It had been six months since Ib's first trip to the gallery. During that time Ib had scoured the neighbourhood for any sign of Garry, but the city they lived in was quite large and Ib didn't have a lot of information to go off of. That didn't discourage her from her search, however as she was quite resourceful and thought of roundabout solutions. She looked in directories and asked by word of mouth, even going so far as to ask in high schools posing as Garry's little sister.
When her parents caught wind of what she was up to they put a stop to the whole thing. They refused to believe the stories they heard about what happened in the gallery and chalked it up to the elaborate fantasies of a nine year old. Her mother was angry with her when she heard Ib had lost her handkerchief and saw Ib's tale as an excuse for her carelessness. Both she and Ib's father were convinced Ib had made Garry up as well, and Ib might have believed them had it not been for the yellow candy wrapper she had found in her pocket. She kept it in a safe place her parents wouldn't find, because they would toss it away as being nothing more than garbage. For Ib, however, it was a memory of her precious friend.
Life slowly returned to normal. Ib became a star pupil in school much to the relief of her mother who was glad she'd put all of that imaginary nonsense behind her. But Ib's greatest motivation for exceling in school was the hope that when she met Garry again he'd be impressed with how much she'd learned. And Ib did truly believe they'd meet again. They made a promise, after all.
The day of the accident began just like any other. Ib awoke early, got dressed, brushed her teeth, combed her hair-all of the usual primping involved in getting ready for the day. When she came downstairs the familiar sight of her father sitting at the kitchen table reading the morning newspaper while her mother made Ib's lunch at the counter. "Have a seat, Ib," her mother instructed curtly with her back turned. "We don't want you to be late."
Rushing forward to sit next to her father, Ib was pleased to see her favourite marmalade on toast waiting on the plate in front of her. Seeing her glowing expression, her father winked playfully at her from over his newspaper before returning to the morning report.
"Ib, what would you like to drink?" came her mother's voice from over her shoulder. Ib eyed the white tea kettle with pink roses circling the base resting on the counter, her mother's favourite. "I think I'd like some tea, please."
All attention was given to Ib. Her mother turned to face her for the first time that morning, while her father lowered his newspaper to reveal a small frown. "Are you sure, sweetheart?" He asked. "That tea is awfully bitter." "Mmhmm," Ib responded vaguely, her eyes focused on the second cup and saucer set being brought out of the cupboard. She seemed to recall Garry saying he liked tea when they last met.
Setting her cup down in front of her, Ib's mother cautioned: "Careful, it's hot." Inching the saucer closer towards her Ib was pleased to see that it had a very pleasant scent that made her feel very calm. No wonder Garry likes tea, Ib thought, stifling a giggle. He's always so nervous…
Picking up the tea cup gingerly by the handle, Ib was disappointed to learn that the tea was quite overpowering. In fact, it didn't taste very good at all. Her disappointment must have shown on her face because her father breathed a quiet sigh of relief while her mother frowned deeply. Turning on her heel in a businesslike fashion, she said icily: "Don't waste it." Pausing for a moment, she added: "You should bring your umbrella to school today. The forecast said it might rain." Ib sipped her tea unhappy until finally it was all gone. Her father leaned over to her and whispered, "Don't try to grow up too fast."
It rained all day, just as the forecast predicted. Things were rather slow in school, and everyone seemed to be bogged down by the weather. Even Ib was less cheerful than usual. She spent the day staring out the window, watching the rain roll down the window pane. She was quiet on the bus ride home as well, wandering about in her own thoughts until quite suddenly one quick glimpse out the window pulled her back to reality.
"Stop the bus!" She cried, racing to the front. Murmurs spread like a tidal wave along the aisles. The bus driver gaped at her wonderingly. "This isn't like you, Ib," he said, scratching his head with one hand. "Please!" She begged desperately, knowing that every moment took them further and further away. "It's very important!" "Weeeeell, alright," the bus driver said reluctantly, bringing the bus to a stop. As soon as the doors opened Ib took off at a mad dash, ignoring the curious faces of her school mates squashed against the glass.
Ib ran as fast as her feet would carry her, fighting frantically against the flow of pedestrians. She weaved between them, zig-zagging this way and that until she caught a glimpse of purple hair. Bouncing on her toes, she saw a brief flash of a tattered blue overcoat. "Garry!" she called, struggling to catch up to him. "Garry, it's me, Ib!"
"Hm?" Garry stopped in his tracks, thinking he had heard someone call his name. Glancing around, he saw something that made his blood run cold. A little girl was fighting her way over to him on the sidewalk when all of a sudden she lost her balance at the edge of the curb and started falling towards the road. Everything started happening in slow motion. The blare of a car horn accompanied by a bright light and the sound of squealing tires. The frightened face of the little girl, sprawled defenceless directly in the line of fire. Garry's stomach lurched violently as she turned to face him. That was…
"IB!" Garry cried, eyes widening with fear. Dashing out onto the road, Garry wrapped his arms tightly around Ib, bringing her in close to his chest just before feeling his body make contact with the car. The blow heavily winded him, and when he opened his eyes he saw that they had been knocked back a couple of feet. He could hear screams from the sidewalk, but his head was too muddled to make out what any of them were saying. His only concern was the girl he held in his arms.
"Ib?" he called softly, pushing away a few wet strands of hair that were plastered to her forehead. Relief washed over him when her eyes fluttered feebly open. "Thank goodness," Garry breathed. "You okay? Please be more careful! You really worried me, you know?"
Garry's heart sank when he noticed that Ib was completely expressionless, her eyes clouded. He kept talking to keep himself calm. "To be honest, I almost didn't recognize you. You've really grown a lot!" Garry winced as he noticed he wasn't quite injury free. Grimacing, he continued. "I really wish our reunion could've been under…better circumstances…"
Garry lost consciousness just as the paramedics arrived on the scene. Ib continued staring blankly ahead. Her world seemed to shift tirelessly before her eyes, and the shrill ringing in her ears kept her from making sense of anything. She remembered vaguely that someone had been trying to speak to her just now. They had had a nice smile. It was so warm…like sunlight. But it seemed sad. She wondered why…everything felt all wrong.