ninety: one rainbow too many.
Andrea sat and watched the children playing in the park as she had done so many times before, unaware she was also being observed. She was startled by a voice close beside her.
"Do you like rainbows?" the voice asked.
Andrea turned to see a small girl leaning on the back of the park bench.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said, do you like rainbows?" The question was repeated with a great deal of patience.
"Yes," Andrea answered with a smile. "I think they're beautiful."
"Do you have a little girl?" the child asked, sitting in a most lady-like fashion, beside her new found friend.
"No," came the wistful reply. "I've always wanted one, but so far I haven't been lucky enough to have any children."
"Perhaps it's one rainbow too many." The little one looked up at ANdrea.Something in her eyes said she was wise beyond her years and the woman felt a tinge of sadness that was almost pain.
"What do you mean, one rainbow too many?"
"Well..." THe girl sighed and Andrea couldn't help noticing how thin and pale she was compared with the other children in the park. The object of her concern puhsed a strand of blonde hair back and went on with her explanation. "You see, rainbows are wishes and hopes, and some people just want too much."
"Who told you that?"
"No one, I just know," came the defensive reply. "I have to go now. My name is Angela and I'm eight, but I'll be nine soon. To be nine is my next rainbow."
Andrea watched the small figure slip through some broken palings into the yard of an old weatherboard cottage beside the park.
She though about Angela on the drive home and wondered what she had meant by nine being her next rainbow. Later that night when her husband came home, Andrea told him about the strange child she had met in the park. As usual, Daniel just grunted and settled down in front of the television. She wondered how long they'd been living this way, locked in their own separate worlds. Seemed like an eternity.
Andrea felt herslef drawn back to the park time and time again. Often, Angela would come and they would talk for ages about Daniel, the other children in the park and sometimes, rainbows. But the child would never speak about herself. She seemed at times to be feeling poorly, but never complained. There were long periods when she wouldn't appear at all and when she did, she would simply say she'd been busy.
One day, after one such absence, Angela came and sat quietly on the park bench. Andrea's heart sank at the sight of her little friend.
Angela was so pale and despite the warmth of the afternoon, she wore a bright red woollen cap pulled low over her ears. They sat for a while without speaking.
"Do you know something?" said Andrea at last. "In all the time you've known me, you've never asked my name."
"Well..." Angela squinted up at her with an enquiring look.
"Well, my name is Andrea Millers. You know I'm married, I'm twenty nine, no - that's a fib. I was thirty last month."
"I'm going to draw you a picture," Angela said suddenly. "I'll give it to you on my ninth birthday, that's next month. I have to go now, there's my mother."
She turned to leave and Andrea saw that her eyes were filled with tears.
"Darling, what is it?" Andrea begged.
"Is it wrong," whispered Angela, "to want just one more rainbow?"
She was gone before Andrea could think of an answer. She saw a woman on the other side of the fence waiting and impulsively waved her hand. The woman gave her a tired smile and turned away.
The weeks slipped by but Angela never came. Andrea even ventured in and knocked on the door of the rundown cottage but there was no answer. SHe had begun to wonder if maybe they'd moved, when one day she was joined by Angela's mother.
"Forgive me, I should have spoken to you sooner," the woman began. "Somehow I felt I would be intruding. I have something for you, it's from our little Angela. She begged me to give it to you. She said 'It's for my lady in the park'. She said you'd understand."
The woman handed Andrea a sheet of neatly folded paper and watched intently as it was unfolded. There in a bright array of colours, Angela had drawn a rainbow. Beneath it was a single word, 'LOVE'.
"Where is she?" Andrea asked, but she already knew the answer.
"our Angela's gone," was the weary reply. She rose and began to walk away, then turned and spoke to Andrea again. "We'll be leaving tomorrow, me and my husband. There's nothing here for us now. Thank you. Thank you for caring."
"Wait!" Andrea called after her. "Did she make it to nine?"
The reply was a simple shake of the head.
"One rainbow too many, my little Angela." whispered Andrea.
THe tears she cried were bitter-sweet. SHe would miss her little friend terribly, but Angela's last rainbow had been for her. It was her gift of love. Andrea knew that there were still rainbows left for herself and Daniel, if they just knew where to find them.
"Do you like rainbows?" the voice asked.
Andrea turned to see a small girl leaning on the back of the park bench.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said, do you like rainbows?" The question was repeated with a great deal of patience.
"Yes," Andrea answered with a smile. "I think they're beautiful."
"Do you have a little girl?" the child asked, sitting in a most lady-like fashion, beside her new found friend.
"No," came the wistful reply. "I've always wanted one, but so far I haven't been lucky enough to have any children."
"Perhaps it's one rainbow too many." The little one looked up at ANdrea.Something in her eyes said she was wise beyond her years and the woman felt a tinge of sadness that was almost pain.
"What do you mean, one rainbow too many?"
"Well..." THe girl sighed and Andrea couldn't help noticing how thin and pale she was compared with the other children in the park. The object of her concern puhsed a strand of blonde hair back and went on with her explanation. "You see, rainbows are wishes and hopes, and some people just want too much."
"Who told you that?"
"No one, I just know," came the defensive reply. "I have to go now. My name is Angela and I'm eight, but I'll be nine soon. To be nine is my next rainbow."
Andrea watched the small figure slip through some broken palings into the yard of an old weatherboard cottage beside the park.
She though about Angela on the drive home and wondered what she had meant by nine being her next rainbow. Later that night when her husband came home, Andrea told him about the strange child she had met in the park. As usual, Daniel just grunted and settled down in front of the television. She wondered how long they'd been living this way, locked in their own separate worlds. Seemed like an eternity.
Andrea felt herslef drawn back to the park time and time again. Often, Angela would come and they would talk for ages about Daniel, the other children in the park and sometimes, rainbows. But the child would never speak about herself. She seemed at times to be feeling poorly, but never complained. There were long periods when she wouldn't appear at all and when she did, she would simply say she'd been busy.
One day, after one such absence, Angela came and sat quietly on the park bench. Andrea's heart sank at the sight of her little friend.
Angela was so pale and despite the warmth of the afternoon, she wore a bright red woollen cap pulled low over her ears. They sat for a while without speaking.
"Do you know something?" said Andrea at last. "In all the time you've known me, you've never asked my name."
"Well..." Angela squinted up at her with an enquiring look.
"Well, my name is Andrea Millers. You know I'm married, I'm twenty nine, no - that's a fib. I was thirty last month."
"I'm going to draw you a picture," Angela said suddenly. "I'll give it to you on my ninth birthday, that's next month. I have to go now, there's my mother."
She turned to leave and Andrea saw that her eyes were filled with tears.
"Darling, what is it?" Andrea begged.
"Is it wrong," whispered Angela, "to want just one more rainbow?"
She was gone before Andrea could think of an answer. She saw a woman on the other side of the fence waiting and impulsively waved her hand. The woman gave her a tired smile and turned away.
The weeks slipped by but Angela never came. Andrea even ventured in and knocked on the door of the rundown cottage but there was no answer. SHe had begun to wonder if maybe they'd moved, when one day she was joined by Angela's mother.
"Forgive me, I should have spoken to you sooner," the woman began. "Somehow I felt I would be intruding. I have something for you, it's from our little Angela. She begged me to give it to you. She said 'It's for my lady in the park'. She said you'd understand."
The woman handed Andrea a sheet of neatly folded paper and watched intently as it was unfolded. There in a bright array of colours, Angela had drawn a rainbow. Beneath it was a single word, 'LOVE'.
"Where is she?" Andrea asked, but she already knew the answer.
"our Angela's gone," was the weary reply. She rose and began to walk away, then turned and spoke to Andrea again. "We'll be leaving tomorrow, me and my husband. There's nothing here for us now. Thank you. Thank you for caring."
"Wait!" Andrea called after her. "Did she make it to nine?"
The reply was a simple shake of the head.
"One rainbow too many, my little Angela." whispered Andrea.
THe tears she cried were bitter-sweet. SHe would miss her little friend terribly, but Angela's last rainbow had been for her. It was her gift of love. Andrea knew that there were still rainbows left for herself and Daniel, if they just knew where to find them.