She replied...

I never really knew her. She never stayed out long enough for anyone to know her really. She was quiet, kept to herself most of the time, except for the days when it was raining. She always seemed a little more social in the rain. The sunny days didn't do much for her. She usually didn't come out of the house until noon on the sunny days, and when she did, she seemed in a hurry. She went out, and was back again, in to the space that captivated her, gave her meaning. The space she knew she could be whoever she wanted to be, whatever that looked like.

One day she went out. Out to do whatever it is she does. But she never came back. I was so sure something had to have happened to her. Something drastic must have happened for something to remove her from the routine of her ins and outs. Her going out and coming back. Her consistency that even I had become accustomed to.

As time passed, I thought about her less and less. Eventually she became a distant memory. Fading slowly until I thought her memory was completely erased.

Until one day, I saw her. I had never seen her with such purpose. I could see it in her eyes. Even the sun couldn't hold her back today. She was zealous for the daylight, looking to soak in every ounce of it. She sat alone, basking in the glory of the sun. A contagious glow around her infected everyone near to her. Her routine changed. She never went to the same place twice and that was her routine. Yet no matter where she was, she continued to touch everyone around her. Rainy days, sunny days, even hurricanes couldn't hold her back.

One day, I found the courage to talk to her. After all these years of following her, watching her, waiting for her.

"What is your name?" I asked.

She replied..."Joy."