Paco's Rainbow (written 6.13.08)

I returned home soggily from a Brigada Verde (BV) meeting yesterday with a tag-a-long quietly trudging behind me in the mud. We'll call him Paco. He's a quiet little guy of 9 years old who's taken to following me home on occasion after meetings and the like, no purpose stated, in fact, no words said. He opens up in groups, is eager to please, and thrives off the energy of his peers - indeed he hasn't missed a BV meeting yet! - but is excruciatingly shy in one-on-one situations, the few words he does manage to utter barely intelligible through clenched teeth and pursed lips.

As we sat on my porch yesterday, freshly damp from the afternoon rain that is a sure thing here, with me trying to make conversation, a rainbow appeared. Only a small piece, but very vibrant at times, we were both taken in by its beauty, and I made several comments to this effect before I realized he had the right idea all along: silence was just better in this situation. So we sat. Well I sat in the one chair, and he stood beside me barefoot, and we both looked up for a while. When the bright colors had passed and Paco was done, whatever that means to him, he simply put on his shoes and left. I called out "adios", not expecting a response, not getting one, and watched as he skipped away in the mud.

He seems to be satisfied with my simple presence, and that's just fine with me. There are many ways I had hoped to help here, but I hadn't really predicted that one would be the simple act of sitting quietly and watching the sky, in the company of one so young, who seems to have gone through quite a lot in his 9 years. Just goes to show you never can tell the ways in which people may need you, and I want to make myself available to Paco, just in case he decides to speak up. If not, we'll simply sit and watch together and be content to do so.