“You need something?” I asked, giving my fake smile.
“You have a very nice smile.” He said with sincerity. I was shocked. A little boy told me something no one else had. Then a woman who appeared to be his mother came up to him. She had the same dirty blonde hair, but had lightened the top layer of her hair. She looked at me, embarrassed, trying to shoo her son away from bothering strangers.
“Never stop smiling.” He said. I pondered that for just a moment and started smiling, really smiling, and laughed. He smiled wider too. I looked up to his mother, and she smiled along with us. I couldn’t stop smiling, and I don’t know why, I wasn't feeling depressed or pissed anymore.
“Aww, I want to take him home with me.” I said jokingly to my parents. I looked back over at the pair, and they had already walked over to the other side of the pool, where I couldn’t see them.
Within the next minute, it was time for us to go home. My brother went into the changing room and my parents went to our original table to get out stuff. I looked around for the boy and his bright orange shirt, but couldn’t find him. Only a minute had passed, they couldn’t of left within that time, could they? I hadn’t seen them before we went into the pool either. I was confused. The building itself was small and I could see around the whole thing. I laid the facts down in my head; I hadn’t seen them when we first came in, I didn’t see them when we went into the pool area, and now I couldn’t find them. Less than 10 minutes passed between when I saw the boy and when my family prepared to leave; why would they come for such a short period of time? I sighed as my parents called me to leave, for I was still searching. I turned away slowly, doing one last sweep of the room.
I guess the only reason I was still looking for him was because I never got to thank him.
“Hey, you ok?” My mom asked, waving a hand in front of my blank, daydreaming face.
I didn’t answer her right away. I gave a small sigh and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Later that night, I was going through songs on my mp3, but finally gave up, not finding a song that I wanted to hear. I listed to the song I happened to land on. It was "Old City Bar" by the Trans Siberian Orchestra.
...Then he looked for the child
But the child wasn't there
Just the wind and the snow
Waltzing dreams through the air
So he walked back inside
Somehow different I think
For the rest of the night
No one paid for a drink
And the cynics will say
That some neighbourhood kid
Wandered in on some bums
In the world where they hid...
Its funny sometimes funny how things happen...