Short Story

So you want to know about me. Well, if you didn’t you wouldn’t be reading this. Lets talk about the summer I was 12. I lived in a small town with my mom, dad, and baby brother. We were content I suppose. My dad worked in the local bottling company and my mom babysat the neighborhood children. I loved to play with the little kids, but I was an outcast among my peers, so I spent most of my time at home helping my mother. Occasionally she would send me to the local convenience store for milk or something. While I was there I would take my time in the cloth section dreaming about making a beautiful dress for myself someday. You see we had enough money to survive but that was about it. I would often daydream about meeting prince charming and wearing a beautiful blue-lace dress on my wedding day. Yeah, I know that white is traditional but blue is my favorite and white gets dirty way too easily. Anyways, my family could only afford modest clothes and modest things.
On the third day of summer vacation my mother sent me to the store. As I stood in the cloth section, feeling the imported silks, I heard someone behind me. When I looked there was a boy, about my age, sweeping the floor. He had beautiful chestnut hair and blue eyes. He wore some drab work clothes and a shop keep’s apron. I quickly turned back around when he looked up.
“Do you need any help?”
“No, I think I’m alright.”
“Well, alright if you need me I’ll be at the counter.”
Great the counter, that meant I’d have to see him again. I wanted to see him of course, but I have to admit that I was nervous. I’d never met anyone so beautiful in my life. After about five minutes of debating with myself I finally decided that I better get this over with. So I headed up to the counter with my items where I encountered him again.
“Find what you needed?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you from around here?”
“I’ve lived here my whole life.”
“Oh, good so you know what there is to do here?’
“I don’t go out much, but I suppose I know what other people usually do around here.”
“Well, I just moved here with my dad, we bought this place from Mister Simms about a week ago. I have to help out until school starts. So, I don’t know anybody here.”
“Oh, well you know me now. My name is Abby, it’s nice to meet you!” He shook my hand.
“Nice to meet you I’m Joseph, but you can call me Joe. Would you mind showing me around town sometime?”
“That’d be fine, but I must warn you if you are seen with me you might not be too popular at school come August.”
“I think I’ll take my chances.” He smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.
“Ok then, how bout tomorrow?”
“Sounds good. Meet me here at 5.”
“Ok, see you then.” I ran home as fast as I could. I had to tell mama. When I got home I burst into the door and told her the entire story. She was happy to hear that I had made a friend.
The next day I watched the clock in nervous anticipation. I had sat in front of the mirror at home for about two hours wrestling with my hair until it was finally the way I wanted it. I even borrowed some of mama’s perfume. After what seemed like days, it was finally 4:45. I left the house and headed towards the store.
When I arrived Joe was sitting outside the store.
“I’m sorry, am I late?” I asked.
“No it’s just nicer out here than in there.”
“Oh, well what do you want to do?”
“I thought you were planning this? I have no clue what there is around here.”
“Well I’ll give you some options. We can go further into town and see the picture show, of course that does not start till about 7. Or we could walk around town and I’d show you the stores. Or if you really want I could show you some of the naturally beautiful places around here.”
“It’s not nice to talk during the pictures and I’d rather some conversation. Also I will probably go into town with my dad sometime anyways, so lets see what nature has to offer.”
“Ok then.” We headed towards the “canyon.” Well, it’s not really a canyon, just a few hills that circle around to make a shallow hole. It is quite pretty when the flowers are blooming and the trees start producing their fruit. We spent hours talking and laughing before we finally called it a night. Things went that way for the next two months. We both would work with our parents during the day and spend the rest of our time together. He was my best friend.
When school started up again, we started walking to and from together everyday. We sat next to one another, and passed notes during class. I never was too good at that sort of thing cause I was caught at least once a week. When Halloween came around we decided to spend the evening at the “canyon.” He gave me my first kiss that night. He said,
“You are amazing, you know that?”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, I think I love you and I would never settle for less.”
My heart skipped a beat. It was like heaven from that moment on.
A week before Thanksgiving I stopped by his house to pick him up for school. His father answered the door.
“Joseph will not be going to school today, he seems to be a little under the weather.”
It was weird not being with him at school all day, but I decided that I’d check on him after class and he would be back tomorrow. So, instead of passing notes I wrote him a letter during class. When school finally ended I rush to see him. The towns doctor was walking out as I stepped on the poarch.
“Hi doctor Moore, how is Joe?”
“You probably shouldn’t go in there he has a high fever and is quite contagious.”
“Oh, well I’ll give this note to his father and just stay out here then.”
“Alright, tell your mother that I’ll be by to see the baby in a couple of days.”
When Joe’s father came out I asked him to give my letter to Joe. He agreed and told me to I was welcome to stay incase Joe wanted to write me back. So I sat in the kitchen of the little house for about ten minutes before Joe’s dad came back out with a small slip of paper. On it was a weak scribble of words that said, I love you and I will wait for you in heaven. I sat there for a second. I started to get dizzy.
“What the Hell is this about! Why would he write something like this?” His father took my hand.
“The doctor confirmed that Joe has measles, his mother died from it shortly before we moved here. It’s pretty bad and, well, he doesn’t have mush time.”
“How do you know? He could beat this! I know he can! I have to see him! He can’t give up! He just can’t!”
“ He has a hard time fighting off colds let alone this. When he was younger he took months to recover from any small bug he might have caught. We almost lost him a couple of times, but he somehow came through. Now this is just too big for his body to fight off. We knew it would eventually happen, we just tried to go on. Any illness could kill him anyways, but this one is what will do it. I am sorry Abby I thought you knew.”
I could not believe what I was hearing. I felt like I was going to throw up, my face was hot and my eyes welled with tears.
“So that’s it. We give up.”
“I’m afraid there is nothing that can be done.”
“Can I see him?”
“No it’s too dangerous, I’m sorry.”
We cried together for about ten minutes. He tried to get me to go home but I refused.
“I’m staying here even if I can’t see him. I want to be with him.”
For three days I stayed at his house and took care of his father the best I could. Then the morning came. His father came it with tears in his eyes.
“There is no more suffering now.” I ran out the door and to the “canyon.” I spent the rest of the day there with my memories and broken dreams.
When I got home I started working non-stop for two days. Finally, tired and depressed, I went down to the burial of my best friend and my love in my newly made blue-lace dress.