His Deepest Secret

It was a Tuesday morning, and the skies were somewhat cloudy. Terrible weather lately. But that was what winter was all about. The sun rose, trying to warm the Earth, but its determination was met with failure.

Charlotte arose from bed, shivering when she discovered her blankets to be on the floor. She got up and walked slowly to the shower, knowing a hot shower would help her to warm up immediately. As the water was heating up, Charlotte went and grabbed her outfit for the day. Black jeans, a striped, long sleeve shirt, socks, and underwear. She set it on her bathroom counter and stepped into the shower.

After taking a long shower and dressing herself, she packed up her school belongings and prepared herself to walk out her front door. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Her parents stopped their conversation, looked over at her, and smiled.

"Hey hunny, come sit down," her father told her.

Charlotte went to the table and sat down. "Good morning."

"You're not going to school today," her mother told her. "It's a mother daughter day today."

"Oh," Charlotte said, shocked her mother was letting her miss school. "I guess I'll go put my school stuff back upstairs." She gave a half-smile at her mom and walked back up the steps. She dropped most of her school stuff on her bed and put her phone and wallet in her back pockets of her jeans. After she grabbed her keys, she went back down the stairs.

"So, you and I are going out for breakfast!" her mom told her.

"You girls have fun today," her dad said with a smile on his face as he picked up his suitcase off of the island in the kitchen.

"Goodbye hunny, I love you!" Gracie hugged her husband and kissed his cheek before he left.

"Love you Dad," Charlotte said as she side hugged him.

"Thanks," he whispered happily. He was thanking her for doing what he asked of her, and he felt proud of his daughter. "I love you both!" he said as he walked out of the kitchen.

Charlotte smiled and then looked at her mom. "Time to go then?"

"Mmhm! As soon as I get my purse, we'll be ready to go."

"I'll drive," Charlotte offered.

The two walked out of their house and into Charlotte's white Honda. As Charlotte sat down, her phone vibrated. She took it out of her pocket and read the new text she received.

From: Anderson
Hi(:

"Hey mom? Could you do me a favor?" Charlotte asked as she put her keys into the ignition.

"Hmm?"

"Could you text back saying, 'Hey, I'm driving and going to breakfast with my mom. Won't be able to text. Sorry!'?"

"Sure," her mom answered.

Charlotte looked behind her and began pulling out of the driveway as her mom texted Anderson for her.

That boy made her heart melt.

- - -

"How come people pronounce catsup as 'ketchup'?"

Grace looked at her daughter and laughed. "What?"

"People always say 'ketchup' and even spell it that way, but it is catsup."

"I'm not sure," she answered, smiling at her daughter. "Know what you want to eat yet?"

"Grand Slam. What about you?"

"I think I'll try this omelet," Grace said as she pointed to the Denny's menu she was holding.

"Looks tasty."

"So. . . what's new?"

Charlotte looked up at her. "Nothing much, just uhmm. . . stuff." She felt uneasy talking to her mom about what's been going on lately.

"How is Alissa?"

"I wouldn't know. Nobody has bothered contacting me. I tried texting her. Nothing."

"I'm sorry hun. I'm sure you'll find out soon. Have any crushes at school?" her mom looked at her and winked.

"Not a crush. . ."

"Then what?" she asked, glad to be gossiping and chit-chatting with her daughter.

"I have a boyfriend," Charlotte said, looking up at her mother and waiting for her reaction.

Grace felt like her body jolted back for a moment. Charlotte had a boyfriend and she didn't even tell her mom about it. "A-a boyfriend? How come I haven't met this man yet?"

Mind as well give it to her straight.

"Because he is sick."

"Wait. . . do you mean your project partner?"

"Mmhm," she answered.

Her mother's face was not a happy one at the moment. Fortunately, the waitress came right then to take their orders.

"Hi, are you guys ready to order, or would you like a few more minutes?" she asked politely.

"The Grand Slam please. The eggs cooked to where the whites are fully cooked but the yolk still is liquid. I'd like the bacon with it."

"The-the omelet right here," her mother told the waitress, pointing at the menu.

"Okay, and how would you like your eggs?" she asked.

Gracie replied,"The same please."

"Thank you!"

The waitress scurried away, leaving Charlotte back to her mother's wrath.

"You're dating someone who is sick with cancer?! "

"Yes."

Charlotte's stomach felt uneasy because of the glare her mother gave her and of the tone of her mother's voice.

"That is the stupidest thing to do! What if he doesn't make it Charlotte? Have you thought about that? What if you really start to like him and he dies?"

That was a stab to her heart. Had she even really thought about it?

"Mom, if Dad had cancer, would you still have dated him even if it wasn't sure if he would survive?"

Her mom looked taken aback. "Of course I would have! I wouldn't have had what I do now, which is a wonderful husband and daughter."

"Yeah?" Charlotte gave her a look. "So how is that any different than this? I cannot look into my future and know what'll be there. But neither could you back then. So don't judge me for the choices I make because those choices could end up me being a happy wife and mother like you."

It was silent after Charlotte spoke. She stared into her mother's eyes, waiting for a response.

"You're right. I am sorry, Charlotte," Grace told her daughter with sincerity.

Charlotte was quiet and did not say anything back. The silence between the two remained until the waitress brought the food.

What is Anderson doing? She forgot to text him back . .

Charlotte pulled out her phone and looked at it. No new messages. Her fingers began typing rapidly on her keyboard as she sent a text to Anderson.

Gracie cleared her throat.

"Hmm?" Charlotte put her phone back into her pocket and looked up.

Gracie had already digged into her omelet. "Are you going to eat?"

"Oh! Yeah," she replied. She began eating her breakfast.

The two chatted about Gracie's work and the jerks there until they were done eating. They paid for the check, got into the car, and drove to the nail salon. Apparently, Gracie had scheduled a manicure for the both of them.

Wonderful bonding time. . .

"This is going to be a lot of fun, trust me," Gracie smiled at her.

"Okay," she replied.

- - -

For the rest of the day, the two got manicures and then went to the mall, out to lunch, and to the grocery store. It had gone well, but Charlotte was getting annoyed with her nails because she could hardly text.

As the two pulled into the driveway, Charlotte's dad and somebody else walked out to greet them.

At first, Charlotte paid no attention to who was there because she was unbuckling herself and getting her bag. When she and her mother got out, Charlotte looked over at the person standing next to her dad.

Anderson?

"Hey girls! How did your day go?" her father asked.

"It went wonderful!" Gracie kissed her husband. "And who is this young man standing beside you?" she asked.

"Oh! This is Anderson, Charlotte's boyfriend." His emphasis on the word was not a bad one, but one that warned Gracie to not freak out.

"So this is the young man you were telling me about over breakfast!" Gracie smiled and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you ma'am," Anderson said as he smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Gracie smiled back. "I've got groceries in the back I need to unload." She turned around and opened the truck.

All of them followed. Anderson and Charlotte grabbed a lot of bags and walked up to the front door together.

"So this was a huge surprise," she said.

"Yeah, I know." Anderson laughed. "I uhm, wanted to ask permission from your father to date you."

That shocked her.

"You did?" Her mouth gaped open as she led him to her kitchen and set the bags down on the floor.

"Yes. I might be a little old-fashioned," he said, smiling up at her.

"That was really sweet and meaningful that you did that." She hugged him, and he squeezed her and picked her up off of the floor.

"I missed you," she said into his shirt.

"Hmmm?" He set her down and looked at her.

"I missed you," she repeated.

A smile spread across his face. "I missed you, too."

Charlotte's dad and mom walked into the room with groceries and set them down. "That's the last of them," Gracie said. "Anderson?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like shrimp?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Okay, now you three get out of my kitchen so I can cook dinner," she ordered.

Charlotte's dad laughed and walked out into the living room. Anderson and Charlotte walked out and sat down on the couch.

"What football team do you go for?" he asked Anderson as he flipped through the channels on the TV.

"Dallas Cowboys," he answered.

"Ahh, you picked a great boy Charlotte," he said as he clicked on the football game just beginning. "Dallas vs. the 49ers."

Anderson put his arm over Charlotte and looked down at her. She was smiling as her eyes watched the football game begin. He looked down and noticed her manicure.

"When did you get these done?" he asked her quietly.

"Oh. . . today," she answered as she smiled awkwardly.

"They look pretty."

"Thank you."

Both of their heads turned to look at the TV. The Dallas Cowboys had just began their first down.

- - -

"Thank you for dinner Mrs. Smith," Anderson said.

"Thank you for coming over Anderson. It was nice having you over," she replied.

"You're welcome any time," her father chimed in.

"Have a good night," Anderson told them.

"I'll walk you out," Charlotte told him.

They walked out of the kitchen, and Anderson gently slid his hand into hers as they walked to the front door.

As they walked out to Anderson's truck, Charlotte felt so incredibly happy.

"It was so nice spending time with you today," she told him.

"It was. And I really like your family."

When they got to his truck, Anderson stopped and looked into her eyes. Something about them. . . they were twinkling up at them.

"I really like you. . ."

Anderson's voice was soft.

Charlotte looked up at him with her mouth parted in a shocked kind of way. "I like you a lot Anderson."

He gently tilted her chin up, closed his eyes, and leaned forward to meet his lips to hers. When they pressed against eachother, their soft lips moved together slowly.

Anderson's hands cupped both sides of her face as they French kissed slowly. He never wanted this kiss to end. He smiled as he kissed her, causing Charlotte to smile. Gently, he pulled away and looked at her.

"Goodnight Charlotte. I'll miss you."

"Goodnight Anderson. I'll miss you, too. Will you text me when you get home?"

"Of course," he said, smiling down at her. He pulled her into a hug and then got into the driver's seat.

"Talk to you shortly," he told her.

"Alright," she said. He pulled away and drove down the street.

After he turned the corner, she decided to walk back up to her house. She couldn't stop smiling.

After he turned the corner, he felt so happy. The night went perfect, and he really liked this girl.

As he looked up to his rearview mirror to check if he could switch lanes, something caught his attention.

There was a small fluff of his hair sticking up higher than than the rest of his blonde hair. His hand slowly reached up and pulled on it.

The tiny bit of hair easily came out. . .

No.

No no no no no no no.

Anderson pulled over to the side of the road and stopped his truck. He turned on the light inside of his car and pulled down the visor to look at the mirror.

He noticed there were strands of hair on the hood of his jacket. There was not much, but. . .

Hair had come out of his head.

The chemotherapy. . .

Fuck.

Anderson pressed his forehead against the wheel and his eyes got watery. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard to where his knuckles turned white.

No.

A single tear fell.