Quiet. Contained. Intelligent.
Her eyes curve delicately towards her nose and curve up towards her ears. Her hair is a beautiful brown, the kind you could find in the downy feathers of a raven.
The connection between us is quiet. Simple. Abiding. Just sitting, comforting one another. This week she'd been performing. Dancing. Her Grandma hadn't picked her up to go to the Boy's and Girl's Club. But she found me as soon as she was there.
I have never seen one of the children light up when they saw me before. So many people talk of it...stand in awe...cry as they think back on it. Now those tears are mine. Her eyes come alight under her softly raised eyebrows and her smile curves. I can do nothing but hold her in my arms for a moment.
"See you later" was awful. She may be back tomorrow, she may not. Her grandmother may forget. We don't know.
She wrapped her legs around me as I carry her across the parking lot, walking towards the vans and the teams I have to help feed tonight. So close, her embrace a warm bridge between our bodies. Her head cold has her sniffing, tickling my ear. All I can think is "don't cry." I nuzzle my face in her smooth warm neck and smother it with kisses, making a quiet joke of the pain. A joke that both of us understand isn't one at all, but which we both laugh about. Her giggles vibrate my chest as her knees hold my stomach.
"I love you, Destiny." Her eyes glance up at mine. "I pray that I'll see you tomorrow." "okay." So quiet. Another shy smile. "See ya later." "okay." Her feet pad away. She doesn't look back. She can't. It's survival.
"Hey Katie! High five!" A southerner, a team member, being gregarious. I want to curl up and mourn but I raise my hand. "Awkward turkey!" Smile. Force it. It was a joke. Remember. It was a joke.
Her eyes curve delicately towards her nose and curve up towards her ears. Her hair is a beautiful brown, the kind you could find in the downy feathers of a raven.
The connection between us is quiet. Simple. Abiding. Just sitting, comforting one another. This week she'd been performing. Dancing. Her Grandma hadn't picked her up to go to the Boy's and Girl's Club. But she found me as soon as she was there.
[photo credit: Dawn Weeks]
I have never seen one of the children light up when they saw me before. So many people talk of it...stand in awe...cry as they think back on it. Now those tears are mine. Her eyes come alight under her softly raised eyebrows and her smile curves. I can do nothing but hold her in my arms for a moment.
"See you later" was awful. She may be back tomorrow, she may not. Her grandmother may forget. We don't know.
She wrapped her legs around me as I carry her across the parking lot, walking towards the vans and the teams I have to help feed tonight. So close, her embrace a warm bridge between our bodies. Her head cold has her sniffing, tickling my ear. All I can think is "don't cry." I nuzzle my face in her smooth warm neck and smother it with kisses, making a quiet joke of the pain. A joke that both of us understand isn't one at all, but which we both laugh about. Her giggles vibrate my chest as her knees hold my stomach.
"I love you, Destiny." Her eyes glance up at mine. "I pray that I'll see you tomorrow." "okay." So quiet. Another shy smile. "See ya later." "okay." Her feet pad away. She doesn't look back. She can't. It's survival.
"Hey Katie! High five!" A southerner, a team member, being gregarious. I want to curl up and mourn but I raise my hand. "Awkward turkey!" Smile. Force it. It was a joke. Remember. It was a joke.
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