a walk

The man walked down the road with a small hand inside of his. "Where are we going?", the little girl's sweet voice asked. The man smiled and replied, "Wait and see."
They continued to walk. "When will we get there?", she inquired again. The man laughed, and with warmth in his voice replied, "When the time is right." They continued walking.
For years they walked together. The girl grew older. Eventually, the now-young woman got tired of holding the man's hand. She slowly loosened her grip. "I want to walk by myself for a little bit." she told him. She could see the hurt in his eyes, but he simply said, "I'll be here." She felt a pang of guilt, but she didn't need to hold his hand all the time. Just a little freedom would be good. She began walking quickly. The walk soon broke into a run. It felt so good! After just a few minutes, she was breathing heavily and came to a halt. Smiling to herself and remembering the man, she decided to be courteous and hold his hand again. However, when she turned around to look back, he was not there. "Where did you go?" she shouted. She ran back the way she had come, but there was no sign of him. "You left? How could you leave me?!" She yelled aimlessly at the sky. Her vision blurred from the hot tears that began to form. "You've always been here! Why is it that when I walk ahead, you abandon me? Are you even real?!" Falling to her knees, she wept. Her shouts now turned to hoarse whispers. "You said you'd be there. Maybe you weren't ever there at all."
She continued to cry. Feeling frustrated, lonely, and powerless, she placed her face in her hands. Then a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. When she turned to look, there stood a little girl. With a quizzical look on her face, the little girl asked, "Why are you crying?" The woman looked at the little girl and sadly stated, "I can't find God. He left me." She turned away from the girl, hoping to be left alone with her tears. However, instead of leaving, the girl let out a giggle. Surprised, the woman turned back to her. The little girl gazed at her. "He didn't leave you silly", she smiled. "he's always with you. I can see him in your heart." The woman looked down at her shirt. She saw nothing. The girl continued, "And look around you! Can't you hear the birds singing their songs? Do you see these ginormous trees?" she stretched her small arms for emphasis. "They didn't got here all by themselves. They needed help like me. He's in my heart too. Can't you see him?" the girl looked at her expectantly. The woman carefully studied the little girl. Her soft brown hair was pulled back in pigtails. Her pink sun dress had stains on the front from her last meal. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. But then she looked into the little girl's dark eyes. What she saw there fell on her like a crashing wave. It was the same unfailing, reassuring love that had always been in the man's eyes. It was unmistakable. "Yes." she whispered. "I see him." This time, the tears that flowed were tears of gratitude.
"I told you!" the little girl smiled. "But I need to go now. See ya later!" The little girl turned to leave. "Wait!" the woman said. The girl turned back around, waiting. "Can I walk with you?" she asked the girl. With a wide grin and a missing front tooth, the child replied "of course!" The woman clasped the small hand in hers, and together, the three of them walked down the road.