More True Stories

Panting, I could see the small shape of a smiling white face polking out from under the upper supports of the iron bridge. She was lying down on the edge of the small cliff of soil that led into the sheltered underspace. She was giggling. I climbed into the wide, shallow divet and took a seat beside her in the dirt.

"I'm the first one!" I whispered ecstatically.
"Good job! I'm proud of you!"

In the dark shadow of the bridge we spoke some more about the joy of being first place, until she said: "O.K., so what you you have?"

I cleared my throat and spoke in a hushed voice, so as not to give away the hiding spot. "O.K., so this is a song I sing with the kids at work. You have to repeat after me. Ey oh bo diddley-bop..."

It was a silly song and she laughed at the rhyme I made for her name (I pronounced "bologna" to rhyme with Colondra).

"That was amazing." She went in for a hug and I wrapped my sweaty arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. We were still laughing. "Happy birthday," I said.

My brother found us soon after and gave her the teal cape with red lining that he had sewed for her. Half an hour later, the others came in at roughly the same time. Cody told a Norse myth. Alison and Leah played and sang a duet on their ukuleles. Tom improvised a song about Colondra, and Sierra spray-painted a wrapped present on the side of the bridge.

We crawled out from under the iron supports and walked back to Colondra's place in what was now urban darkness.

Over drinks, Tom talked about his philosphy degree, academia in general, and his plans to become a doctor. Alana talked about children, and schools. I talked to Alana about the effects of bad attitudes in caregivers.

And I admired my friends so strongly.