The Magic in Our Bubbles

Park Bubbles-- Chapter 1

There once was a man who liked to blow bubbles; his name was James. He was in the park one day blowing bubbles, as a bubble lover would do, when he decided to blow one into the air and watch it float around. James knew any second the fragile and glass-like sphere would pop like a busting balloon. As it popped, his eyes caught a glimpse of someone else in the practically-abandoned neighborhood park. A beautiful, tall lady with hazel eyes and brown hair stood right before James' hyper-extended jaw. She was like every other girl in every other story. Her dress was a stunning lapis lazuli blue and the fabric silk. He took a second to compose himself and took a deep breath in then let it all out.

Something had changed. He felt a rush of colors dart into his eyes. He stood there admiring the beauty of the outside. He smelled the air, and it was a warm summer breeze of flower pedals, fresh air, and his little container of bubbles. His heart ached; it had been a long time since he felt such happiness and saw joy in the world.

Ever since COVID-19, it hadn't been easy or safe to be his extroverted self. Well, today he decided to take a chance, but just to be on the safe side, he'd where a mask and stand a reasonable distance away to introduce himself. Before he could even open his mouth, she turned in his direction and was shocked to see someone there. She pulled out her mask and stumbled to get it on. He saw her cheeks turn red from embarrassment before the mask made it to her face.

"Hi," he said. "My name's James. I'm sorry if I startled you." He put his hands behind his back and twiddled his thumbs.

"That's alright! I'm Christina. It just made me panic for a second. I don't go outside as often as I used to anymore, with the pandemic and all at least." She chuckled, as all she could do was smile and bare through the pain rising in her voice.

"I understand where you're coming from, but you had really caught my eye, so here I am. And I was wondering," he lifted both his bottle in one hand and a spare in the other into the air "if you would want to blow bubbles with me." She looked nervous for a moment or two, but you could tell that she thought it was a sweet offer. "We can even sit apart from each other across the bridge going over the small creek down there." His finger pointed toward the bridge in the distance. Christina's eyes squinted as she searched for the bridge. It didn't take long until she saw the little oak bridge in the distance. A straight and narrow path for sure, but the distancing seemed good. And with the trees surrounding it, they would be able to hear each other pretty well, despite the sound of streaming water.

She turned back around to him wiping down one of the bottles with a sani-wipe. James offered out his hand with the bubbles he wiped down. Christina smiled underneath her mask. "That sounds amazing."

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They got situated and were on opposite sides. They took off their masks and opened bubbles. They both smiled, and James couldn't help but notice her hospitable smile. "So," he said, "did you ever play with bubbles as a kid or were you more of a jump ropes or skip rocks kind of person?"

Christina paused for a moment and then responded. "Yes, all the time. I always thought they were beautiful, almost magical to be frank. They shine in the light and capture the moonlight in the dark." Her straight-forward answer enchanted him. It was as though fate had set him up to meet this wonderful girl on this ordinary day in a used-to-be ordinary park. "So what about you? Why are you so interested in bubbles?" She picked up her bubble wand and blew two bubbles, one almost perfectly identical to the other.

"I guess you could say they bring me a lot of joy. It's one of the things I grew up doing with my parents when I was a kid. I never grew out of 'em because anytime I begin to blow bubbles," his mouth formed an o-shape and blew into his wand, "I begin to smile." His lips rose upward, straight to each cheek. He giggled and watched her do the same. It was a great time to be alive.

"You know," she thought aloud, "This actually makes the world seem a little less bad, and a lot less depressing. Thank you for this." Christina smiled loudly, and he could fell the positive energy from her smile encompassing his world. Today, he thought, was a great day to go outside and take a chance.