Dancing in the Rain

Growing up is tough. When you’re a cute little baby, adults think everything you say and do is a miracle. Then you get older and you’re way more awkward, trying to find your path in the middle of all the other kids trying to do the same thing. 

The new kid in school Emmy was one of the awkward. Not particularly good at anything,  she was lumped into the goofy category by most kids, relegated to obscurity. 

She wore that label like a suit of armor, usually trying to blend into the landscape, as her invisibility cloak, sitting up against a bush at lunchtime. Until Skizitz came up to her.

“Are you new? Do you wanna sit with us?”

Dressed in a rainbow colored T-shirt and bright pink pants with neon green shoes and a red cape around her neck and her curly red hair in pigtails, Skizitz was the most different looking girl Emmy ever saw. But she gratefully accepted her invitation.

Skizitz was one of the band of misfits in the cafeteria. They didn’t belong to any other group, but together they made a collection of kind people who unconditionally took Emmy in as their own. 

They ate, traded food and talked about nothing in particular, but with them, suddenly Emmy realized she didn’t feel like the new kid anymore. 

Finding themselves in the same classroom, Emmy stuck to Skizitz like glue, her beacon in the lonely fog of middle school. 

A normally shy girl, Emmy mustered all of her strength to try and solidify the friendship. 

“Do you want to walk home together?” Emmy asked. 

“Sure,” Skizitz smiled, and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go to my house.”

Her house was not like others in the area, with one exception… her glass enclosed patio play area. 

It was bright and sunny shining a light on  her amazing menagerie of make believe. There were costumes for pirates, Cowboys space aliens, princesses, superheroes and anything else Emmy could think of with wigs, hats, and accessories to pretend.

“Look at these princess dresses. Could we play princess?” Emmy asked. 

Skizitz smiled. “You mean like we were princesses and an evil wizard turned us into ugly frogs until we save someone from a horrible situation.”

Emmy wasn’t sure what she meant, but smiled and went along. She once read that an imaginative mind and spirit can take you any place you wanna go and she wanted to follow Skizitz wherever she went. 

Within minutes, Skizitz concocted the most bizarre costume of bumblebee with a silver alien antenna headband and sparkly fairy wings with a gold sequined jacket and sword fastened with a red sash around her waist. 

“I’ll be Froglebee, a Frog Prince turned who was turned into a bumblebee by the evil king. You can be the princess in the big castle who talks to bees and picks the flowers in the garden. You will save frog bee from the mean king was trying to destroy the pretty flowers and gardens to keep the frog prince from taking his place as King. 

Emmy smiled and nodded in admiration. There was no limit to her imagination, she came up with the most interesting things to say and do. 

As they played, suddenly they heard a tring tring ting sound on the glass windows. Despite the sun shining bright, it was raining. One of those wonderful summer rainstorms. 

Guess it looked up at Emmy and smiled, sporadically discarding her costume one piece at a time while running out the door. 

“Come on Emmy. Let’s dance in the rain,” she said. 

“But we’ll get all wet,” Emmy reasoned. 

Out the door, Skizitz raised her arms up and cheered with excitement, allowing the water to wash over her. 

“Yeah. Isn’t it great,” she said. 

Removing her princess costume, Emmy ran after her and they skipped, danced and sang, happily drenched. 

As the rain dwindled to a drizzle, Emmy pointed up into the sky. 

“Look a rainbow!” 

Skititz’s eyes gleamed. 

“Race you to the end to find the pot of gold.”

Emmy ran after her somehow knowing her life would never be the same. No longer would she be weird or awkwardly afraid of her own shadow. With a friend like Skitzitz, she could learn to march to the beat of her own drum, dreaming of whatever came to her head and making it come true. 

Even when it rains, Skizitz only sees the sun and a rainbow. She’s free to be uniquely herself without hesitation. 

(C) Suzanne Rudd Hamilton 2024