Face Dry, Eyes Clear
Face Dry, Eyes Clear
I hope you smile, and I don't see.
I hope you laugh, and I don't hear
the joke. I hope you're happy,
and not in the sarcastic, angry,
angst-ridden way you expect. I
sincerely and fervently want for you
to live your life with joy in your heart.
And if that means we're not friends,
so be it.
With love from me to you,
May.
"It's always hard to say goodbye," she whispered. The girl tore the page out of her notebook and folded it in half. She placed it in an envelope and hid it in a drawer. She closed the notebook and smiled sadly at the orange, scribbled-over cover as she clicked her pen shut. She dropped both onto the already hidden floor beside her bed and lay back onto her pillow. Suddenly, and violently, she turned over, crushed her face into the burgundy cloth.
And then, for the first time in her life, she sobbed, wetly and loudly. Loudly enough that someone else, who had once sat on that bed just as she did now, heard. Someone else who opened the door and poked her head in.
"Hey sis, you alright?"
Concerned, but cheerful, her words broke the somber quiet of the room. Without even visibly wiping her tears, she sat up and smiled, face dry, eyes clear.
"Yeah, Sam, I'm fine. Just had something in my throat, you know?"
Sam smiled back, reassured, and shut the door once more. The girl sat on the bed, listening to her sister's footsteps hush as she walked down the hallway, down the stairs. The room's silence was once again broken, this time by a harsh whisper.
"Hey. Never, ever. You don't cry. You're strong. You're happy. You're smiling."
Silence claimed the room for a few minutes, but, as always, was conquered by a barely audible murmur.
"Yeah, I remember. Big girls don't cry; I don't cry."
And the girl grabbed her cellphone, sitting on the bed next to her, and punched a few buttons.
"Hey, Hilary! What's up? Ohmygod, you did? What'd he say? No way! That's awesome. We have to go celebrate. Meet you at Top China in ten minutes, yeah? Cool. Bye!"
I hope you laugh, and I don't hear
the joke. I hope you're happy,
and not in the sarcastic, angry,
angst-ridden way you expect. I
sincerely and fervently want for you
to live your life with joy in your heart.
And if that means we're not friends,
so be it.
With love from me to you,
May.
"It's always hard to say goodbye," she whispered. The girl tore the page out of her notebook and folded it in half. She placed it in an envelope and hid it in a drawer. She closed the notebook and smiled sadly at the orange, scribbled-over cover as she clicked her pen shut. She dropped both onto the already hidden floor beside her bed and lay back onto her pillow. Suddenly, and violently, she turned over, crushed her face into the burgundy cloth.
And then, for the first time in her life, she sobbed, wetly and loudly. Loudly enough that someone else, who had once sat on that bed just as she did now, heard. Someone else who opened the door and poked her head in.
"Hey sis, you alright?"
Concerned, but cheerful, her words broke the somber quiet of the room. Without even visibly wiping her tears, she sat up and smiled, face dry, eyes clear.
"Yeah, Sam, I'm fine. Just had something in my throat, you know?"
Sam smiled back, reassured, and shut the door once more. The girl sat on the bed, listening to her sister's footsteps hush as she walked down the hallway, down the stairs. The room's silence was once again broken, this time by a harsh whisper.
"Hey. Never, ever. You don't cry. You're strong. You're happy. You're smiling."
Silence claimed the room for a few minutes, but, as always, was conquered by a barely audible murmur.
"Yeah, I remember. Big girls don't cry; I don't cry."
And the girl grabbed her cellphone, sitting on the bed next to her, and punched a few buttons.
"Hey, Hilary! What's up? Ohmygod, you did? What'd he say? No way! That's awesome. We have to go celebrate. Meet you at Top China in ten minutes, yeah? Cool. Bye!"