Rosie and Lisa were two inseparable girls. They were like day and night, like water and fire. So different, but such close friends. Rosie had long red hair like flames and eyes as black as coal. Lisa was a girl with short fair hair, and her eyes were as green as a cat’s. The girls did everything together. They got along, liked each other very much, and experienced a lot of escapades and adventures together. They could even cheer each other up when something sad happened to them. Like recently, when Lisa was ill.
It was summertime and the girls were excited to enjoy it outside the way they loved. Just as the weather turned nice enough to go outside, Lisa caught some sort of a virus and had to go to the hospital. It made Rosie so miserable. She wanted to be with her friend, but it wasn’t possible. And so she spent her days trying to figure out how to distract Lisa a little bit and what to do for her.
Rosie’s mom also noticed how unhappy her daughter was, and she didn’t want to leave it that way. Just like Lisa, she kept trying to come up with ways to lift both girls’ spirits. And then finally the idea came. “Rosie, we’re going to visit Lisa at the hospital. But we’re not going to do it the normal way. We will dress ourselves as nurse-clowns and cheer Lisa up. It will be so much fun,” her mom said excitedly.
“Mom, that’s a great idea! We’ll bring inflatable balloons and tie them to her bed,” Rosie agreed cheerfully. Her mother was thrilled that her daughter was looking forward to it that much. And so they packed their red clown’s noses, funny hats, and white coats, and they inflated their balloons. When they arrived to the hospital in their car, Rosie put on her clown outfit right there. “Rosie, what are you doing?” her mom asked in confusion. “I’m getting dressed. What would I be doing?” the girl replied, not understanding. “Here and now? I thought we’d get dressed inside the hospital,” her mom replied. “Of course we’ll get dressed here, mom. Put the clothes on, it will be more fun that way. We must walk inside the hospital like that. Maybe Lisa will see us from the window,” Rosie explained.
It didn’t take Rosie long to convince her mother; she followed suit and changed into her clown outfit right there in the car. She couldn’t have know yet how great their idea would turn out to be. As soon as they stepped out of the car, passersby started waving at them. At the hospital reception, everyone chatted with them, and the doctors and nurses kept smiling at them, telling them: “That’s so nice, and just perfect. Say hi to the friend you’re coming to visit!” Rosie was beside herself with joy. Proudly, she waved to everyone she met at the hospital with the inflated balloons and told them: “My mom and I are coming to cheer up my friend.” Her mom hadn’t seen her this happy in a long time.
When they reached the door to Lisa’s room, they knocked on it, opened it, and then introduced themselves with a smile: “Your specialized medical assistance has arrived. The best in the region.” When Lisa saw her friend and her mom dressed as nurse clowns, she started crying with joy. She hugged them both as hard as she could.
Rosie and her mom stayed with Lisa at the hospital for as long as they could. Other children in the pediatric ward came to take a look at these rare visitors with their nurses. Rosie’s mom would pick them up, talk to them, and listen to them. Rosie and her mom were both happy that they had given Rosie’s friend and other children an opportunity to forget the illnesses that had landed them in the hospital.
That day Rosie didn’t receive anything, no presents or sweet treats. But she was the happiest she had ever been. Because she’d managed to make other people happy. And through that, make herself happy as well.
