The Girl
“Hi, need some help?” Adrian looked up and saw a girl holding her teddy bear, her eyes filled with curiosity.
“Yeah, a little bit.” He sighed in relief as she helped him get down from the ladder where his feet had gotten stuck. They were at the park, playing. The girl looked very pretty and cute with her hair tied in a neat ponytail.
“Why are you here alone?” the girl asked softly.
“I can’t play with others. I’m new here,” Adrian explained, his face clouded with sadness.
“You can play with me. I have Bobby with me, and we can play together.” Her eyes lit up, and her voice was filled with excitement.
That afternoon, Adrian and the girl played as if they had known each other forever, without even exchanging names.
“Baby, we need to go home,” a lady in her 50s called out gently as she approached the girl.
“But, Nanay, it’s too early to go home,” the girl protested, her lips pouting.
“Your Daddy and your sister are already home, anak. They’re excited to see you,” the lady replied with a warm smile.
The girl turned to Adrian, her eyes filled with genuine warmth, and handed him her teddy bear.
“I like playing with you, but if no one plays with you next time, I’ll leave Bobby with you so you can have someone to play with all day.”
Adrian took the teddy bear, his heart swelling with gratitude. He quickly thought of something to give her in return.
“Ahmm, thank you so much for being nice, but I have nothing with me except this necklace and my tooth. I broke it before you came earlier.” He took his necklace and held out his tooth, which he had been saving for the tooth fairy.
“You can have them both,” he said, offering them with a shy smile.
The girl extended her hand to receive the necklace and tooth.
“Thank you, young man, but I’m sorry, we have to go home now. You can always come back here next time,” the lady said kindly, taking the girl’s hand and gently leading her away.
“If we can’t meet here next time, I’ll make sure to grow up and come find you!” Adrian shouted after her, his voice filled with determination.
The girl looked back, gave him a sweet smile, and said, “Sure!”
Adrian watched her leave and suddenly felt an emptiness as he glanced around at the other kids playing. He knew no one would play with him the same way she did. He clutched Bobby tighter and went back to his mother, who was sitting nearby.
“Hi, honey! I saw you playing with a cute little girl. Did you have fun?” his mother asked, her eyes twinkling with warmth.
“Yes, Mama, but I forgot to ask her name. But she gave me a teddy named Bobby,” Adrian said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Well, we can always come back next time so you can play with her again,” his mother replied, trying to lift his spirits.
As they walked to their car, Adrian couldn’t help but glance back at the park. He was only 12, but now that he had her teddy bear, he became curious about her name and wished to meet her again. Even at that young age, he knew—he wanted to remember her forever.
