Chapter 2: Fly Pink elephant Fly...
Fly pink elephant, fly.
Soar to the jewel in the sky
Find the light to break the night
Fly pink elephant, fly.
Fly pink elephant, fly.
Soar to the jewel in the sky
Find the light to break the night
Fly pink elephant, fly.
I quickly read the words and scan the cute half colored pink elephant with wings picture, before hara tries to snatch the note book from my hands. “No way you drew this hara?” She reaches for it but I move it in the air out of her reach. Even though she has long arms and is tall she misses. “Don’t look! Don’t look! It’s so embarrassing!” She squeals next to me as we lean against the brick wall of the school yard. Hara’s so shy “So what? I think it’s cute.”
Hara is my true Friend. She doesn’t judge me. She loves me.
She relaxes and we sit closer to each other and I lean my head on her shoulder as I flip threw the rest of the note book, seeking the rest of the unfinished book.
Hara’s dream is to become a children’s book illustrator and that is a secret only I’m privy to.
“When I’m finished drawing it all I’ll give it to you kiko.” I smile and touch the wings of the elephant and reply “Okay.”
Wonderful hara. I know just about everything about her. I lover her. I know what it is to love.
After school we go our separate ways and I head to the mall. A man in his middle ages walks up to me. They always do. He taps me on my shoulder and speaks. “Um…This is my first time doing something like this… Do I give you money just to even talk to you?” I turn around to him and face his lust. “Yes.”
But Hara doesn’t even know half of the real me. I’m sure she’d probably break is she found out. But that’s not all because I have a sleeping beauty for a mom.
I’m lonely. So lonely. So I ring up someone to “love” me.
“Hay kiko? Is there anything you want?” I lay sleepily in the bed with only this mans shirt over me. I don’t reply. He gets up and pulls on his pants. “How about a purse or something?” I sit up. “Yes... a purse would be nice.” He wraps his arms around me into a hug and kisses my lips ever so slightly. “Alright then let’s go.”
The memory in my phone is filled with so many names I don’t need, but I remain unable to erase them.
I see hara at school every time I go, but hara is moving soon. Hara is the only person who keeps me soaring. “Hay kiko! Look! Look! This outfit is so cute. I bet it would look great on you.” I sit face to face with her as I sit on someone elses desk in front of hers. “I think it would look better on you hara. You’re more beautiful.” She smiles faintly. “You’re beautiful to kiko beside your more glamorous. This outfit suits someone more glamorous. You’re the glamorous type kiko so I’m sure it would look good on you.” Is that how I seem to hara? Glamorous?
After school.
I call up another useless number in my phone so I can be “loved” because I don’t know any other way of assuaging this feeling of not being loved. I know hara loves me, but I know she wouldn’t love me if she knew what I do to be loved.
A few weeks later hara and I were walking home.
“-Ko. Kiko!” I come out of my daze and look at her. “Yah I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.” She pointed to my bag. “Your phone is ringing silly.” I look down at my bag. “Oh it’s ok.” It’s no one special. She laughs. “Hay kiko maybe we should go to the park huh? Go play on the play ground.” I laugh she says the most juvenile stuff so casually. “Hara we’re not in grade school anymore!” I can’t wipe the smile off my face. “We’re almost 18.” She bounces along with a skip in her step. “So? Let’s go on the swings so we can feel like we’re flying.” Hara you always seem so happy… do you ever feel sad? Are you even sad that you’re leaving me behind? That we may never see each other again?
“Hara-” I jump not being able to finish my sentence. Someone placed their hand on my shoulder. Hara stops walking and looks at the person behind me. He starts to talk as I turn around to see who it is. “Your name... kiko was it?” this man is middle ages somewhere between his 20’s and 30’s. Who is this?
I can’t help but stare at him blankly. “It’s me. Don’t you remember? Maybe you have forgotten. I bought you a watch.” My heart is racing. No… No! No! No!! Go away! Go away.
Hara looks at him then me. “Who’s this kiko?” This man looks at her. “Oh? Is this your friend? Your friend is kind of cute to.” He smiles pleased with himself. Stop. Stop it! Don’t touch her! Don’t you touch her! Hara’s my treasure. Don’t dirty her with your words. He reaches out to shake her hand. My heart is a humming bird in my throat. “NO!!” I scream cringing, covering my ears with me hands. The blood rushing to my ears, and my eyes shut tight in fears. Hara looks at me and the man frowns. I hear her worried voice over my hands “Kiko…” Her deep soft voice flows like velvet. Don’t look at me! Hara don’t look! Don’t see this pitiful side of me! I’ll break if you do… Please hara… I runaway leaving her there standing with him… another one of my useless numbers.
Hara… I couldn’t look her in the face after that.
I pant as I open the door to my house. I sniff by snot and tears as I leave my bag on the floor making my way into the living room. I look over and see my father sleeping on the couch still in his tie. My father works as a translator or something. Until 3 years ago he used to work as a music teacher at my school. His left arm is discolored a purple hue and he’s unable to control it properly, but that’s not all because he also has a sleeping beauty.
I hear the kids telling my story as I walk to school.
“Yeah so her parents got in this accident and her dad can’t play violin anymore.” My father was a teacher at this schools until her got his injury. “Wow really?” “Yah and his wife who was sitting right next to him became a vegetable.” “Huh!?” The listener laughs. “It’s like a TV drama or something.”
Such a serious heavy story… so much that to me it seems unreal. The truth of the matter is that they hated me for all that has happened. If I had never been born that maybe my parents wouldn’t have gone to meet my home room teacher that day. That they wouldn’t have got into an accident.
Whenever my father’s phone doesn’t connect I know he’s at the hospital visiting his “wife”.
The last time I meet sleeping beauty was a year ago before hara became my friend. She had many long tube stuck in her body. That long hair and voice that I had always admired were both gone. When…?
Hurry up…
Since when did I become like this?
Hurry up and die…
The next day I phone my father and it directs me to his mail box. I’m lonely… So I dial yet another useless number. “Hi.” The receiver replies. “Hay kiko how’s it going?” I take a deep breath. “Can you see me right now?” He laughs heartily know what we will do. “Sure! Where are you right now?” I look to the sky. Its mid afternoon already? “ I’m at the park.” We hang up and I wait on the wire fence. He rounds the corner a young man, 22 to be exact. I straiten up. “Sorry to call you out here.” He traces my face. “No problem I was just having a couple of drinks with my collage buddies.” Then that voice his like velvet thunder waking me up in the middle of the night. “Kiko?” I look over his shoulder to see hara standing there smiling that ‘long time no see’ smile. I feel ashamed… why? “I’m sorry you can go back to your friends now.” I tell him and walk towards hara. “kiko!?” He says as I grab hara’s hand and we make out way to the swings. We sit down and stay quite for a while. Then she bends over and reaches into her bag and pulls out her note book. She hands it to me and I take it. “I was guna show it to you at school today but you were there kiko.” I open the book and read the last missing page.
You flew pink elephant you flew.
Once you found the jewel you knew.
You found the sun and placed the moon.
You flew pink elephant you flew.
Once you found the jewel you knew.
You found the sun and placed the moon.
You flew pink elephant you flew.
“See kiko? He finds it. The jewel in the sky.” I traced the colored picture of the pink elephant hugging the sun and moon with the stars around. I smile “It’s cute.” I hand it to her but she doesn’t take it. “Your sun to…” She takes the book and opens it to the first page and hands it back to me, smiling. “You’ll be okay. I’m sure you’ll find it.”
-To the person who knew how to love. My Kiko
I don’t know hara like I thought I did. I don’t know half about hara, but hara knew more about me then I thought and was more beautiful then I had imagined.
As for my “jewel in the sky”…
Bit by bit I’m going to delete the names I don’t need from my cell phone.
Hara looks up to the sky and I do the same. Hara smiles and tells me “The clouds… they’re moving fast now.”
Hara, Thanks to you I think tomorrow, the day before you leave, Ill take you with me so we can finally see my sleeping beauty.
