Martha is 9 years old. For 10 days already, I am a guest in her family’s place. She has a very interesting character, and much can be said about it, but I want to tell you two stories, in which her character traits showed themselves in the most vivid way.
We went to a cafe together. We were talking and eating ice-cream. Sunlight beams fell on our table, and we moved to a cooler place. In a couple of minutes, two girls, 7-8 years old, sat at that table. When we moved, Martha left her coins on that table. Once the girls sat down, they noticed them. They hurried to gather them and ran to their grandfather who was coming up to the table. They were jumping and laughing loudly while telling their grandfather about the money they had found. The girls were so happy! They put the coins on the table, counting them over and over and expressing their joy loudly. First, I did not know why they were so happy and just followed them wondering. When Martha explained that she left her money there and the girls found it, I suggested her to go and take it. She refused right then, saying. “Let them keep it; they are so happy.”
I was happy as well… happy for Martha.
Martha’s father took her for a tour with her friend in his car. They were so happy! It was their first tour ever. Martha’s friend was so joyful that she was kicking the driver’s seat in front of her, in which Martha’s father sat, laughing loudly. She was becoming even more joyful and was kicking the driver’s seat in front of her harder. Unable to bear it any longer, Martha’s father told her to stop her friend and ask her to lower her legs. A little later he regretted getting angry and asked Martha, “Martha, was your friend offended when I told her to stop kicking my seat?” Martha replied, “I did not tell her that you were angry; I just told her, ‘Jane, can you reach the floor with your feet?’” Jane, who did not know Armenian and spoke with Martha in English, said, ‘Sure’ and lowered her legs right then.
Martha lives making people around her happy. The world would be a more beautiful place if each of us repeated the words of a late poet Misak Metsarents, “Lord, give me happiness, an unselfish one.” Martha lives in Sacramento and she does not know about Metsarents yet, but lives according to his words.
Martha is fond of dancing. She dances everywhere, even on stairs.