We Got Older But We're Still Young

“I mean it’s not like I was purposely trying to upset him
…Should I apologise?
… No he should apologise for annoying me!
... Maybe I should say something.” I rambled on as Sara lay flat along the park bench completely zoned out.
“Clouds are the weirdest things…” she thought aloud.
I span my head around to face her.
“Sara! Are you listening to me?” I exclaimed as she groaned.
“I was, but you kept talking about Jaime and I got bored.” She admitted as my mouth opened in offense. “You totally like him, you’re just trying to talk yourself out of it.”

I stayed completely silent as I thought about the words she had just spoke. I told myself that she was wrong, I couldn’t like Jaime, he’s too immature…right?

Sara stood up pulling my arm with her forcing me to stand up.
“Come on.” She said suddenly walking forward.
I quickly picked up my pace to catch up with her.
“Sara! Where are we going? I have homework to do and a bunch of sick children who need me.” I whined forcing her to roll her eyes.
“This wont take long.” She stated as she forced me to sit on a bench facing a small café in the middle of the park.
Sara reached into my bad pulling out the piece of paper Mr Corker gave us to write on. Quickly she thrust the paper and a pen into my hand.
“What do you want me to do with this?” I asked confused.
“Eat it” Sara stated with sarcasm.

“Just look at that café in front of us… and then write down three things about Jaime… and they CANT be mean things.”
I looked forward in confusion. How was a café meant to help me write my poem on Jaime? I continued staring at the café completely unsure with what I was meant to do until I saw it.
The café had a little stage where a boy was perched on a chair.
I spun my gaze around to meet Sara’s, she smiled at me slightly before forcing me to turn back. Jaime sat in front of the people sitting at the tables enjoying coffees, holding a guitar.
“How did you know he worked here?” I asked Sara suspiciously which she just shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Okay, I just wrote this song and uh… yeah. Hope you like it.” Jaime said awkwardly forcing the chatter from everyone in the café to stop.
My jaw dropped as he started strumming his guitar and singing the words that HE wrote. I couldn’t understand how someone so frustrating and annoying could be so talented and write lyrics that…deep.
“Three words.” Sara said nudging me. I looked down at my page. Three words that were not insults… that couldn’t be THAT hard.
I stared at the page on my lap as a whole bunch of nothing came to mind. I tapped my pen impatiently on my knee racking my mind for a single word.

Suddenly the background noise of Jaime singing forced a mixture of words into my head. I moved my pen over to the page scribbling words down fast.
-Talented, lyrical, profound.

Sara looked over at my chosen words and nodded her head.
“Okay now, let’s get you to that hospital!” She yelled loudly forcing people to look over our way… including Jaime.

---

“I made you a picture for you Freddi.” A young voice said from across the room. I walked over to see a young boy smiling brightly.
“Really!?” I spoke excitedly taking the picture from his hands. “This is amazing Troy!”
He looked up at me and smiled as I examined the two stick figures drawn on the page beside a rainbow.
“It’s meant to be me and you after I finally get a heart transplant and I’m all better and happy” Troy said. I leaned over his bed leaving a kiss on his forehead.
“It’s lovely. I’ll hang it on my wall at home!” I said as I turned to leave the room.

The kids in this place were filled with so much hope, they are all so convinced that things will be fine and that being sad is no way to live.
Maybe that’s why I like it here, they all kind of have the same attitudes when it comes to issues… if it’s out of mind it doesn’t exist. I don’t know if that’s the best way to solve things… but I guess it works for me.

Parents, sibling, aunts, uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers all poured through the doors as visiting time started. Normally I wasn’t here when all the families came to visit, but it was a nice change to see the kid’s faces light up when they see their family.
I walked over and stood by the nearby nurse as she was filling out papers.
“No one here for Delilah?” I asked peering into her room as she sat playing with her cards. The nurse shook her head as she looked up glumly at me. “Poor thing” I whispered walking towards her door. I didn’t know much about Delilah’s family but I did know that her parents never came to see her. I heard that they didn’t want to put that much stress on themselves so they pretended that they never had a daughter.

“Hi sweetie, how’s the magic going?” I asked her as I sat beside her bed.
“Freddi! I learnt a trick, wanna see?” Delilah said excitedly which I nodded my head at. I watched her little face as she moved the cards around forcing me to choose one.

“Is this your card!?” She sung.
“It is! Whoa, how’d you do that? You’ve had those cards for less than two days and you already are the best magician I’ve seen!” I said causing giggles to escape from her face.

---

“I’ll see you tomorrow sweetie.” I whispered to Delilah before standing up.
“Okay” She mumbled tiredly. “I’m having a visitor tomorrow, maybe you…can…meet…them.” Delilah whispered trailing off into sleep.

The thought of her having a visitor made a smile come to my face. She deserves to have the whole country lining up to visit her.
But I really would like to meet them.