Thatonechild, in particular, if he were being honest.
She was tiny thing, like a pixie, but with no hair, no eyebrows, pale, and…alone?
That last bit seemed odd. She looked to be the only kid in the room who wasn’t accompanied by at least one adult.
Still, despite her isolation, she’d given up some serious giggles over Vincent’s antics, as if he was the funniest clown she’d ever seen.
He might have been hamming it up a little extra for her, but the reward of her smiles was enough to have him pulling out tricks he hadn’t attempted in years; paper umbrellas from her hair, a stuffed rabbit up his sleeve, and that snazzy hat-roll up his arm?Yup.He’d nailed it.
Vince had also gotten the okay to bring in balloons today—something he’d practiced ad nauseum when he was younger—and after making a dog for one kid and a dinosaur for another, the little sprite of interest had asked for something he’d never attempted before.
That was how he found himself making a very complex blob fish.
Vince had to look up the damned thing, on the sly, on his phone, but right now he’d have to say he was killing it. And if her excited face was any indicator, the small-fry agreed.
Two more twists, and…
“Here he is, my little princess.Blobby,” Vincent expounded with a flourish as he presented her with her fish.
Not bad, if he said so himself. He’d even managed to give the thing large, pink lips.
“Thank you,” the girl said, shyly, holding the balloon creation like it was gold. “He’s pretty. I’ll keep him forever, Mr. Clown.”
Right. Mr. Clown.
Vincent figured it might be time to attempt his new name, and who better to help him cement it. “I tell you what. Why don’t you call me Cenzo. Cenzo the Clown,” he offered. “I’m trying that out for size today. What do you think?”
She pursed her lips and shook her little head.
Not going to cut it, huh?
“Uh, uh. You need a name that ends in O,” she told him sagely. “Good clown names end in O. Like Pogo, or Pippo.” Her face took on a definitive cast. “Or like my favorite Sesame Street characters, Elmo and Gonzo.”
Vincent tried to maintain a straight face, which was tough, because she seemed to be taking this very seriously.
She stroked her balloon fish absently while she continued to think. “For you…? You’re big and puffy in your clown suit,” she continued speculatively. “Almost fluffy…”
Her eyes lit in an “aha” moment, and Vincent couldn’t wait to see what she’d come up with.
“Fluffo,” she told him conclusively, breaking into a huge smile. “Fluffo the clown.”
It wouldn’t have been Vincent’s first choice, but it was good enough, and there was absolutely no way he was going to disappoint this little fairy of a girl.
“Wow. I’d say you’ve picked the perfect name for me,” he told her solemnly, sticking out his hand. “Fluffo the clown it is, and I’m very pleased to meet you…”
Vincent paused, waiting for her to fill in her name.
“Inez,” she said a little shyly now, placing her small hand quickly in his before snatching it back. Apparently, her burst of creativity had been the extent of the courage she could muster, because all of a sudden, she shrank back.
“Inez. That’s a beautiful name,” Vince told her, trying to draw her back in.
What was it young kids liked to talk about these days? Siblings? Pets, maybe? He’d give it a try. “Do your siblings and pets have pretty names like yours, too?”
Instead of enthusiasm, Inez’s face almost crumpled in on itself as she shook her head.
“What?” Vince prodded gently. “No brothers or sisters?” he asked. “No pets?”
“I don’t have a real family.Yet.” She spoke with her head down, almost mumbling into her pink sweatshirt until she’d flashed a little fire saying that last word.