Lonely for the Big Towns
01
They were six. He was picking up his nose in his little church outfit with dirt on his shoes, and she was standing in her pretty pink dress and matching hair band. In her white socks and black Mary-Jane’s, she walked away from the small area with sand where the children played and closer to the boy that stood alone. Without a word she sat next to him on the small swing set.
“Hi,” she spoke. The boy looked at her and continued picking up his nose, almost as if he was looking for hidden treasures up there. “I’m Stephanie.” Still no answer.
“What’s your name?” Stephanie was persistent.
“Mommy told me not to talk to strangers,” he said with an attitude little boys could only have.
“But I’m not stranger,” Stephanie said. For such a little girl, she had the biggest heart and the amazing amount of fate in good inside people. “I’m Stephanie.”
The boy ignored her and continued his action of digging a camel from his nose. But he thought that maybe this girl wanted to play with him, and if so, why did she picked him out of all children playing. He was angry in a way; his mother dragged him to yet another church service, while he wanted to watch Transformers in his pajamas and eat Cap'n Crunch in front of T.V.
The wind blew and moved Stephanie’s hair from her face a little, making the Sun shining her profile. And in that point in time, she looked like a tiny angel.
“Brendon,” the boy spoke, putting his hand down and away from his nose.
Stephanie’s feet touched the ground, making her black shoes covered with dust. She was surprised he spoke, but she was glad he did. A smile danced on her lips, reaching up to her eyes.
And as the day progressed, the two children talked about the giant robots and which one of them is better. For the first time, Brendon was actually having fun at the church’s playground his mother forced him to go every Sunday.
---
They were seventeen. At the senior school’s dance where girls wore pretty dresses and corsages and boys were spiking the punch, they danced slowly at the fast, upbeat song. It was their last dance, last chance to say the unspoken, before they’ll each go their different ways. Him with his band, that just got signed, and her, off to college somewhere on the East Cost.
It’s been years since they met, and since them they spent their Sunday mornings in front of T.V. watching Transformers. Each year getting older, and getting more aware of each other.
A couple of secret kisses, that most of the time meant nothing, stolen glances that no one could see, but if you watch really closely, you could see the feeling lingering in the air.
And that summer, on the small train station they parted their ways, without words. Fingers intertwined, fighting back tears. It was now or never moment. But none of them had enough courage to say it. The small children that feared nothing; grew up. Their hearts grew up, together.
“Stephanie, I…” Brendon began, but his words were chocked. He wanted to say so much, but the time has run out. In times like those, he wished he had a rich vocabulary like a poet, but he was no poet. He tried, so many times, but everything he wrote always found its way to the trash can. “… I love you.”
She looked at him, smile dancing across her lips. It wasn’t because of the words said, it was the ones that were felt.
“I love you too,” she whispered while climbing the small set of stairs on a train.
A promise to call every night, to write each other. A whistle and a goodbye.
She watched as his silhouette became smaller and more distant. She left, leaving her heart with him back home.
---
The night was cold and everything predicted of rain. Like the ones you’d hope to fall, to make the thirsty grounds wet. Stephanie sat in her chair by the window, assignment she had to finish long forgotten somewhere in the room. The small water droplets slid down the glass, like pearls. The small droplets that reminded her of Brendon, and the way he smiled, the way he talked, the way he was.
A smile, a message on the phone, “There are things I remember and things I forget. I miss you I guess that I should. I love you.”
Those three words you die to hear at least once in your life.
---
And they watched the old re-runs of Transformers curled up in each other’s arms, whispering I love yous over and over.
“Hi,” she spoke. The boy looked at her and continued picking up his nose, almost as if he was looking for hidden treasures up there. “I’m Stephanie.” Still no answer.
“What’s your name?” Stephanie was persistent.
“Mommy told me not to talk to strangers,” he said with an attitude little boys could only have.
“But I’m not stranger,” Stephanie said. For such a little girl, she had the biggest heart and the amazing amount of fate in good inside people. “I’m Stephanie.”
The boy ignored her and continued his action of digging a camel from his nose. But he thought that maybe this girl wanted to play with him, and if so, why did she picked him out of all children playing. He was angry in a way; his mother dragged him to yet another church service, while he wanted to watch Transformers in his pajamas and eat Cap'n Crunch in front of T.V.
The wind blew and moved Stephanie’s hair from her face a little, making the Sun shining her profile. And in that point in time, she looked like a tiny angel.
“Brendon,” the boy spoke, putting his hand down and away from his nose.
Stephanie’s feet touched the ground, making her black shoes covered with dust. She was surprised he spoke, but she was glad he did. A smile danced on her lips, reaching up to her eyes.
And as the day progressed, the two children talked about the giant robots and which one of them is better. For the first time, Brendon was actually having fun at the church’s playground his mother forced him to go every Sunday.
---
They were seventeen. At the senior school’s dance where girls wore pretty dresses and corsages and boys were spiking the punch, they danced slowly at the fast, upbeat song. It was their last dance, last chance to say the unspoken, before they’ll each go their different ways. Him with his band, that just got signed, and her, off to college somewhere on the East Cost.
It’s been years since they met, and since them they spent their Sunday mornings in front of T.V. watching Transformers. Each year getting older, and getting more aware of each other.
A couple of secret kisses, that most of the time meant nothing, stolen glances that no one could see, but if you watch really closely, you could see the feeling lingering in the air.
And that summer, on the small train station they parted their ways, without words. Fingers intertwined, fighting back tears. It was now or never moment. But none of them had enough courage to say it. The small children that feared nothing; grew up. Their hearts grew up, together.
“Stephanie, I…” Brendon began, but his words were chocked. He wanted to say so much, but the time has run out. In times like those, he wished he had a rich vocabulary like a poet, but he was no poet. He tried, so many times, but everything he wrote always found its way to the trash can. “… I love you.”
She looked at him, smile dancing across her lips. It wasn’t because of the words said, it was the ones that were felt.
“I love you too,” she whispered while climbing the small set of stairs on a train.
A promise to call every night, to write each other. A whistle and a goodbye.
She watched as his silhouette became smaller and more distant. She left, leaving her heart with him back home.
---
The night was cold and everything predicted of rain. Like the ones you’d hope to fall, to make the thirsty grounds wet. Stephanie sat in her chair by the window, assignment she had to finish long forgotten somewhere in the room. The small water droplets slid down the glass, like pearls. The small droplets that reminded her of Brendon, and the way he smiled, the way he talked, the way he was.
A smile, a message on the phone, “There are things I remember and things I forget. I miss you I guess that I should. I love you.”
Those three words you die to hear at least once in your life.
---
And they watched the old re-runs of Transformers curled up in each other’s arms, whispering I love yous over and over.
♠ ♠ ♠
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