Once Upon A Miracle

Chapter 3: Blue makes a friend!

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

~ Anais Nin (The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, there isn't anything much to explain," Miracle said, leaning against the side of her bed and chewing on the rice and curry her Ma had prepared. "And this is really awesome by the way! I don't remember eating rice for a long time. It's always been pizzas and burgers and all sorts of junk food."

"Good for you," Blue said sullenly picking on her food. In her house, it was always rice, rice and rice. But she was glad that at least someone was enjoying it. It had been a little weird to explain to Ma about the two plates. Hopefully, her act of starving to death was believable enough.

"So, what about you?" Miracle asked. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

Blue shrugged. "What about me? I'm just...me, Blue Jennings. Boring twelve-year-old school girl." Which was true. Blue, personally, thought she was pretty boring. With her boring black hair and boring black eyes, how could she be anything else? Why, oh why, couldn't she have shiny blonde hair? And sparkling azure eyes? But, then again, at least, she didn't have red hair. One of her red-headed friend claimed that having red-hair was her life's biggest woe. 

"My Ma is Rita Jennings," Blue continued, realising Miracle was looking at her expectantly, unaware of her inner dilemma. "She's Indian. My Papa was American. So, I guess, I'm half Asian and half American. But I tend to feel more American than Asian. But I wish I felt more Asian than American--" Blue paused. "I'm blabbering, aren't I?"

"A little bit, yes," Miracle said, smirking. But then his smile dipped. "What happened to your father?"

Blue mashed her face in Timmy's soft fur, while scratching his ear and shrugged. Softly, she said, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean that I don't know!" Blue snapped, her temper flaring as it did every time someone asked her of her father. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. 

Sighing, she spoke a little more quietly, "I don't know where he is. He was in the Navy. Three years ago, his ship went missing. Along with the crew and all officers aboard. One day, these really tall men wearing white uniform and all these shiny badges stopped by and personally thanked Ma for Papa's services. They said his ship...drowned in some sort of freak storm."

Blue sighed again. "I think...I think Ma still hopes that he will come back, one day. But, I know, it's not true. He isn't coming back. He's dead." 

"Oh, I-I'm sorry--" Miracle began but Blue waved it off.

"Doesn't matter," Blue dismissed, a little too quickly. "What about your parents?"

Miracle's face was unreadable when he said, "Blue, my Blue, my life is different than yours. I don't have a family. I wish I did...but I don't."

Blue frowned. "But everyone should have a family. Everyone deserves a family."

Miracle laughed hollowly. "Forget family, Blue. I barely have any friends."

Blue's brow puckered. She said, "No friends, no family....you must have a very sad life."

Of course, twelve-year-old Blue didn't realise that she was hitting a sore spot. Maybe if she were older, she would've had more...tact. But then again, wasn't it a wonder the way children saw things? It seemed so simple to them. Miracle might have appeared to her in a child's body but he had been around for a long time. And even though Blue's straightforwardness made him wince, he was strangely appeased by her innocent charm.