A note on Yellow Paper
By ice rivers
- 596 reads
The car was packed. The lights of Citi-Field burned fresh in my memory. We were ready to cross some bridges and take route 17 all the way 400 miles upstate. All that remained was one last goodbye.
I started walking up the driveway to the backyard where Kev and DeLord were waiting. That’s when I spotted a little piece of yellow paper resting facedown on the asphalt.
I picked it up as if it were a fifty dollar bill.
I turned it over and saw a message written in green ink. The handwriting had the clarity and innocence of someone just learning penmanship. The letters were formed with care and vulnerable precision. I guessed the writer to be a little girl of about 11.
This is what the note said. “My favorite color is magic. Fairy colors are different than the colors you see. Fairies are responsible for all of nature’s colors. Look for rainbows.”
I carried the little note with me to the backyard.
I showed the note to Kevin and DeLord.
They couldn’t identify the writing.
As far as they knew, there were no 11 year old girls living in the neighborhood.
We passed the note around in wonder with the feeling that there was cryptic magical meaning in it for all of us.
It was time to say farewell. The sorrow was surely sweet.
I had just met DeLord the previous night. I wished I had known her forty years and felt as if I did.
I had known Kevin for 50 years but we hadn’t seen each other in 40.
“It’s as if no time has passed,” Kev said. “we started up right where we left off so many years ago.”
I agreed and we shook hands. The costumes of weight and wrinkles had disappeared as we looked at one another and saw the youths we were when we were brave. The colors were magical.
I said what I always say in situations where I know there is a possibility that I may never see the person again.
“see you tomorrow”
I headed for the car.
I turned back for one last look and as one we said
“Look for rainbows”
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Comments
yeh, I wrote that note, all
yeh, I wrote that note, all those years ago. rainbows and all.
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