Closed Parks are for adults, too

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan took off her jacket as she was walking to let her pale shoulders glisten in the sun. As summer was approaching and the weather was slowly getting warmer, Siobhan was excited to be spending more time outside. She could finally begin to outline her cross country routes in New Zealand. She took a seat at a park bench and watched the young children playing around the long stretches of grass. Pulling a salad out of her bag, she opened the lid and began to snack on her lunch while enjoying the fresh air.

 

[Maria Madison]

When she had first started her job, Maria had done a lot of rationing her time, to make sure she was at home more than at Hogwarts. At the time she had still had three children at home, and it had taken a lot of juggling to make sure they were all settled. Now, though, three of her children were at Hogwarts, and Finn was soon approaching his own acceptance letter. It made things more difficult, as time at work was now also time around her three daughters, and it had become much harder to find time for Finn.

Maria did her best though, and she had taken this afternoon off, wanting to get out and enjoy the nice weather with Finn. He could be a bit of a homebody, but Maria knew Finn loved the park, so she had taken him for an outing, glad to be doing something together. As soon as they arrived at the park, Finn took off of course, yelling something about the colour of a shrub nearby, and he was away, doing whatever his imagination led him to. Maria smiled as she watched her youngest child, growing up so quickly. She took a seat next to another woman at one of the benches, content to sit and watch for the moment while Finn played. "Which ones are yours?" She asked the woman sitting next to her, hoping to make some conversation while Finn was away on his adventure.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan continued eating as a woman sat next to her on the bench and scooted over a bit to give her more room. She looked over at the woman curiously when she asked her a question. Which one of what was her's? She then realized the woman was meaning the children and gave a small laugh. "Oh, I'm not here with a kid. I'm just enjoying the sunshine and the occasional screaming from little ones playing tag." She stuck her fork in her salad and put out her hand. "I'm Siobhan. Which child is your's?" Siobhan had always wanted children, and she knew it was natural for people to expect she had a child, especially at her age. She just hadn't met the right woman yet. Maybe it was just time for her to adopt on her own. There were plenty of single parents out there, but with her father's disappearance and her sister living with her, now just wasn't the right time. Siobhan needed a steady job and to not relocate before she felt like she could commit to raising a kid for the next 18 years.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria chuckled slightly at the woman's comment about the park's audioscape, nodding in agreement. Maria wouldn't have chosen such a noisy place for lunch herself, but there was something comforting about hearing other people having fun. However stressful the world got, there was always joy to be found somewhere. Maria shook the woman's hand, smiling as she introduced herself. "I'm Maria, it's nice to meet you." Having been distracted by the conversation it took her a moment to locate Finn, scanning the park for a second before her eyes fell on him. "Oh, there he is, the boy with the long hair playing with the leaves." Finn looked to be making some kind of collage with leaves, twigs, and a few scattered flowers, one that Maria would no doubt be asked to come ooh and aah over shortly. Finn's enthusiasm for art was something Maria did her best to encourage unconditionally, but she didn't always understand her youngest child's masterpieces. "That's Finn, my youngest, and then I have three daughters at Hogwarts." Maria smiled, still getting used to the bubble of happiness she felt including Odette in their family.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan watched as Maria began looking around the park and took another few bites of her salad. When she pointed out Finn, Siobhan smiled at the boy and gave a small wave. "He's very adorable. How old is he?" She admired the fact that this woman had four children and still seemed so put together. Her mother had always been so frail that anything she and the twins did caused a lot of stress on her already feeble body. Siobhan finished her salad and placed the container on the ground beside her. Crossing her legs, she redid her ponytail and turned towards Maria. "So, are you a stay at home mother, then?" She knew that it wasn't easy for most parents to just take time off in the middle of the day to take their child to the park, but every family situation was different.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria smiled warmly, watching Finn work on whatever masterpiece he was creating. She smiled appreciatively at Siobhan's comment, feeling a mix of pride and sadness as she answered. "Nine, turning ten. He'll be off to Hogwarts before I know it..." Maria said, unable to keep a hint of sadness out of her voice. Time seemed to just be flying past before her eyes, and the thought of her baby heading off to school almost made her feel as old as thinking about Odette's impending graduation. Maria shook her head at Siobhan's next question, laughing softly. "I wish, sometimes." She commented. "I'm the counselor at Hogwarts, I've just got the day off today. It's a rewarding job, but very stressful at times. How about you?" She asked, curious about the woman sitting next to her.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan listened endearingly at the way Maria talked about her child. She glanced at the boy and smiled. She gave a look around the park as Maria continued to speak. It seemed to be a relatively quiet day - not too many children but just enough to feel the joy from their cries of laughter. Siobhan turned back to Maria when she said she was a counselor. "Like an emotional support counselor or another kind?" she asked the woman. It would have been nice to have access to a counselor when she was going through school and all the rough times, but then again, it probably wouldn't have helped prepare her for the current situation. "I work at the Quidditch League Headquarters, and sometime I couch youth Quidditch teams on the sides."