The donut shop was quiet, and Agnes enjoyed her coffee with a crisp old fashioned donut. This was the best time of day. The noisy teenagers were in class and at most there might be another senior citizen, or perhaps a mother with a baby. She could have peace and quiet.
She had not always craved quiet. Back in the day, she had been an activist, marching in protests against the Vietnam war and writing letters to congress. Had she achieved anything more than a night in jail and a hand cramp? Perhaps not, but she was energized, alive.
The door jingled and a woman came in with a young girl whose hair was tied up with a bow. She wore a charming pink jacket and shiny black shoes. The girl pointed at the donut case. “I want the one with rainbow sprinkles!”
Agnes peered over her newspaper. This, of course, would be the time to tell the child to use her manners. But Agnes suspected the girl was spoiled rotten.
The girl’s mother only patted her back. “Of course, sweetheart.”
As they settled into chairs, Agnes couldn’t help but remark. “Shouldn’t she be in school?”
The girl’s mother set down her coffee. “Normally. But we’ve just been to the hospital to say goodbye to her grandmother. My mother.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
The little girl described the picture of sunshine and ponies she had brought to her grandmother, and Agnes wondered when she had stopped living in a rainbow world.
Thank you for reading my 250-word micro-fiction story. Your comments are welcome!
I wrote this story when I ran a weekly micro-fiction writing contest, and I would also often contribute my own piece, just for fun. This story was my piece for the prompt, “rainbow.”