"Lets go on a walk, Sam."
Let's go on a walk; go on a walk with Sam.
Mummy is driving, not walking.
She's being quiet;
I want to be quiet, too.
A Ford Escort is going past.
It's blue and the people inside
are laughing at each other.
The two girls in the backseats
have pretty brown hair but
they're too busy laughing to notice.
"Where did you get that hat?"
Where did you get that hat, Sam?
He needed it for the walk.
Laughter is weird. I do it
sometimes, but it's not with
other people. I'm okay with that.
When I laugh, people look scared.
Mummy says it's like a sonic boom,
and that's why people pull faces.
"Where did Jess go?"
Jess went on the walk with Sam!
Sometimes I wish I had a Jess.
Mummy got married at nineteen,
so I only have two months
and twenty-seven days
until I find my Jess.
Until someone loves me.
A bit of an experiment.
c