"Good morning, Precious," I greeted happily.
"G'morning," Máiréad replied awkwardly.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, a lot better than normal."
"Oh, so happy Sméagol is to hears that."
Máiréad smiled.
"Come, Precious. Sit with us."
Máiréad approached the swing as I slid over to one side, creating room for her to sit between myself and Aaliyah. She sat down, and awkwardly smiled at me. Her shy demeanor was adorable. I gently took hold of her hand to make her feel less awkward.
"Thanks, Sméagol," she said timidly.
"You're welcome, Sweetie," I said warmly. "I just wants you to know you don't have to be nervous around us."
"Thanks. You know, I haven't sat on a swing like this since I was little," she said.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. My grandma had one in her backyard. She and Grandpa own this huge piece of land out in the countryside, so their backyard was ginormous. Grandma had this swing on her back porch that overlooked this really beautiful pond with all these flowers all around it. They were all different colors, and the water looked so blue, like vibrant blue. I would go there sometimes when things at home were too much for me. I would sit on the swing with Grandma. She'd give me candy and chips... and Dr. Pepper, and we'd talk for hours. She would tell me stories. Grandpa would tell funny jokes, and he could burp so loud that it would echo, and the echo was loud."
We all laughed.
"Mom says I get my burping abilities from him."
We laughed even more.
"And, my grandma had this crochet blanket she would let me play with. Every time I slept over, when she put me to bed, she put on her softest sweater, wrap me in the blanket, and give me a big fluffy sweater hug. I always felt so safe with her and Grandpa."
"Awww, that sounds so lovely," I said with a reflective smile, thinking about my childhood days, and remembering where my safe place was. Anytime I was with Déagol, I felt so safe, free from harsh judgements from my family and other hobbitses in the Gladden Fields.
"It was," Máiréad said as the smile on her face turned into a frown. "But... when I was a teenager, my grandma died from cancer. My grandpa had to sell their land, because he couldn't keep it up by himself. He moved into a nursing home, and died soon after. God knows what their land looks like now, or if that house is even still there." She sighed. "I miss them."
"Oh, Sweetie, I'm so sorry," Aaliyah said lovingly. "That really sucks." She huffed. "Cancer sucks. It ruins everything."
Máiréad scoffed. "Ya think?"
They both gave each other a knowing look.
"Awwww." I wrapped my arm around Máiréad. "Sméagol so sorry, Precious."
Then, our little bird friend chirped to let Máiréad know she was sorry, too.
"Awww, even this sweet little birdy baby gives her condolences."
Máiréad's smile returned. "Oh, yeah, I saw you playing with her when I came out here."
I laughed softly. "She's my little baby," I said in a baby voice.
"She's really cute. Where did you find her?"
"She fell out of a tree," Aaliyah explained. "She broke her wing, so Sméagol's taking care of her."
Máiréad's smile stretched nearly across her whole face. "Wow, that's so sweet. What's her name?"
"Oh," I said, realizing I'd forgotten a very important detail. "She doesn't have a name yet. I don't knows what to calls her other than my sweet little baby."
"How about Kessie?"
"Kessie?"
"Yeah. She's a character from Winnie the Pooh. She was a bird, too."
"Oh, what a lovely name. What do you say, Precious?" I asked the bird. "Do you likes the name Kessie?"
She chirped a very excited "yes!"
"Welp, there you have it," Aaliyah said. "That's her name now."
I grinned. "Yes," I said with a giggle. "Kessie, my sweet little baby birdy-boo."
Kessie laughed.
"Whoa, she actually just laughed," Máiréad said in amazement. "She understands human language?"
"She does, yes."
"That's so cool. So, um, Kessie? My name's Máiréad."
Kessie chirped happily, and smiled at Máiréad.
"Awww, she likes you," Aaliyah said.
Máiréad grinned. "She is so cool."
"She sure is." Then, Aaliyah changed the subject. "Hey, you want something to eat?"
"Sure. What do you have?"
"Well, what would you like? I'll see if I have it."
"Do you have biscuits and gravy?"
"I sure do."
"Yes!" Máiréad became very excited. "That's my favorite breakfast."
Aaliyah chuckled. "Yeah, it's one of my favorites, too."
We all made our way inside and into the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. Never have I tried biscuits and gravy before, but oh, how delicious it was. I could understands why it was Máiréad's favorite.