29 February 2008
A pint-sized surprise revisited
)Published on February 29th, 2008 @ 03:56:33 pm, using 331 words, 43 views
I am engrossed in Me Talk Pretty One Day, having finally arrived at the title essay, bracing myself for Jesus shaves, both looking forward and dreading the coming laughter - that stomach churning monster that folds you in two and has you begging for relief. I am engrossed in the essay, entertaining private thoughts of Paris (and Prague and Dublin while I’m at it) when I look to the left - in that rolling bus motion that makes the words dance on the page - and see a familiar profile. Pint-sized profile. Apple cheeks. Almond, hazel eyes. Actually, a darker shade of brown today. Could it be her? What are the odds? The certainty is great enough to warrant the return of the smile with a life of its own but not complete enough to keep me from grappling with the remaining sliver of doubt or digging for evidence in the most passive way available to me. (I feel lazy and ‘loner-like’. I find myself shunning interaction at present.)
‘Look over here, little girl.’ I hear the words in my head. ‘The view from the window is really not that great! The aisle is where it’s at!’ The blatant self-interest thinly veiled by a combo of raised eyebrow and smirk - also limited to the confines of my head.
No effect.
Those platinum flower earrings, though… just like the ones I used to wear as a child… they tip me off further. But is it really her? She seems more outspoken today. Or more ‘outbabbled,’ rather. More confident on daddy’s lap. Choosing a random syllable and repeating it in a decisive voluntary stutter.
Eventually her little head does swing my way. And it is her. Little Iris. A day older. Already brighter. With added poise. Alert.
Still a magnet to my eyes.
This post is the creative work of Iris Watts Hirideyo and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Iris, Me talk pretty one day, David Sedaris, Jesus shaves, laughter, smile, pint-sized, coincidence, Paris, girl, flower earrings, window, aisle
Permanent Link
