Bee

Waiting

at the mouth of the garage.

Ten minutes, twenty.

The floor is littered in an array of art supplies, card, paint, glue. Things she fought tooth and knife for.

Checking the computer, still nothing.

A car comes....and pulls into the drive of the house next door.

The drinks are heating up, the cicadas swarm outside,

Laughing.

Finally, one turns up and the project beings.

as they measure, cut and paint she is always asking,

are there more?

is anyone else coming?

I think so, the first girl replies,

but inside she knows it not to be true, and her heart is fast being enclosed in a fist of iron.

One more comes an hour later

and the three girls set to their impossible task with gusto

laughing and sloshing paint everywhere

drinking luke-warm fizzy drinks.

At last it is done.

It stands one meter high

and is a pale cloudy blue

The card-board car

the star of their show

only in the lime light for two minutes

and twenty seconds.

This important piece of the puzzle

is complete

and feeling slightly more whole

the girls part ways

until first bell.