Sunday, September 26, 2010

ARCHIVE : The umbrella and the lady bug


The umbrella and the lady bug

8/04/2009
The umbrella and the lady bug

It was a rainy day in August and Sarah just got off from work. She had counted the hours until she could leave because she had a party to attend that night. She needed to get home to change into a Hawaiian dress. Someone had decided that a Hawaiian anniversary party was a brilliant idea. She held the blue umbrella that her mother gave to her the day before she moved to the city. Her mother was a worrier. She reminded Sarah to never leave the dormitory without that blue umbrella. It had been a year since she moved to the city and she has kept her promise never to leave home without that umbrella.
Sarah didn't have money to buy a lei to match her Hawaiian dress. She decided to improvise by picking flowers from random gardens. She knew she had to be discreet or she might get in trouble. She managed to pick up fallen yellow bells on her way home.
While on the bus, she noticed that there was a ladybug inside one of the flowers. It had crawled its way out and was on her right arm. She smiled at the ladybug and realized how much she missed catching bugs with her little nieces and nephews. Home seemed so far all of a sudden.
She put the wet blue umbrella on the seat beside her so she wouldn't forget and placed the ladybug inside her hands. She decided she would let it go when she got off the bus.
Memories of why she left for the city flooded her mind. It seemed so long ago when she did but the pain was still there.
She stood in front of the church not knowing what to say. He had whispered it at first and she thought she hadn't heard it.
"I can't do this," he said.
He said it again and she wanted to scream at him. He faced everyone and said something that she didn't hear. All she could hear was someone screaming. It sounded like her. But it couldn't be because although her mouth was open no sound came out of it.
Everyone was so nice after that, too nice. She thanked those who sympathized and hid from people who she could not bear to see. She was the ladybug in her hands. Everyone wanted her to be okay. They protected her from the pain. But she was trapped, walking around in circles, not knowing where to go.
The bus stopped and she got off just in time. She rushed to the nearest flower pot and placed the ladybug on a leaf. She smiled and wished the ladybug a happy life.
She felt a raindrop fall on her face. She realized that she left her blue umbrella, the one her mother gave her, on the bus. She looked up and felt more raindrops fall on her cheeks. She smiled and said to herself, "A little rain never hurt anyone."

at 9:54 PM

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