blue bird

5 - You Can't Ignore The Truth

We walked out of her room to the back of the hospice where there was a common area with couches, tables, televisions and even a snack corner. There was a group of elderly people playing bingo and another group playing cards. We continued through the back doors into the garden, in search of the rest of the gang.

The garden was tremendously beautiful, there were big trees, bird feeders, water fountains, stoned walkways, hedges and beautiful flowers. The flowers came in all shapes, colours and sizes. Pembroke is also a fairly small town in Northern Ontario, Canada so the hospices' property was surrounded by a forest that stretched for miles. 

Keiva and I sat our grandma down on a bench in front of the large water fountain, then followed the sound of Tanes' voice and found the others standing in a blocked off area of the garden, which was surrounded by tall hedges. Tammy and Francis stood facing each other and the rest of us stood off to the side. Tammy was the bold one of us all, she would never take shit from anyone and she always stood up for herself as well as others. Sure, she could be a bit rebellious but she has a good heart.

"I'm not gonna fight you Tam." Francis said plainly.

"I never said you had to, but that won't stop me." She said as she charged at him. She tackled him to the ground and pinned his arms up above his head. He caught his breath and started to laugh which obviously angered her even more. She flipped him around so he was on his stomach and put his left arm behind his back. He winced at the uncomfortable position, and she pushed his face into the grass.

He smiled, knowing his cockiness would piss her off "happy?"

"Not even the slightest bit. Watch yourself Francis, we're all tired of your shit. I thought you losing all your fake friends was enough of a wake up call. Let alone the fact that your own family doesn't even want you." Tammy spat while getting up and walking towards us. I went over to Francis and offered to help him up but he declined it and walked away. I could tell those words got to him and I was going to follow him but decided not to.

"Let him go Lani, you shouldn't have to fix his problems." Tane said while motioning for me to come over. I took one last look at the blonde boy, walking away with his head down and his hands in his pockets and then jogged over to everyone else.

"What do you mean his own family doesn't even want him?" I questioned Tammy but she ignored me. I looked at Keiva and she just shrugged.

We went for a walk along the concrete pathways while my grandma pointed out the different types of trees planted and the types of birds that were flying by. She has lots of knowledge on birds, since they are her favourite animal. We made it out to a small field of open grass that was freshly cut and I laid down.

"What are you doing Lani?" Keiva asked.

"Watching the clouds." I replied. Keiva laid down next to me and stared at the sky. Manu laid down as well and then Tane and then Tammy. We laid there for what seemed like hours but was probably only a half an hour.

I saw many birds fly by including a cardinal, a flock of geese and a couple robins. Some clouds formed into animal shapes like a dog or a horse and others formed into things related to comic books and movies like the Death Star or the Helicarrier or a sword. Cloud gazing is one of my favourite things to do on beautiful days. It's very relaxing and allows me to forget my problems even if just for a short time.

When I was younger and when my grandma was healthy, we used to go and sit on the back porch and watch the clouds in the daytime and the stars in the nighttime. I miss being able to do that with her. I miss doing a lot of things with her, like getting our nails done or going for evening drives and getting ice cream. She spoiled me, she spoiled all of us; like every year for Christmas, my grandma would buy everyone matching Christmas pajamas and she would often spoil us with baked goods and food which was amazing because she was such a talented cook. She has always been so selfless and giving; but beyond her generosity, she is an inspiration to people including myself. She will forever be my role model and I love her dearly. I pray everyday that she gets better.