I was lying down with arms behind my head, staring at the blue sky speckled with white clouds. The little girl played with a white flower and told me stories about school.
The gazebo was far from the playground and I could hear adults laughing and toasting their wine glasses. I’d much rather be on the slide, I thought.
The little girl and I played twenty questions. I learned her favorite color was pink and she wanted to grow no more than 5 feet tall. I was tall in her eyes; I didn’t tell her someday she would be much taller than me and when that happens, good for her! She learned my shoe size was 6 1/2 and that we can swap clothes. If she were a flower, she’d be a gerbera. She laughed when I didn’t know what the kidney’s filtering system was. We giggled when I tried making faces that reminded her of Spongebob.
“It’s time to go home now.”
Both of us looked up, then she turned her face to me. “Bye-bye, Ate Toni.” I got up from the slide, walked with her across the playground and went straight to the car. I looked back at the orange slide and the flowers thrown by the wind across the grass. If only I were a kid again, if only I could beg to stay some more, if only I could throw a tantrum and just stay for one more minute, five more, ten more. That’s not how it is with the grown-up life, is it? There was laundry to claim and floors to clean.
I waved goodbye as the car lurched forward. She waved back. I watched her wave until she became a silhouette against the glow of the afternoon sun, until she blended in with the flowers and the rocks and the green, green grass, until the orange slide faded into the background of trees and pillars, until all I could see was the dirt grey road.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
dexie
August 15, 2005 at 11:49 pm (19 years ago)This is a nice read Toni.
Rey
August 16, 2005 at 7:46 am (19 years ago)Toni parang kailangan mo na ang sarili mong chikiting, biro lang, isipin mo pag lumabas sa iyo na di pwedeng bye bye.palagi kong binabasa ang blog mo pero ngayon lang ako nag post, ok ba?
Toni
August 16, 2005 at 9:15 am (19 years ago)dexie: Thanks dear.
Rey: Salamat naman sa pagdaan at sa pagcomment! Oo nga ‘no, kung sarili kong anak di na pwedeng magbye-bye. Di ko naisip yun hehe.
Linnor
August 16, 2005 at 9:31 am (19 years ago)Lovely post, Toni!
Christine
August 16, 2005 at 12:16 pm (19 years ago)this is such a sweet post…awwww
Toni
August 16, 2005 at 1:44 pm (19 years ago)linnor: thanks marikit sis!
cg: hehe i get sentimental over my 10-year-old cousin.
Sidney
August 16, 2005 at 4:34 pm (19 years ago)Indeed a very moving and sweet story !
Nice short story. You have talent !
Toni
August 16, 2005 at 8:23 pm (19 years ago)sidney: Ah, that’s true to life. 😉 Thanks for the nice words Sidney!
Paul
August 16, 2005 at 9:46 pm (19 years ago)so is this one of the products of your writing/poetry lessons? good.
Pao
August 16, 2005 at 10:08 pm (19 years ago)nice post toni. sweetly narrated. hay, brings back happy childhood memories.
Toni
August 16, 2005 at 11:06 pm (19 years ago)paul: I’m a bad student. I didn’t apply the techniques I learned to this piece hahahaha!
Nah, it’s not one of my exercises/homework… just wrote about last Sunday’s epiphany. Sometimes I wish I were stuck in Neverland you know.
pao: thanks dear!
meeyagirl
August 16, 2005 at 11:50 pm (19 years ago)i don’t care if you didn’t apply any techniques, ate toni! this one is so poignant!
jeanny
August 17, 2005 at 12:08 am (19 years ago)Hi Toni. parang nasa movie ang scenario nyo. Well narrated ika nga.
Parang I was reading a short story.
Hope makabalik ka sa place na un to spend more time with your 10-year old cousin 😀
BabyPink
August 17, 2005 at 2:38 am (19 years ago)very, very nice entry…:) made me feel nostalgic.
thanks again for having me (us) there. sana pala kiniss ko ‘yung frog, baka siya na prinsipe ko!:)
Toni
August 17, 2005 at 10:44 am (19 years ago)meeyagirl : Haha salamat sister!
jeanny : Oo nga sobra ko na siyang namimiss eh.
diane: Thanks for the compliment and on the frog naman… Kiss? Ew! 😛 Malay mo pagbalik niyo dun, naghihintay siya sa ‘yo. One for you and one for Bok!
ting
August 17, 2005 at 12:16 pm (19 years ago)I thought it was your product of imagination. i wish you’ll have your own na rin. I can assure you that there would be happier days than that..
Yasmin
August 17, 2005 at 1:26 pm (19 years ago)Beautiful.
Toni
August 17, 2005 at 2:44 pm (19 years ago)ting: Aww ting thanks.
yasmin: Thanks sweetie.
tin
August 18, 2005 at 8:28 am (19 years ago)Very nice, Toni!
Toni
August 18, 2005 at 7:23 pm (19 years ago)tin: Thanks sis!
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