My apartment has a huge, beautiful garden attached to it and at the very bottom of it, there’s a bench under an enormous oak tree. I sometimes go there to sit and think when I need alone time. And right now, after the day I’d just had at work, I had a lot to think about.
But when I got there I quickly discovered I wasn’t alone. A young girl, not more than five years old, dressed in a pink tutu and tiara was sitting under the tree holding a tea party with her teddy bear.
I’d never seen her before. She looked up at me and smiled and I was quite taken aback by how pretty she was. She was Asian with pretty eyes and silky black hair. Her face was perfectly round and I could see she had attempted to put pink lipstick on, but had painted outside of the lines. I smiled back at her.
“Looks like a lovely tea party,” I finally said, sitting down on the bench next to her.
“Here,” she said and poured me an imaginary cup of tea, which I took and drank.
“Mmm . . . delicious . . . thanks, and I like your outfit.”
“My daddy bought it for me. He said a princess should have real princess clothes.”
I smiled at her. “He sounds like a smart man.”
“He is. The smartest.”
Then she leaned in and whispered to me. “They say I’m allowed to play in the garden all by myself without my nanny now that I am nearly six,” she said before looking around quickly. “But she thinks I don’t see her, but I do. She’s hiding over there,” she said, gesturing to the far side of the garden where, sure enough, a nanny was hovering in the distance trying not to look in our direction.
“Wow, you’re very smart,” I said.
She nodded proudly. “I’m turning six very soon. But I’m not really meant to talk to strangers, my dad says, and you’re a stranger, even though you’re a pretty one. I probably shouldn’t really be talking to you.”
“Your dad’s right. You mustn’t talk to strangers, so I’ll leave you here to have your tea.”
I stood up and started walking away. She called after me.
“My name is Li-Hau,” she said.
“That’s a very pretty name.”
“It was my granny’s name. Daddy says she’s resting in a faraway beautiful, magical land where she is very happy and not sick anymore. He says I can still talk to her if I want because she is always listening and still loves me.”
“Your dad sounds like a wise man.”
“My name means pearl blossom,” she said enthusiastically.
“Lovely.”I couldn’t imagine a better name for her.
“What’s your name?” she asked. I was about to tell her when she stopped me. “You have red lips and black hair. Your name should be Snow White.”
“Snow White it is then.” I reached up and touched my lips, at least someone had noticed them.
“Now we’re not strangers,” the little girl said triumphantly.
I smiled at her. “You’re very clever.”
“Daddy says so too, but he says being a nice person is more important.”
I actually sighed out loud. Who was this child’s father? Dad of the year? He sounded like he should have an Olympic gold medal in parenting.
“He’s right again!”
She suddenly jumped up. “I better go inside so I can be responsible.”
“Do you live here?” I asked. I hadn’t seen her before, but people were constantly moving in and out of the building.
“No, I’m just visiting.” And with that she picked up her things and skipped off.
