. It was for no particular reason except joy. She even played a game of ball with the children in the park. At the company's summer ball she danced and laughed until her mouth ached. Her story did not end with sadness. She taught me to walk away if a job should turn bad.

She stood a foot taller with pride, and she crossed the street to hand out sweets. She still bears the cost of living bravely. I have learned that a person can build a life out of nothing but courage and patience. I have also learned that no rule says you must stay in one room for life. It is not necessary to be rich, and there is no need to fear a fresh start. If you make one good choice, another will follow. A bridge as long as the whole river can lift you over any trouble. In the market of life, every small improvement matters, and every decrease in fear makes room for joy. To spend one's lifetime in fear is a choice no one should have to make. She had learned that every brave journey must start with a single small step.