- Five Years Later -

Rae's Library of Colour was always bustling with activity, and today was no exception. Rae stood at the counter in pink overalls that Lin had made for her. She wiped some sweat off her brow, it had been a very long day. 

A small girl with a missing tooth skipped over to Rae with a book in hand. Rae knew this little girl. 

"Mia? You started tutoring with me, didn't you?"

Mia nodded. "You be teaching me the colourful language, ma'am."

"You are teaching me the colourful language, not be." Rae took a look at the front cover before scanning it. "Shakespeare? You sure you can get through that?"

Mia nodded and Rae handed her back the book. "Here you go, be good okay?"

The little girl nodded and left the library running. Rae looked at the long queue of customers behind her and called to the bookshelves behind her. 

"Asha? I think we should close now, we need to get home for the election."

Asha stepped out from the line of bookshelves in the middle of organizing the Young Adult section. She was wearing matching blue overalls and dusted her hands on the jeans. She pulled a set of keys out of her pockets and she and Rae closed the gates, setting off a set of grumbling customers. 

"Sorry folks!" Asha called, "Come back tomorrow!" and then, to Rae, "What a bunch of pricks."

Rae laughed and raced Asha home. Five years had done nothing to change their friendship, and they continued to annoy each other. Even more now, that they ran the town's first library together. 

Rae and Asha walked into the living room, where the whole family was already waiting in front of the television. 

"Hi mum--"

"Shh, it be starting, you really can't be on time for anything, can you?" Miss. Casey joked. 

"Oh go easy on her." Lin chuckled, from her seat on the rocking chair. "I've seen the crowd that gathers at that library." 

Rae nodded knowingly at her mother and took up the only remaining space on the carpet, where Asha's sibling's were also sitting. She and Asha sat side by side crosslegged, and Asha continuously bothered the twins by tapping the back of their necks. 

The commercial break ended and a news reporter came onto the screen. 

"Shhhh," said Miss. Casey, even though no one was really talking. 

"And we be back." said the reporter, standing in front of a screen with a map of the country. "With the results from this years presidential election."

Rae's mother clasped her hands together as if she was going to start praying. Rae bit the inside of her lip. Lin remained calm, as usual. 

"The votes are in. Lin Tsai is officially voted as our next leader! We'll be playing a pre-recorded interview--"

The rest of her words were drowned out by the loud cheers from the room. Asha whooped in celebration and Rae ran over to give Lin a hug. 

"Shh!" Mrs. Casey yelled, but she had tears of joy in her eyes. The interview Lin had recorded last week started to play. 

"So," the interviewer said, "How does it be feeling to be in the final week before the election?"

The Lin on television laughed. "Oh, just crazy, we've been running around everywhere. Then again, I've been working towards this for years, so it's really just surreal." 

"What be feeling your career in politics?"

"Well, I mean, making a change has always been my goal-- I mean, isn't it everyones? But honestly, I'm so lucky to have the support I did to be able to get this career, especially so late in my life."

"Oh you don't look a day over 40," the interviewer joked. 

"Oh you're not a good liar." Lin laughed. "But I definitely do not take this for granted, and I am determined not to let this opportunity go to waste. The first thing I plan on doing is getting rid of this useless child tax." 

Asha whooped. 

The interviewer smiled. "How do you be planning on keeping our country out of debt then?"

"Oh you'll find there's a lot better ways to make money. Like do the leader's belts really need those posh uniforms with those diamond belts? Really?"

The interviewer laughed. "You really be exposing the government right now, huh? You could be getting in trouble for that."

"Eh, I learned from a very troublesome little girl." Lin winked and the interview cut. 

Rae blushed in the living room and the room interrupted into cheers again. 

Ethan sniffed, "Mom, did you be leaving the cakes in the oven?"

"Shit..." 

"Did you just swear mom?" 

"You're not 13 anymore, I don't have to censor myself!" 

With an admiring look on his face, Ethan followed his mother into the kitchen, where their celebration cake was on flames. 

Asha and Mr. Casey followed, hoping to get a piece of whatever was left. 

Rae stared up at the ceiling. She was happy. Happier than she had been in a long time. But there was just one thing bothering her. 

"Rae?" Lin asked, smiling with a twinkle in her eyes. "I need to write a speech for tomorrow. I could use your help?"

Rae nodded. "If I could just have a moment, first?"

Lin nodded, as if she already knew. "Course." 

Rae excused herself, even though everyone was busy fretting over the cake anyways, and went outside to the garden, the biggest change in the last few years. 

Empty space was filled with beautiful, flourishing flowers of all kinds and colours. Darren's mother had dropped off the plants at their house, an act that had surprised everyone. Unable to live in the house with the ghost of her dead son, she had moved to the country, and they hadn't seen any of her since. 

Rae came to this garden often, mostly just to think. She stared at a small petunia, which had just started to bloom. It would most likely face challenges. Squirrels, rain. But if it survived, it would grow into something very beautiful. 

"I did it Darren." Rae whispered. "We did it."

With that, she got up and went back inside to join the party.

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