Chapter 5: " Hi I'm Tamika"

" So I guess you are probably wondering how you got here "

" yeah all I remember was that I was walking and fell and the rest is just dark "

" Well, actually I wasn't the one that found you it was actually my Granddaughter Tamika that found you"

" Oh well where is she know I would like to thank her "

" That girl is always wandering places it is impossible to know exactly where she is. She is so adventurous just like her mother was. "

" Speaking of that girl here is going to be a problem when she comes home", Rosie muttered under her breath

Then she looked at me wondering if I had heard but me being me didn't want her to be embarrassed so I quickly turner my head and looked ou the window.

I wonder what Rosie's granddaughter did?

Out the window, I could hear the sweet melodious chorus of seemingly never repeated notes that the birds were singing. With closed eyes, I imagine their music to be colours, painting stairs in the same way grapevines grow - this way and that, in beautiful chaos that isn't quite random. In the calm of the day, my heartbeat is the steady drum to their melody and I seep into the moment, allowing myself to climb those rainbow stairs.

I feel happy.

The word that I thought I would probably never feel ever again after mother died. It was something about this moment that I wished that it would never end.

I think it was the combination of this sweet tasting tea that soothes me and the feeling of being protected and having no worry.

I feel someone's piercing gaze on me and my eyes flutter open. Rosie is looking at me with a questioning gaze in her eye. I think she has some questions for me. Like who wouldn't. Her granddaughter found me and imposed me on her.

" So I guess you would like to know how I ended up in the forest "

" I'm wondering but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to "

" It's the least I could do considering all you have done for me since you took me in"

And we sit there for some hours as I narrate the story of my life to her.

At some point in the story, tears started to unexpectedly fall from my eyes.

At the end of my story, Rosie stands up and gives me a hug. The hug was a simple enough gesture - affection, perhaps the beginning of a friendship. The arms that held her were warm yet strong. In her embrace, the world stopped still on its axis. There was no time, no wind, no rain. my mind was at peace as I cried.

I cried

and cried

and cried

as I have never cried before.

Rosie kept on whispering to me in her soothing voice to let it all out. The tears I had kept bottled up just flowed out like pools of water falling down a waterfall.

After several minutes of crying in Rosie's arms that felt to me like hours, I finally stopped and wiped my tears. Rosie let go of me and went to her seat and sat down. I already missed the feel of Rosie's arms around me making me feel safe. The absence of her arms made me feel cold.

"Breath Billie", I whispered to myself "Breath" as I put my head down on the table.

Suddenly the door to the front of the house swung open.

"GRAMSIE!!! I'm HOME!! ",

I quickly raised my head from the table and turned my head in the direction of the noise.

THUMP THUMP went the footsteps as they drew closer

A petite girl with chocolate coloured skin suddenly appeared in the doorway and stared at us. She walked towards us, took out her hands from her pockets and brought her hands towards me.

" Hi I'm Tamika "