뇌성마비로 태어난 11살 여자아이 멜로디는 스스로 할 수 있는 것이 아무것도 없다.
혼자 먹을 수도, 걸을 수도, 글씨를 쓸 수도, 말을 할 수도 없이 휠체어에 의지해 생활한다.
또래 여느 아이 보다 훨씬 영특한 아이지만 자신의 생각을 표현할 수단이 없기에
늘 좌절감과 무력감에 빠지는 날이 많다.
텔레비전에서 보았던 독성 있는 장난감을 마트에서 파는 것을 보고 알려주려던 행동이,
어항에서 튀어나온 금붕어 올리를 살리려 시도한 노력이,
무섭게 폭우가 쏟아지던 날 집 밖에 있던 어린 동생 페니의 존재를 알리려던 모습이
엄마에게는 늘 광폭한 말썽으로 밖에 비치지 않았다.
물론, 부모님은 늘 한결같이 인내와 헌신을 다해 사랑으로 멜로디를 대한다.
그녀에게 헬렌 켈러의 설리번 선생님과 같은 존재였던 Mrs. V!
늘 자신 안에 갇혀 살던 멜로디에게 자신감과 영감을 불어 넣어주던 그녀 덕분에
멜로디는 긍정적인 영향을 많이 받을 수 있게 된다.
하지만, 겨우 11살 밖에 안된 어린 여자아이가 감내하기에는
세상이 정말 끔찍하게 냉혹하고, 처참하다.
원더처럼 'happy ever after'를 내심 기대하며 읽다가
너무 현실적인 반전 결말에 정말 뒤통수 맞은 것 같아
책을 덮으면서도 마음이 무거웠다.
멜로디가 묻는다.
I have spastic bilateral quadriplegia, also known as cerebral palsy.
It limits my body, but not my mind.
We all have disabilities. What’s yours?
늘 느끼지만, 몸의 장애보다 무서운 건 마음의 장애다.
왜곡된 시각으로 다름을 틀림으로 규정짓는
아이 어른들이 가득한 이 세상에서
얼마나 많은 또 다른 멜로디가 상처받으며 살아갈까?
나이가 들수록 분별력과 따뜻함을 지닌 사람이 될 수 있으면 좋겠다.
When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.
그리고 원더의 명언도 늘 가슴 한편에 새기며 진짜 어른다운 어른으로 늙어 가고 싶다.
엄마의 절규
It was my job to bring a child into the world safely, and I screwed it up.
Every other woman on the planet is able to give birth to a normal baby.
There must be something wrong with me.
드디어 친구가 생겼다고 생각했는데...
Rose finally figured it out and said, “Oh! You don’t like jazz? Me neither!” We both laughed so hard, Mrs. Lovelace had to put her finger to her lips to tell us to hush. Never in my life have I had a teacher tell me to be quiet because I was talking to somebody in class. It was the best feeling in the world.
멜로디의 진심
It’s like I live in a cage with no door and no key.
And I have no way to tell someone how to get me out.
금붕어 올리를 자신에게 투영하는 멜로디
I wondered if maybe Ollie wasn’t so happy after all. Maybe he was sick and tired of that bowl and that log and that circle. Maybe he just couldn’t take it anymore. I feel like that sometimes.
세상은 왜...
I believe in me. And my family does. And Mrs. V.
It’s the rest of the world I’m not so sure of.
그냥 좀 다를 뿐이라고요.
I didn’t know what to do. My food sat there getting cold.
I looked at Mom. She looked at me. She picked up the spoon and looked at me with the question on her face. I nodded. Very carefully, she placed a spoonful of pasta in my mouth. I swallowed. I did not spill. I saw Molly poke Claire, and they exchanged looks. Mom spooned one more portion into my mouth. I swallowed. I did not spill. We continued, one spoonful at a time. I was so hungry. Nobody said anything, but I saw them look down at their plates with way too much attention. It got quiet.
페니가 밖에 있어요. 엄마!
I screamed, reached over, and tried to pull the keys from her. I scratched the back of Mom’s hand. She smacked me on the leg. She’d never raised a hand to me before. Never. I still didn’t stop screaming and kicking and jerking. I had to tell her. I had to tell her that Penny was out there! Never had I wanted words more.
장애를 가진 내 친구들
Freddy, who wants to zoom to the moon.
Ashley, our fashion model.
Willy, the baseball expert.
Maria, who has no enemies.
Gloria, the music lover.
Carl, our resident gourmet.
Jill, who might have once been like Penny.
Not one of them even knows how to be mean.
Wonder
The Story of the World #고대 1
