Samantha Zacharia Smith-Guthrie looked around the room, searching for her momma or the other big people. She pouted when she didn't see anyone.
Her wide blue eyes took in everything around her, yet she still couldn't find who she wanted. The little girl began to cry, softly at first, then louder as she was ignored.
Finally, she decided that the best way to get her mother's attention was to scream: "Momma!"
She waited for a long (to her anyway) time, but still her Momma didn't show up. So she tried it again, even louder. "MOMMA!"
And yet there was no response. Sami crossed her arms over her chest, and stuck out her lower lip, her big blue eyes shining with tears.
"Where Momma?" She asked the air, upset. She wanted her Momma, and she wanted her NOW.
Sami pouted for a few more minutes, but it didn't seem to be getting her anywhere. The tiny child looked around, and noticed the chair not three feet away from her. She crawled her way over to it, and grabbed a hold, hoisting herself up.
She stood on wobbly legs for a minute, still clutching the chair for dear life. Then she began to move along the chair, side stepping and holding on tightly. She stopped when she got to the edge of the chair, and looked around again, expecting her mother to be standing around.
When Sami saw that she was not, she opened her mouth and screamed once again: "MOMMA!"
And still, there was no answer. Sami made a small face, and then slowly let go of the chair, and tried to catch her balance. She managed to maintain it, and looked around, expecting Momma to show up at any time.
When Momma still didn't show up, Sami took a wobbling step out onto the carpet floor. When she didn't fall, she took another step. Giggling, the child made her legs move enough so that she could take one more step.
That's when her Momma came rushing into the door. Sami looked up at her and grinned, taking another step to where she stood.
"Sami!" Her Momma cried, staring at her in amazement. "You…you're…ohmygod! You're walking!"
"Momma!" was Sami's response as she took one more step toward her mother. Then she fell, landing on her diapered bottom with a soft thud. "Oomph."
Her mother didn't seem to notice. She swept the little girl up into her arms, and smothered her with kisses.
"Oh, baby! Oh my baby!" Her mother sobbed, kissing her hair and hugging her tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Momma!" Sami cried, hugging her back. "Love…Momma!"
"I love you too!" Tabitha cried, kissing her daughter again. "I love you too."
Sami pulled back from her mother and smiled, her baby blue eyes glowing. Tabitha repressed a sob when she saw Sam looking back at her, the way he always had. I wish you were here, Sam…