Chapter 56

"Say, Lily, what's your special talent?" I asked her. We were waiting for a taxi to come and pick us up. Lily was doing all kinds of weird motions with her body; I think it's because she was bored. Maybe, I should buy myself another car, waiting around for a stupid taxi wasn't cutting it. Our looks contrasted very much, so it brought about many stares as pedestrians strolled past us to their daily lives. Newspapers were being passed out, still, and the sounds of engines purring lined the streets. It was a busy day, just like any other day. Like yesterday, and the day before that. It will be like this tomorrow and the day after that. I would bet all my money on that too. I always wonder how the world goes on without care when there are so many things wrong with it. Racism, sexism, the wealth gap, death, destruction, poison, hunger, thirst, fights, battles, wars, bloodshed, shame, embarrassment, loneliness. There were thousands more. Maybe even hundreds of thousands. But, how? I studied each person that went past me and Lily. The clothes that they were wearing, the materials that they were holding, the prejudices that they were carrying. Skin color, ethnicity, heritage, background, social status, maturity. I studied it. The looks of a person could tell a tale worth writing down. How could they go on like that? Was it ignorance of what was going on? I watched a dark-skinned woman in a red suit walk past a tired old beggar without even giving him a glance. Or, was it arrogance? Maybe it's because each person only had one true problem that can't be solved no matter how much they try. Maybe to fill that gap, they need to drown the rest out. Maybe...Maybe...

"I can sing!" Lily replied enthusiastically. I snapped back to reality, leaving my fleeting thoughts behind. I looked at her to reground myself to the present moment; she was still in her plain, solid grey t-shirt and loose-fitting leggings. She swayed impatiently from side to side, waiting for a ride. Ah-ha! I got a perfect idea! I should buy her a car! I mean, she was sixteen.

"Lily, do you have a driver's license?"

She shook her head and said, "Nope. I've never taken the test; it's not like we can afford a car anyway." My heart sank; what kind of child has no enthusiasm for getting their driver's license?

I shrugged the question off and said, "You know, your f-" I cut myself off immediately.

"Do I know what, Flin?" she asked curiously. Her eyes looked into mine with a sense of wanting to know. Know my secrets. Know my hardships. I glanced back at her.

Fuck. I almost screwed up by mentioning her father. I tried to save myself, "F...Flowers! Did you know that flowers grow better when they have music around them?!" Nervous drops of sweat began to drip down my neck to the back. I gave her an uneasy smile, hoping that would ward her off.

"That's silly, Flin! Are you trying to make one of those old people jokes?" she laughed. I rubbed my neck thinking if having an innocent granddaughter was a blessing or a curse. *Crack* *Boom* "Ah!" I looked at Lily to see her trembling after her short, sudden jump into the air.

"Lily, are you alright?" I asked her. The sky fell with raindrops descending on the mortals below. They were small, fragile, and delicate, but the numerous amount of them made up for all of that. It was as if the heavens had forgotten to turn off the sprinklers. Even though the rain was drenching, it was still merciful; the drops refracted artificial lights in the city to create mini-majestic rainbows that would make someone's day. I pulled out an umbrella from my ass. Just kidding, I snatched someone else's which was left on the bench near the place we were standing. I opened it up and covered a minor portion of the visible sky with a black, looming figure. "Lily, get in here! You'll get...umm..." I looked at her embracing the rain with a cheerful smile, "get even wetter?" I wasn't sure how to usher her in when she was enjoying it. I moved over to her and placed the umbrella over her head.

"What did you do that for, Flin?" she pouted.

I responded with much gusto, "If you get a cold by the time we get to your school, then you might not be able to perform!"

Lily looked down at her feet and said, "You're right. I'm sorry; I just love the rain. It feels like the world is giving me a hug."

I sigh remembering the times when my son would drag me outside into the rain with him. He would make me sit on a bench or table or something and start to sing. His voice would fill my ears with all the sweet things that I could think of. His voice...like honey...like sugar...like love. He would then laugh after finishing his made-up tunes, and I would clap along and give him great big applause at the end. I would look up at the grey clouds slowly parting to make way for a divine rainbow with all of its colors glistening brightly- his smile would make it ten times better. After he got tired, I would set him on my lap while his head rested upon my chest. His warm body would sleep to the rhythm of my heart as I told him stories about heroes, warriors, and kings. Then, I would carry him all the way up the stairs and set him in his bed. His mother would scold me for gifting him a cold. I chuckled sadly. I missed his precious voice. I missed his smile, his warmth, his gaze, his cute pair of dimples. I missed...him. I missed my son. "I understand," I told her softly, "I once loved the rain too."