Reporter // h.s

2 || Like the Flower

It was around 4:30 in the morning and I was eating frosty flakes while reading the newspaper. Sad, but true. Why I'm doing this, is for two reasons. Reason number one, my rowdy next door neighbours were banging, and I could hear their bed squeak through the walls and grunts that were almost inhumane. As well as this awful situation, I just couldn't sleep. I'm sure I could get through the sound of rough, hardcore, animal sex, but knowing that my love wasn't on the news left me lonely. So, because of this, it has left me with a bowl up to my mouth as I down the left over milk and a half-wet newspaper. I wanted to get a feel of any local stories around town to see if she might report on them. Stalker you may call me but it's a pretty good start to find my true love.

I was off work today which meant more time for my plan, if you could call it that. I have a bunch of tape recordings from all of her news telecasts in a box on my wooden shelf in my living room, so tracking the areas in which she reported in wouldn't be such a bad idea. I mean, it was a good start, right?

I know her all too well to think that all of my plan will go to ruins. My hopes are high, and my lack of preparation for a defeat isn't going to make this any easier for myself. All I've ever wanted for myself was to have a fulfilling life. To have a job, a wife, a few kids and a home that I could return to at the end of a tireless day at work and be greeted by my loving family. Is that too much to ask for?

I decided to head out of my apartment, making my way through the city streets, finding my way to her. Scaling the streets at a time where a huge wave of cars and pedestrians are around doesn't make my plan any easier, but, I'm too determined to let a day slip through my fingers.

As the sun reached the middle of the sky, my hopes did lower. I sat on a park bench, looking out at the lake, eating my hotdog in sadness. Although I still had half the day left, I had half the opportunity to see her. She usually does early morning tapes, so I've basically failed.

As I went to stand up to toss my half eaten hotdog in the bin, a little girl, around the age of six sat down beside me.

"Shouldn't you finish your hotdog? I mean, you wouldn't want it to go to waste would you?" She looked up at me, pouting her lips out with her hands on her hips.

"Does it matter? I don't want it anymore, but I'm sure the trash does." I retaliated. I sounded a little bitter, but she caught me at a rough time.

"My mommy told me that there are children dying in Africa, and they would do anything to eat food. So, she says to always make the most of what you have, and to never waste the opportunity." She fumbled with some of her words, but damn was this little girl wise.

I shoved the rest of the hotdog in my mouth and eventually swallowed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just not in the best of moods today." I turned to her.

"What's wrong?" It felt a little weird, a little girl asking me about my woman troubles, but what did I have to loose.

"I'm in love with a girl, and I'm trying to find her. But it's really hard to do in a city of eight million people."

"That sounds bad."

"Yeah, really bad."

"Well, keep trying. Like Dory always says, just keep swimming. But you don't need to swim, you just keep on trying." She smiled.

"Thank you. I'm Harry by the way."

"I'm Poppy, like the flower." I shook her small, miniature hand. She smiled and so did I.

"Poppy!" Someone shouted, "Stop talking to strange men."

"Mommy! But I like him!" Poppy turned around, her arms crossed.

"Get away from my daughter you strange man, otherwise I'm calling the cops." Poppy's mother pointed at me.

"She started talking to me, I was just about to throw away my hotdog and she gave me a lecture." I defended myself.

"Just leave her alone." She grabbed Poppy's hand and led her in one direction, opposite to mine.

Poppy's head turned around revealing a smile like a ray of sunshine. She screamed from across the park, "go find your lady Harry!"

And that's what I did.