I WANT TO GO TO THE PARK

She moved herself, her child, and her laundry to one side of the lift so I could get in with my bike upended on its back wheel.
Couple of floors down two young women got in taking time to say ‘goodbye.’
Child in the lift said, ‘it’s Ruby, it’s Ruby, it’s Ruby, I want to see Ruby.’
Mother in the lift said, ‘yes, you’re right, it is Ruby, you’re right, we’ll see her later.’
Door closed, we started down.
‘How many lifts they got in here?’ asked one of the young women.
‘Two,’ the other said. ‘There’s one at the back but it’s being repaired so we can’t use it.’
The child in the lift took a pale pink piece of chewing gum out of her mouth, rolled it between her forefinger and thumb, pulled at it with her teeth.
‘Put that in your mouth,’ mother said, ‘tch.’
Child, ‘I want to go to the park, I want to go to the park, I want to go to the park.’
Mother, ‘it’s raining, you can’t.’
Thought of saying, ‘is it raining?’ but didn’t want to interfere with the parenting, so refrained.
Child, ‘I want to go to the park...’
Mother, ‘Shhh, I told you, it’s raining.’