Pretty Little Weeds

Taddy sat watching as Ayiana scoured the grass, curiously searching with an innocent delight carried not only in her giggles but also in her breaths too. Sitting in a warm shadow, Taddy couldn't help but feel at peace while the strange native girl quested with ever more enchanting glimmers in her eyes as she frantically paced through the grass. With no shadows haunting them, Taddy could finally relax and just enjoy these moments and despite his inhibitions and apprehensions to take on a native child. Strangely to him, often the more unusual the time they shared together became, the more he savoured these fleeting moments, as Ayiana neither understood nor cared for the divide that should have existed between them. However Ayiana had also taught Taddy that despite what should have been, he cared not one bit for the divide between American and native either.

Ayiana stopped all but dead in her tracks and stared longingly at a patch of grass just before her, emitting a wail of delight, turning a crying "Atsilvsgi!" at Taddy as she dropped to her knees laughing without care. Taddy watched with a curious yet soft mind as she crawled carefully to a spot on the earth and carefully plucked a white flower from the ground, gently pulling it from the soil, roots and all. Ayiana slowly rose to her feet and called "Atsilvsgi Taddy!" she started to walk towards him with such joy that her steps were unsteady but her hands kept her prize safe as she beamed "Atsilvsgi!" through her giggles as she made her way to Taddy. Contently he waited as she bumbled towards him, her giggles bathed with delight and her beaming eyes aglow, proudly carrying her prized find. Despite her hat keeping the sun from her eyes, the soft blue glow cut through the shadows and her bulging cheeks told a simple story of joy and pride as she reached Taddy.

“Atsilsvgi!” she chirped and held her hands out to Taddy “What have you got for me there Skitterbug” he gently uttered in reply and she burst in delight “Atsilvsgi!” and stretched her arms out to offer the little white daisy to him as he softly asked “A little flower just for me?” she pushed her hands closer “Atsilvsgi!” all but begging Taddy to take her gift “Come here Skitterbug” he gently asked and almost on command she edged closer with her wild smile filled with utter bliss as Taddy reached for her and gently hoisted her up to rest on his knee “My little girl brought me a little flower” Ayiana softly smiled “Atsilvsgi” with a sublime echo in her softening breaths. Taddy tipped her hat back just a little as she settled to rest on his knee “You know Ayiana, some folks call these weeds, just because they don’t look like all the other flowers in their garden, them thinks that they aren’t good enough for them. Some people think that about you too, they’ll call you a little red, just because you say different things and just because you don’t look like them other kids, they will think you is like a weed too”

Ayiana looked up at Taddy with a saddened smile as he softly smile “But you know Ayiana, when you pick that little weed out of the ground and have it alone like this, well it looks like a pretty little flower to me, it looks just as pretty as any other flower to me” Taddy gently touched the petals as Ayiana gently smiled watching him “Them folks can think that but that don’t mean they is right, you might be a little red but that don’t mean you ain’t a pretty little flower just like any other Ayiana” Quietly she uttered “Atsilvsgi?” as she offered him the flower again “You might be a little weed Ayiana, but you is a pretty little weed” she looked at him softly as he smiled “You is my pretty little weed” “Atsilvsgi?” she softly asked as gently eased to rest on his chest “Atsilvsgi” he whispered back and held her close to him.