******************
After the laughter, Susie focused on the snack cart once again. “I wish the pizza would hurry. I’m hungry and thirsty.”
“It will be here soon, sis. I promise.” Zack flagged down the cart while still wearing the sunglasses. “We’ll take three Tutti Fruitis please.”
Laughter began anew as they noted the odd look the vendor gave him.
Susie toasted the fairy. The fairy raised her own invisible glass in response.
Lauren took a hearty sip of the frosted confection and gave herself a brain freeze. “Oh!” She grabbed her head suddenly.
The fairy saw her opportunity. Flitting down from the rafters, she zipped beneath the frosty plastic cup and lifted the bottom of it up high. Straining with all her might, she kept lifting until the contents slid out of the container and all down the front of Lauren’s lace dress.
“Oh, oh, oh!” Came another succession of cries from Lauren as she bounded from the lounger trying to shed her wrap.
Zack was already pulling at the ties. “Let me help you.”
“Wow! That was refreshing.” Lauren began to laugh. “Did it get on my swimsuit?”
“Your Pink ‘N Dotty bikini is all good.” Susie smiled at the fairy and winked.
“Yeah. Your Pink ‘N Dotty bikini is really good.” Zack seconded. “Nice. Very nice. I like what I see.”
“I will take your Summer Sugar lace dress to the laundry right now. I’m good at laundry. I will have it looking like brand new.” Susie jumped from her chair, taking it with her. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.”
“Where does she come up with that stuff?” Lauren laughed again as Zack held her in his arms.
“Too much TV I guess.” He nuzzled her face as he leaned in close.
Lauren sighed in contentment. It was crazy, but she would swear she was falling in love. “Is this suit a fairly good fit on me?”
“Mmmmm.” He held her back so he could survey her fully and appreciatively. “I’d say it is a Fairy Good Fit.”
“Zack.”
“What?”
“Take off those silly glasses.”
“Why? I think they’re good luck.” He lowered his face to hers. Her heart skipped a beat just before he claimed another kiss.
Epilogue
Zack and Lauren had just left Mountain Haven Village, a very nice gated community especially for Down’s Syndrome residents. Susie had been living there for a year now and she had adjusted perfectly. She had found her perfect “job” as the care staff reported. Since the staff was required to wear coordinated uniform colors, Susie’s task was to find the most flattering and appealing styles for the employees. She was flourishing. Much to Zack’s displeasure, a job was not all she had found.
“Come on, Zack. He’s a nice boy. The caregivers were very positive about this and Susie is floating on air. Michael seemed pretty happy himself. They were so cute holding hands.” Lauren tweaked his chin. “Stop frowning.”
“But she’s my sister. She’s a baby.” His pout deepened.
“Your sister, yes. A baby, no more. Let her grow. She’s is bright. Look what she did for us.” Lauren tapped his shirt pocked which held a pair of Diamond Diva sunglasses. “And I want to know when you are going to give those things back to her.”
“They’re mine. I bought her five new pairs before I left Hollanders.” He clutched them possessively. “I can afford to buy her designer sunglasses now that I work at Volkswagen. You too if you want a pair or two or three. But these are mine.”
“You’re being silly. What’s so lucky about rhinestones and plastic?”
“I found you, wife. I found you.” He blew into her ear, giving her the shivers. “These and supposedly a little fairy magic brought us together.
Rolling her eyes, she pulled him by the hand. “Well come on. I don’t want to be known as Lauren the Late at my high school reunion.”
It was a small town high school, polar opposite to the large facility where he had attended. He watched Lauren shy back from the crowd, especially when the photo slide show started scrolling across the screen. A prom photo of a large girl appeared, her girth filling the screen almost entirely. She had been crowned prom queen. It was obvious by the expressions of the faces around her that it had been a joke. He felt his wife cringe.
Lauren hung her head in shame. What had she been thinking when on a whim she had decided to come here after their visit with Susie? It was convenient as Mountain Village was just a couple of hours away from here, but had she really expected anything to be different? Coaching herself to raise her chin to the crowd, she reminded herself that in her job as a guidance counselor, she must practice what she preached.
What she didn’t realize is that a little fairy watched from the projector lens where she was comfortably perched, wand ready.
The people grew quiet, the shame written on most of their faces except for a few. One in particular named Tiffany seemed proud. She was a former cheerleader and was one of those people who never left high school. Zack had learned that she even had a job in the school cafeteria now. From afar, she was still attractive, but on closer inspection one could see her beauty was beginning to fade. From any distance, he could see she was not at all beautiful on the inside, the kind of girl who taunted his sister once upon a time. Her voice crowed out over the silence, “Look, its Lauren the Large!”
The whole room grew deadly quiet. The fairy was about to act, but amazingly Zack stepped in first. “Well,” He began softly as his hands splayed his wife’s svelte waist. “You may have used that name in the past, but it is hardly fitting now. But in about six more months, it might be appropriate again just before the baby is born.”
The room exploded with applause and cheers.
Neither Zack or Lauren heard the commotion as they kissed.
A little fairy in a pink dress breathed a sigh of happiness and zipped away.
******
Please enjoy this excerpt from A Fairy Good Dance, the conclusion to The Fairy Dust Collection trilogy.
The Mission
The Lilliputian fairy in the fluffy pink dress sat cross-legged on a clover and sighed. This would be by far her most difficult mission. How could she accomplish this task? If she failed, she would have to study for another two hundred years. She ruffled her translucent wings as she rested her chin in her hands. She had to come up with a plan. It had to be a good plan, a solid plan, and a perfect plan. A fairy good plan.
As she balanced on the four leaf plant swaying gently in the wind, she contemplated her options. A honey bee buzzed by her ear and the droning sound interrupted her train of thought. “Shoo.” She swatted it away. “Shoo. Can’t a girl have a quiet moment to think?” She rearranged her wings once more then adjusted her wand on her side.
Looking skyward she watched the clouds parade across the sky as the sun played hide and seek between them. Being a fairy was not always easy. Then they caught her eye; two stark white seabirds with black edging on their feathers hovered gracefully above. Their contrast was stark against the summer blue sky. Their courtship flight was intricate and elegant, a sky bound dance.
She held her breath for a minute and knew she had found her answer as she reveled in their wooing cries.
Chris, Michele, and Brittany
Michele Brock held the father’s day card tightly in her hands. She listened as Chris faced yet another endless struggle in order to function as his former self. She heard him mutter a curse as he jammed his wheelchair into the wall. Her heart ached but she stopped herself from offering assistance. The rehabilitation staff had coached her to understand and practice tough love. She had to let him maintain his independence and dignity while still offering support. His attitude had been improving but he still had a long way to go in his recovery.
Her husband of five years emitted another angry growl ending with a str
ing of unsavory vocabulary. She heard the wheelchair brake being forcefully engaged. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves and voice, she gently spoke. “Chris, please be mindful of Brittany. She just went down for her nap.” She hoped their daughter had not heard his frustration. A four year old just didn’t quite always understand.
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