It was a hot sunny day, I decided to come out for fresh air because the house was too hot to stay in since we didn’t any fans anywhere in the house.

Using my notebook as my shield for my face from the sunrays beaming down, and a blueberry-flavoured lollipop in my other hand.

I walked to the large oak tree next to the park where I normally stayed to sit down and relax. It only took me a few minutes to get there, the blue slippers on my feet slapping on the warm ground.

Getting to my favourite spot where most of the shade hits. Crouching down, dropping my notebook and pencil to the floor, I quickly sat down; bringing my lollipop to my lips I started to lick the sweet treat.

Not hearing the approaching footsteps until a soft boyish voice spoke “um, hello?’ startled pushing my head upwards so fast, banging my head straight into someone’s head.

Both of us groaned in the moment of the pain, my treat all but forgotten, rubbing my forehead in pain, I looked up into a pair of big brown eyes that were currently glaring at me and rubbing his forehead trying to massage the bump there.

Quickly getting up I started to ramble my apology and in haste grabbed his thin long arm, taking my notebook, he didn’t even have a chance to talk, I dragged him to my home.

My home wasn’t a big place just a small two bedroom house with mama’s room on the bottom floor and my bedroom up the stairs near the bathroom. 

Dropping my notebook onto the table, he looked nervous, I spoke gently “I’m sorry for hitting your head, I’ll get my mama to help with that bump she knows everything about wounds and stuff”.

Leaving him on his own, I went to the other side of the house to find mother who luckily was around for the day, normally she would have called the babysitter to come and stay with me till she comes back from work the next day.

Banging the door open roughly, mother startled turned around from her wardrobe dropping the folded cream top to the ground.

Seeing me at the door, her slim onyx eyes narrowed even further, she spoke irritated in a soft voice, “Amber! I have told you many times to stop banging the doors in the house, you must knock every time”. Nodding my head in agreement waving my hands around in exaggeration I exclaimed, “Mama, we got an emergency”.

Mama sighed in defeat, her stern eyes switching to wary, “you didn’t bring another stray animal home did you? You can’t keep bring any animals into the house,” dropping my hands and shaking my head “No mama, it’s bigger than this, I bumped into someone I think I caused a wound!”.

Hearing that mama chuckled lightly, she stopped folding the clothes.

She walked up to me, placing her short chubby hands on my thin shoulders and we walked back to the living room.

Where I left the brown-eyed boy still standing in the same spot I left him looking around.

When he heard our footsteps his face turned upwards to us. We stopped a few steps away from him just looking at him, mama smiled warmly to the boy and removing her hands from my shoulders walked up to him. “My, what a handsome boy you are” the brown eyed boy blushed and looked down at his feet.

“Mama!” I exclaimed in embarrassment, she smiled and chuckled in amusement. Using a single finger she gently pushed his chin up, flinching slightly his eyes stared back into hers nervously.

She stared at him in the eyes for a second and her gaze drew upwards to his injury. “Oh sweetie, that injury isn’t serious I should know I am a nurse, I’ll give you some ice to let the bump reduce”. She quickly let go of his chin, winking at him and walking away into the kitchen.

After she left I quickly walked up to him smiling nervously “I told you my mum can heal any wound”. Actually noticing him up-close he was one inch taller than me, he had big brown eyes, a medium sized Afro, a large nose and he was wearing a grey top decorated with a Mickey Mouse and grey-orange striped jeans and black shoes.

He didn’t talk, his gaze stayed downwards, shuffling my feet around, mama came back holding a ice bag and two cherry flavoured ice lollies, she handed the ice bag to him, smiling once again “here you go sweetie, just place the ice bag on your head for a few minutes it should heal up”.  He softly said “thank you ma’am”.

Mama chuckled “your welcome dear, here are the ice lollies Amber take that with you and go play with your friend next to the oak tree”.

She turned and handed the two ice-lollies to me, holding them in my two hands. I nodded my head to him, cheerfully saying a goodbye to mama and he nodded his head goodbye.

We walked from the house meeting the continuous hot sun beaming down on us, we walked to the large oak tree, I sat down cross-legged holding my lolly and handing him his lolly which he took gratefully. 

We both sat there sitting licking our sweet treats for the next few minutes, descending the remaining sticks in the trash can near by. We just sat staring at each other until I decided to break the silence “I’m sorry for hitting your head”.

He shrugged his shoulders removing; the iceberg from his forehead, the bump had disappeared. Remembering my notebook I told him I would be going to the house to get my notebook and will be back. He nodded.

A few minutes later returning breathless, my cheeks burned from running, I sat down again crossed legged. I fanned myself with my notebook then opened the book starting to scribble inside, noticing him stare at me. I looked up and asked bluntly “can I draw you?” He looked unsure for moment until he shrugged his shoulders and stayed still.

His big brown eyes pinned down on in hidden amusement ignoring that look I started to draw his face when I looked up his whole expression changed, his large eyes zoned into the centre and his mouth was arranged in pout. Bursting out in laughter at his expression, which caused him to smile and laugh along with me.

After a few short minutes, our laughter died, I smiled warmly and raised my hand asking “Hi, My name’s Amber Bailey, what’s yours?”

He replied just as warmly shaking my hand “My name is Michael Jackson, nice to met you Amber”.

 We shook hands up and down until we fell onto our backs laughing and from that moment I knew we would be friends.