The Girl With the Blue Hair

It is time for the June challenge of the fictional storytelling meme for Portrait of Words that Jeff B has set. This month the photos that were to be used as prompts for the story are, a young girl with blue hair, a yellow bike, Chinese food and a waiting room.

The waiting room seemed sparsely furnished with just a chair and a small, round table. Agnes sank down into the chair gratefully and was glad to rest her weary legs that had given her so much problem lately with her arthritis.

She was not really a well woman and she thought that she must be mad to be turning her life around at her age because in ten years time, she would be drawing her pension.

She had always been close to Mimi, especially when Mimi was younger and had spent weekends with her aunt! Mimi the girl who was always changing her hairstyle and colour. Mimi, the happy child who loved music and dancing, who was clever at school and had had the chance of a brilliant future. Mimi who was now orphaned when she was barely 15, due to a terrible accident. Mimi who had nobody else and who might even have to go into care.

How could Agnes let that happen? However, she had to admit that Mimi might not want to come and live with a lady who she would think of as very old and slightly disabled. However, Agnes had given the matter great thought and had decided to offer Mimi a home. She was now waiting for the solicitor to agree to this but only if Mimi wanted to. As no will had been left, there was no named benefactor. In fact there wasn't anyone else in the whole world remotely connected to Mimi.

Agnes did think that there was a distinct possibility that Social Services would consider her to be too old to have a teenager under her care, especially as she couldn't move about very quickly.

The solicitor told Agnes that Mimi wanted to meet her again and that Social Services really preferred to keep families together, especially as this was an older child and there would be help available for them both. Everything depended on the meeting which was to be within a few days.

Agnes drove to the appointed place and managed to park outside the building. She noticed there was a yellow girl's bike leaning against the wall and she wondered if it belonged to Mimi.

She began to feel quite nervous and realized how badly she wanted to have her niece under her care, no matter how difficult this might be. After all, this was her baby sister's child and the two of them had been hurt by their recent loss. Maybe they could help each other?

She waited in the room where she was told to sit and noticed how very different it was from the solicitor's office. This room was as cluttered as the other one had been bare.

A door opened and the girl with the long blue hair walked towards her. It was Mimi alright. Apart from her new hair colouring she was the same girl who she had always loved, who she had taught to cook and who she had shopped with and shared so many other things.

They both hugged each other for a long time and there were tears running down both their faces.

"Do you really want to come and live with me, Mimi? I'm not as spritely as I used to be, but I can offer you stability and love."

"I really want to come and live with you Auntie, I really do. Can I come straight away?"

The Officer in charge smiled and said it would be OK. They would be calling regularly to check how things were going.

Mimi ran to get her case.

"Just a few things for overnight,"She said. "I will collect the rest of my gear later and I must take my bike!"

She went on to ask, "Do you think we could buy something Chinese for our meal tonight as a kind of celebration?"

Agnes only ever ate *meat and three veg*, but she smiled and said, "Of course we can."

This was to be the beginning of a new era for both of them but Agnes found herself feeling younger and more vibrant already. She felt needed again and they both had to learn to find some peace to start to heal the great shock that they'd both had. She had lost her beloved sister, but Mimi had lost both her parents only a short time ago.

Agnes hoped that they would both manage. It might not be easy, but she knew she would manage.

She looked at her niece and felt so proud of her. Proud of the way she was getting on with her life. Proud of the way she trusted her with her future. This gave Agnes courage.

The tears started welling up again.