Looking For Rainbows | A Short Story

Hello everyone and welcome back to Shay's Scribbles! Today I wanted to share with all of you a short story I wrote quite a few years ago. It's a story of a girl's heartache and pain through a difficult time in her life and her best friend's life. But, before I give it all away, here it is for you to read yourself!

Looking For Rainbows

The sky rumbled as lightning flashed, rain poured from the heavens with deafening might. Dark clouds covered the sun and blocked out its usual cheery rays. It was a depressing, gloomy afternoon, especially for the lone figure sitting next to the window, staring out at the sheet of rain.

“The sun will come out tomorrow, Sunshine.” her dad, passing by, stopped to say.

“I know, but right now that just doesn't seem soon enough.”

He walked over and sat across from her. “Sometimes the best way to get our mind off the situation at hand is to think of or do something else.”

“But what if I don't feel like it?”

“Then you should do it anyway.”

The girl thought for a minute before looking up with her decision made. “We could all play a game.”

“That sounds more like my little sunshine.” he smiled as they joined hands and walked out of the room to find the rest of the family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5 years later...

“Your move.” thirteen year old Rosalina Hartford said for the third time.

“Oh, sorry.” Adette Rollins turned her attention back to the chess board in between them and precariously moved a piece.

“I wouldn't do that.” Rosalina warned, but her friends attention was already elsewhere. With a shrug she captured Adettes queen and put her in check mate all in one move.

“How did that happen?”

“Face it, Adette, your mind hasn't been on the game.”

“No, I guess it hasn't.”

Rosalina pushed the game aside and focused on her friend. “What's wrong?”

Adette sighed. “I have something I need to tell you but I don't know where to start.” She drew in a raged breath as a couple tears fell down her cheeks. Rosalina waited as she gathered the courage she needed to begin. “I went to the doctor the other day and, well, I'm not well, Rosalina.”

“You're beginning to scare me, Adette. Surely it can't be that bad.”

Adette stared at her through misty eyes as the tears now fell freely down her cheeks and she didn't make a move to stop them. “I have cancer.”

Rosalina sat there in a daze. She slowly felt herself comprehending the situation as unbidden tears fell down her cheeks. Getting up, she walked around the table and silently hugged her friend. The two of them sat there for a few minutes, holding each other and crying. No words were necessary to express the sorrow they felt.

Finally they released each other and attempted to wipe the tears from their eyes. “How bad is it?” Rosalina asked.

“The doctor says it's a bad case.”

“But you'll be okay, won't you?”

“We're hoping so.” she managed a small smile. “And we're praying. Please pray, Rosalina, I'm scared.” tears clogged her voice. “I don't want to die.”

Rosalina hugged her again as their tears began to flow anew. “I'll pray, Adette, I promise. I don't want anything to happen to you either.”

Please, God, don't take my best friend.

Later that day Rosalina told her parents the news.

“The sun will come out tomorrow, Sunshine.” her dad said against her hair as he held her crying form.

“I know, Dad, I know,” she sobbed. “But right now that just doesn't seem soon enough.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 months later...

The two girls sat on Rosalinas bed with a card game between them and an unspoken fear over them. It was as if ignoring Adettes illness would make it go away, but they both know that that fantasy wasn't true.

“Rosalina, can we talk?”

“Sure. About what?”

“My cancer.”

“Adette, I cry just thinking about it – don't make me talk about it.” She swallowed hard to force the already forming lump down.

“Then just listen.” she replied. “Look, I don't know if I'm going to survive this or not, but if my days are numbered then I don't want our last months together to be like this.” Silent tears fell down their cheeks. “Our relationship has become strained to where our conversations are seeming forced. We need to talk about,” she paused, “it.” All Rosalina could do was nod. “I've come to peace with it, I'm ready if it's Gods will for me to go.”

“Don't say that!” sobs shook her body.

“I want to know how you're doing with it.” Her only answer was continued sobs. Adette went to the other side of the bed and wrapped her arms around her friend. “Give it to God, Rosalina. You can't go through this without Him.”

“I know, but I'm too mad at Him. He's the one who made you sick in the first place!”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I know, but we have to trust that He knows what He's doing.”

“How can you say that when it's very possible you won't even live to see another year?”

“My life was never mine to begin with – it's His to do with as He sees fit. I have faith in Him that He knows what He's doing and that my death will be for a reason, though I may never know what that reason is. You need to have faith, Rosalina.”

“But its hard.”

“I know, but those are the times when it matters most. I want you to come through this made better for having experienced it and not crushed down. Can you do that for me?”

Rosalina turned and wrapped her arms around Adette. “I'll try.”

“That's all I ask for.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next six months passed in a blur. Rosalina took it day by day, praying and staying encouraging for her friend. Adette had ups and downs, some days she seemed to have never changed while others she couldn't get out of bed.

Late one night, while Rosalina was sleeping, she began dreaming of her and Adette. It was as if she was watching their life from a far as she saw them graduating together, she smiled at the party they were having and how glad they were to be done with school. Then the scene changed and they were having a double wedding then it changed again and they were celebrating the birth of their first child. They were doing it all together and they were so happy.

“Rosalina. Rosalina, wake up.” She opened her eyes reluctantly, not wanting to end her dream, and looked at her dad groggily. “Rosalina, honey, Adette's taken a turn for the worse, she's on the way to the hospital right now.” She saw the unspoken message in her dads eyes.

She tried to push the sorrow aside and focus on getting dressed, not letting herself think about what would most likely happen that night for fear of breaking down in tears. On the way to the hospital, however, she let them fall freely. She began to think over what Adette had told her so many months before, it felt like centuries ago. Her heart breaking, she bowed her head. God, I know I can't go through this without You. Please be with me tonight. Help me to come out of this stronger, like Adette said 'better for having experienced it'. Please, God, help me – my heart is breaking. Amen.

When they arrived at the hospital they immediately rushed up to Adette's room. Rosalina stood beside her bed and tried to control her sobs, tried to appear strong for her friend. Taking hold of her thin hand she drew a shaky breath and managed, “Thanks for being such a good friend.” Adettes only response was a weak smile at her, but it was enough.

It wasn't long after that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The funeral was held a week later.

Rain drizzled onto the sad occupants of the graveyard as they came to pay their respects. Rosalina watched through tears as they laid her best friend to rest and covered the coffin with dirt. It was the hardest thing she had ever endured. The preacher said a few words but she hardly heard them, all she could focus on was the empty feeling inside of her.

The funeral ended and everybody left but Rosalina continued to stand there, unable to take her eyes off the fresh mound of dirt in front of her. Her heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces.

She felt more than saw her dad appear beside her. Without looking up she asked, “Why, Dad? Why?”

“I don't know, Sunshine. I don't know.” he replied with a deep sigh and they stood there in comfortable silence before the small grave marker.

As they stood there the rain finally stopped and the sun began to poke out from behind a cloud. They watched as a rainbow began to form above them and spread across the sky. It was a beautiful thing to behold. “After the flood,” her dad broke the silence, “God made a rainbow so that whenever we see it we'll remember that He promised to never flood the world again. But when I see a rainbow, with all its bright, cheery colors, it makes me feel as though God's smiling down at me and patting my shoulder saying, 'Everything will be okay'. He didn't promise life would be easy, but He did promise to be there with us every step of the way. That's what I remember when I see a rainbow.”

Rosalina wordlessly turned into her fathers embrace and wept out all her sorrow all over again. “It'll be okay, Sunshine – you'll make it through this.” he whispered in her ear. “Lean on the Lord, He's your strong tower in times of trouble. And, most importantly, always look for rainbows. Even though the sky may be gray and rain is pouring down, they'll still be there, you just have to look for them. God will never leave you nor forsake you.”

She sniffled before saying, “Thank you, Dad.” And, with that, she knew everything would be okay. The road ahead would be hard and trying, but, with Gods help, and maybe even her dads, she would make it through.

The End

Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below!

Blessings,

Shay