SOUL

new kid

December 30th, 2006

Lenard 'Leo' James stood awkwardly beside his parents, shifting from foot to foot in the heavy winter coat that made him feel stiff and oversized. His father, a tall African American man with a calm demeanor, was chatting with the neighbors across the street, while his mother, a soft-spoken but firm woman from Nigeria, smiled politely beside him. They had just moved into this small, quiet town so his father could start his new job as an English literature professor at the local university.

Leo was nervous. The whole place was unfamiliar—different from where he'd grown up—and standing here in the cold made it feel even stranger. California had been his home for nine years, now he had to start over, all because his dad got a better job offer. 

He was a skinny kid, his teeth a bit too big for his mouth, and his slight afro was barely visible under the knit hat his mom insisted he wear. It was too cold to argue about it, though. His coat was thick, and his breath made little clouds of steam in the crisp air.

The last thing he expected today was to meet anyone, let alone the girl standing across from him, watching as her feet slipped on the snowy ground. Leo frowns as he stares at her odd behavior. 

Her hair was the first thing he noticed. Bright red, glowing like the sun, cascading down in two perfect braids over her purple coat. He'd never seen anyone with hair like that before, and his first thought was that she was pretty—like something out of a picture book. Her pale cheeks were bright pink due to the cold. Yet she glowed, like sunlight, even on a day like this.

She wore striped gloves that looked too big for her small hands, and her blue eyes sparkled with the excitement that only kids have when they see snow. Leo had never been snow before, he didn't understand the hype, he absolutly hated the cold. But something about the way she was beaming made him think maybe this snow was different somehow.

"Lenard, this is Marigold," his mother said in her soft, accented voice, gently nudging him forward. His father smiled down at him, always encouraging without saying much. "Why don't you go play?"

The girl—Marigold—looked at him timidly, and for a moment, Leo just stood there, unsure of what to say. His mother bumps his arm slyly and he looks up at her before sighing. He cracks a smile and tries to be polite. 

"Wanna build a snowman?" he asked.

The girl blinked. She hadn't expected him to ask that, but before she could even think of an answer, she found herself nodding.

"okay," she said, his voice quieter than his, but there was something about his enthusiasm that made her feel a little less nervous.

Leo gestures for her to follow as he jogs to the front yard where they had the most area to work with. He places his hands on his hips and looks at the area, It was covered in fresh, untouched snow, perfect for making a snowman.

"What kind of name is Lenard anyways?" she asks queitly as she sits on her knees in the snow, compiling the ice in her hands to shape it into a ball.

"Leo" he says "I go by Leo"

"Leo, cool like the matrix" she comments

"Huh?" he asks

"Nevermind" she grumbles

"What kind of name is Marigold?" he retorts

"I go by Mary"

"Thats such an old lady name"

"I know" she responds "it was my great-grandma's name, but I like it"

"Me too" he says softly

"Thanks, Lenard" she giggles

"Its Leo!"

"Whatever you say Lenny"

Leo throws a small snowball at her and she gasps. For a moment he's scared that he upset her until she wipes the snow off of her face and looks at him with a wild grin and laughs, showing off her missing front tooth. She grips a handful of snow and gets up and chases him with it. He screams and runs from her, both of them laughing loudly as their parents watch from afar with smiles on their faces.

-

For hours, they rolled up snow into giant balls, packing it down carefully, building the perfect snowman with a crooked smile, a few rocks for buttons, and sticks for arms.

Leo talked the whole time, despratly trying to conect with the first kid his age he'd met. She was shy, but when she did speak it was the best sound he'd ever heard. He liked the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, and he liked the way she made him feel like they'd known each other forever.

"I think you'll make lots of friends at school" she says

"I hope so"

"You're nice, I'm sure everyone will like you"

"And if not, at least I have you right?" he asks hopefully

"You don't wanna be my friend Lenard" she says quietly, her body deflating slightly

"Why not?"

"Everyone thinks I'm weird, so if you wanna make friends you should act like we've never met,"

"I don't think you're weird" he comments, a frown forming on his face

"We just met a few hours ago" she rolls her eyes "just trust me, I'm doing you a favor"

Leo falls silent and returns to working quietly by her side, Marigold stops and looked at him. Her eyes scanned his face, concern softening her features.

"You should go inside," she said suddenly, her voice gentle.

Leo looked up, confused. "Why?"

"You're cold," she said simply, like it was obvious.

He frowned, shivering slightly as he realized she was right. But what surprised him was that she could tell—without him saying a word. "How'd you know?"

Marigold just shrugged, a little smile playing on her lips. "I just did."

Leo was about to protest, to say that he was fine, but he couldn't. She was right. He felt the chill settling into his bones, his fingers going numb inside his gloves. But he didn't want to go inside, not yet.

"we have to finish our masterpiece" 

They finished the snowman, and when it was finally done, Leo's chest swelled with pride. Marigold grinned up at it, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold, and clapped her hands together.

"We did it!" he exclaimed. 

"It's perfect!" she agrees

It wasn't perfect, not really. The snowman leaned a little to one side, and the sticks they used for arms were too short. But Leo smiled anyway. It was perfect because it was theirs.

Excited, Leo ran to get his parents, eager to show them what they had built. His mom and dad stepped outside, bundled up, and gasped when they saw the snowman.

"Look at that!" his father said, a broad smile on his face. "You two did a great job."

His mom, Adamma smiled too, her eyes warm as she looked between the snowman and the two kids standing proudly beside it. "Let's take a picture," she said running into the house to grab her Polaroid. After a few moments, she returns holding the camera.

Leo and Marigold stood on either side of the snowman, grinning as Adamma snapped the photo. In that moment, Leo felt something settle inside him. He had a friend—someone who, even in just a few hours, made him feel like this new place wasn't so bad after all.

As they ran back to the house, laughing, Adamma's eyes sparkled as she leaned her head against her husband's arm. She had a feeling that this little girl would be in her son's life for a long time.