Dotty didn't know how long she had been driving when she passed a sign that read: Leaving California. She wasn't even sure she was on the right road. The sun had long gone down and the only thing she was sure of was she was driving east. At least she hoped she was still driving east. After skidding away from Randy, Dotty had driven around Los Angeles, not knowing where to go. She couldn't return to her apartment so she simply drove, cried and drove and cried some more. It was in between the crying and the driving that Dotty realized L.A. wasn't the place for her. Kansas was where she belonged. She missed the farm and she wanted to go home.
She had turned off the main highway some time back and now found herself on a abandoned dirt road out in the middle of nowhere. It was taking all of Dotty's effort to keep her puffy, cried out, eyes open and focused on the road. Looking around all she could see was the black night of the desert sky and what little of the dirt road the headlights illuminated. Ozzy, curled up in a tight ball, was sleeping on the passengers seat. Dotty reached over and stroked his ear. His rhythmic snoring sounded so peaceful it began to lull Dotty into a long slow blink. With each blink her eyes stayed closed longer and longer.
With a jerk Dotty opened her eyes and screamed. Just a few feet from the windshield loomed a giant laughing clown head. Dotty tried to slam on the breaks but couldn't pull her foot off the gas pedal. The high heel of her shoes was caught. Yanking her foot, Dotty felt the heel snap. She pulled sharply on the steering wheel to avoid the horrifying clown while simultaneously slamming on the breaks. The Cadillac went into a spin.
There was nothing Dotty could do. She grabbed hold of Ozzy and held him tight as the car continued to spin out of control. Round and round it spun, the world outside becoming a blur to Dotty. Images flashed before her, Randy and the woman he was sleeping with pointed and laughed, Mrs. Mintch reaching out to snatch Ozzy. These mixed with things Dotty didn't understand, swirls of bright colors, trees, wooden animals and giant flowers with human faces.
Suddenly the yellow Cadillac and slammed to a stop. Dotty's hit the steering wheel and snapped back before everything went black.
Streams of morning light broke through as Dotty fluttered her eyelids open. Her head ached but it was the least of her worries as her vision became clearer. She blinked a few more times not believing was she was seeing. Maybe she was still sleeping. Maybe this was a dream or maybe she was hallucinating. Surrounding the car were dozens of children, some were dressed as flowers and trees, others wearing animal costumes, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks and they were all starring at her. As Dotty looked around the children began to giggle. Where was she and what had happened?
"Is she going to die?" asked a little girl whose face was surrounded by a costume of flower pedals.
A boy dressed as a skunk bravely stepped forward and poked Dottie with a long stick.
"Ow!" Dotty said and she recoiled against the seat of the car.
"She'll live," answered the skunk boy. The rest of the children giggled once again.
"Okay children step away and let me see," came a sing-songy voice of a grown woman. The children parted and Dotty found herself looking at the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She was wearing a whitish silvery flowing gown, a sparkling tiara and enormous shimmering wings that twinkled in the morning sun. Everything about her seemed to glow.
Dotty couldn't take her eyes off the woman as she neared the car. "Am I dead?" she asked. "Are you an angel?"
The woman smiled softly and answered, "No. You're not dead." Her long black braids tickled Dotty's cheek as she leaned closer to peer at Dotty's forehead and place a Ziploc bag filled with ice over it. "Just a bump to the head."
"Where am I?" Dotty asked.
The woman smiled a dazzling perfect smile and answered with a sweep of her hand, "The Rainbow Children's Orphanage."
Dotty tried to get out of the car but was still a bit wobbly. The woman opened the door for Dotty and gave her a hand out. It was then Dotty was able to take it all in. She saw that the Cadillac had crashed into the side of a brightly painted outdoor stage. It was painted as an enchanted forest, but the crash had knocked many of the wooden trees and boulders over. A painted wooden unicorn still lay on the hood of the car. Dotty turned and saw a small brick building to her right. Attached to the roof was a large rainbow sign confirming what the woman said. Beyond the stage and simple brick building lay miles and miles of desert nothingness.
And then panic struck Dotty as she whipped her head around. "Where's my dog? Where's Ozzy?"
The woman placed a calming hand of Dotty's shoulder and said, "The children were having fun with him. He is fine. See, he's right over there."
Dotty turned back toward the stage and saw a little boy dressed as a bumblebee walking Ozzy toward her. Around Ozzy's neck was a cardboard cutout of a flower.
"This is an orphanage?" Dotty asked.
"Yes. My name is Grace and I take care of all the children here. And who might you be?"
"I'm Dotty. It's nice to meet you. But, how did I get here?" Dotty couldn't seem to remember much from the night before. She remembered closing her eyes for just a moment, a lot of spinning and then nothing. She thought maybe she had been dreaming the entire thing.
"It appears your car crashed into our stage," Grace said.
"Was anyone hurt?" Dotty asked.
"Just you."
The memoires of the night before came rushing back, Mrs. Mintch chasing her from the apartment and then finding Randy with another woman. Dotty thought she might pass out. "Do you think I could sit down for a minute?"
"Of course," Grace replied, holding out her arm and leading Dotty to a row of fold out chairs that had been set up in front of the stage. As Dotty limped along by her side, Grace first thought that the young woman might be injured, but then saw that one of her ridiculously high heels was broken. "Do you have another pair of shoes?" Grace asked while guiding Dotty into the chair.
Dotty shook her head and looked down at her hands. There was something about her that tucked at Graces heart. She could see Dotty was trying to be brave, but she could also sense a deep loneliness in the girl. "Wait here," Grace said and then turned and seemed to glide off toward the brick building.
Dotty sighed as she watch the Grace walk away. She didn't think she would ever be a beautiful and, well graceful as a woman like that. Dotty imagined even without the gown, tiara and angel wings, Grace probably still looked like a fairy princess.
A dark haired boy called from the stage, "Do you want to see us do our song?"
"I'd love to," Dotty called back.
The children all gathered on stage and began to sing and dance a choreographed routine. It was the sweetest thing Dotty had ever seen. (Okay, the second sweetest thing. Picking up Ozzy for the first time when he was eight weeks old still held the number one spot for her and it always would.) More than anything Dotty felt, although this was an orphanage with all the sadness that held, there was an overflowing abundance of love.
After a moment, Grace returned carrying a cardboard box. She set it on the chair next to Dotty and opened it. Inside it was filled with old clothes. "The local church in town donates old clothes," she said while pulling out an orange and lime green Hawaiian shirt. "Most of it you wouldn't be caught dead in…" Grace eyed Dotty's milkmaid dress and blond wing and quickly corrected herself. "But then some have a more eclectic style."
Grace finally found what she was looking for and pulled out a pair of red Dr. Martin boots. "Here we go! These should fit."
Dotty put on the boots and laced them up. They were perfect. She stood up and turned her feet to the left and to the right before smiling and saying, "They're wonderful. Thank you."
"So where are you headed?" Grace asked.
"Kansas."
"Oh," Grace smiled. "Is your family there?"
"Actually, I'm an orphan too. I don't have any family," Dotty answered with a sad shrug. "It's just me and Ozzy."
Grace placed a reassuring hand on Dotty's shoulder, "Oh Dotty, you can choose anyone to be your family. It's just the people who you love and that love you most. That's all a family is.
Dotty wasn't convinced. In her experience it seemed everyone she loved always went away, first her parents, then her aunt and uncle and now Randy. Of course Randy didn't leave her, she left him, but as far as Dotty felt, getting in bed with another woman was the same thing as leaving first. It was just the heartless, brainless, and cowardly way to go. "I don't think I'll ever have that," she said.
"Of course you will," Grace said. She looked toward the stage where the children continue practicing their song and dance routine. "I didn't give birth to any one of those children, but I will be a mother to them all for the rest of my life. That's family."
Dotty and Grace watched the children for a moment longer and then Dotty asked, "What's all this for anyway?"
"Every year we have a pageant and raise money to help out with expenses. You're more than welcome to stay and watch the show tonight. We do a big number at the end. Although how I'm going to dance in these wings is beyond me."
"I wish I could. It sounds wonderful, but I really need to get home," Dotty said. "The truth is, I never should have left."
"Well then I wish you a very safe and swift journey."
"Thank you. You're very kind. I keep having this feeling that someday we'll meet again."
Grace gave a warm smile and said, "Maybe we will."
They spent a few moments looking over the damage that had been caused in the crash. The Cadillac was fine and the stage had a few broken boards that would need to be replaced. Dotty offered to stay and help with the repairs, but Grace insisted she get on the road and begin her journey home.
Dotty started up the car, as Grace and the children gathered around to say good-bye. The kids covered Ozzy with pats and hugs as he took his place in the passengers seat.
"I don't know my way," Dotty said to Grace.
Pointing toward the east, Grace said, "Just follow this road and it will take you where you need to be.
As the Cadillac pulled away, Dotty watched in the rearview mirror as the kids from the Rainbow Children's Orphanage, dressed in their costumes of flowers, trees and animals ran behind the car waving good-bye.