Bye Bye Park Bench

[newbaby]

BYE, BYE PARK BENCH.

I was sat upon my usual bench in the park watching the children play, watched over by their parents.
As I watched the children I noticed even the toddler girls were as tall as myself.
Quite distressing really as I am 16 years old and because of my physical status the reason I am unable to gain employment.
I am often seen around the local town begging for a few pennies just to get a packet of hot chips or a cup of tea. However, the local police officers move me on as is their job, but not before slyly slipping fifty pence or so into my hand. They liked me, but, they also had to enforce the law, to a soft point in my case.
When I had gathered enough funds, I would get either a bag of hot chips or even as a special treat a beef burger and a cup of hot tea. However, I would always go back to my bench in the park to watch the children and their parents while their children played happily. I cannot explain why I did this, but it just made me happy.
I suppose at this point I should say a little about myself.
Well, I am unemployed as I mentioned because of my physique. I am an impressive four feet six inches tall and because of my diet quite skinny. As I mentioned before I am sixteen years old. My parents were killed in an accident when I was about five years old and I was put into care until I had to leave. Being homeless too I usually sleep under the bandstand in the same park I eat in. That is about it really.
Occasionally a really nice lady would come and sit and talk with me, and sometimes even with some sandwiches and a flask of hot tea which she would share with me.
It was only a few weeks after she started visiting me she asked me if I would like to go with her and have a nice meal and a chance to clean up. She even said to me that she would wash my clothes and try and repair them too.
I was really taken aback by this offer and really stumbled for my words of reply. I told her I would like that very much but wouldn’t my body odour offend her in a small room? She just looked at me and laughed, telling that would all disappear after a nice long bath. 
I was elated by the thought of this at first, but then asked myself ‘why would she want to do this’?
I decided to ask her and her reply was, “You remind me so much of the little girl I lost, and truthfully I was hoping perhaps you would replace her for a few days. You see she died in tragic circ-umstances and I never even had the chance to say goodbye”. I could see a tear forming in her eyes and that alone really touched me, along with the kindness she had shown me. How could I deny such a simple request?
And, so with those thoughts in my mind I agreed and we set off for the cottage she lived in.
As we walked long she told me we would go in the back door as that is the dirty entrance as she called it (at this comment I felt quite ashamed of myself).
After approximately 25minutes walking we arrived at her cottage. It was a typical oldie world to look at and was quite pretty really. The front garden was really old fashion, but beautiful.
 We went around the back and entered through the kitchen door and it was so warm inside. This was maintained by an old-fashioned cooking range. When we were indoors the lady told me to stay where I was and she would get me a bag for my things and a towel for my modesty. Then she told me I would need to undress.
Whilst I was getting undressed and packing my belongings into the bag, she bought me a towel for modesty purposes and run me a nice hot perfumed bath. When I asked why perfumed, she simply said “because little girls like to smell nice”.
I was not too concerned, but, when she said after my bath and hair wash she wanted to curl my hair so it looked like a little girl’s hair. At this point I DID become more concerned. My thoughts being this deep and could be a permanent thing, which of course I had not planned on
However, she had said ‘it was only for three or four days, so, I agreed to this. She had mentioned nothing permanent
It was at his time I realised I did not even know her name, so, when I asked she said “why don’t you call me Mummy for the next few days?”