Renee Oelrich

I clomp into the local pizza arcade. An old barn that a local guy renovated into an arcade and miniature golf course for families to take their kids to for fun. It’s earlier in the day for a Monday, so it won’t be too busy. I walk in with my clown costume and basket of sudoku and search-n-find books. I wave at the girl at the service desk then look around. Two women are at a booth drinking colas. I clomp over with my orange boots and say, “Happy Mother’s Day.” They smile and say, “thank you.” I asked them about their kids, and they tell me they’re playing at the basketball shoot and football throw games. The women don’t mind the kids coming here to play those games because they do help them get some practice in on those sports for school. I tell them that I know it isn’t Mother’s Day anymore, but I had some books left over and had the costume for one more day, so I hold up the books and ask if they’d like one. They take one each and say, “thank you.” I look around again and see another woman playing Mrs. Pacman with a girl. I go over and say “Happy Mother’s Day” to the woman. She says, “Oh thank you.” I make some faces at the girl and ask, “who’s winning?” The girl tells me she is with a huge smile. I chuckle and ask the woman if she’d like a book? She takes one for her elder mother and thanks me for being so generous and sweet. I clomp on through the arcade and see one last woman hitting a golf ball through one of the golf holes. I clomp up and ask if she needs any advice? She says, “no.” She turns away and keeps playing. I ask her if she has any tips for a big footed clown like me. She says, “no,” and keeps putting. I walk with her as she goes to the next hole and tell her that she’s very good at putting. She finally stops and tells me that she had lost her parents a few years ago and that they loved playing golf together. When she felt all alone, she would come here, and putt and it would make her feel close to her parents for a moment. I told her that I felt closer to my parents when I looked at the clouds, because the clouds are where the Angels play. Sometimes the clouds look like little fluffy greens, and I can picture the Angels putting those fluffy little cloud balls around. I handed her my last sudoku book and said, “have a Happy Mother’s and Father’s Day.” That’s when she finally gave me a smile.