My Entry- Forbidden Love

FORBIDDEN LOVE


Jim looked at himself in the mirror, his head tilted to one side. He had a perfect face, he thought, perfect for anyone to fall in love with him. He might be just seven years old, but he felt he was old enough to fall in love. And yes, he was in love.
Not for long though. She had just moved in with her family next door a few days back. It was a cold evening while he was playing outside his house, on the streets with his best friend Roger, when he saw a van drive up to his neighbouring house. Two people got out of it,a man and a woman and the man marveled to his wife, ‘ well honey! This is it! Our new house. I am sure your gonna love it’
Hidden away in the comfort of the arms of the lady was Lucy. She was sleeping then , her eyes closed and purring softly. But that was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his whole life.
‘My God, Roger. Look at her. She’s an angel, isn’t she?’
Roger took one disdainful look at her and replied ‘You are joking right?’ and went back to digging the sand around him.
‘No Roger. I am serious. I have never seen someone look so beautiful in my life before. Look at her sleeping. She looks so calm and so peaceful.’
‘Have you gone crazy? Dude, wake up. She’s not like us. Look how small she is? And her black skin, yuck….And don’t get me started on her hairstyle.’
‘Don’t joke around with me Roger. I think she might be the one for me. I have never felt this way about anybody before. Now I seem to understand what these elders mean by love at first’
‘Jim! Open your eyes and see. She is not one of us. She is not from around here. She is not like us. And I don’t think she even speaks english’
‘It doesn’t matter. I don’t care what colour or what race she is. I think I am in love with her. Oh! Look at her. She’s awake. She’s taking a walk around the garden now’

Jim watched with open eyes as Lucy went around the garden of her new home, touching the flowers and playing with the butterflies. ‘Lucy!’ called a voice from inside the house.’ Come on in now. Its getting late. Don’t go jumping around in the dark on the first day in our new house and break your neck. You’ll have plenty of time tomorrow to explore the house.’
LUCY. That was how he had discovered her name. Lucy. It seemed to him the most beautiful four letter word he had ever heard. The name echoed around his head like the chimes of a bell as he made his way over to his house. He entered the house but stood still in front of the large mirror by the hallway and noticed in detail his face for the first time. Hmmm…..I hope she likes me and does not think me as weird or as one of the others as Roger thought of her.

Mr Thompson walked in on him as he sat there in front of the mirror. ‘Hello there Jim! Admiring yourself, are you? Well, did you have a nice time with your friend Roger today?’
Thompson was like the father that he had never had. Jim’s parents had died long ago when he was very young and Thompson was kind enough to adopt him. He pondered about telling Mr Thompson about Lucy but then decided against it. He might not approve of her or might think she was not suited for him. Like Roger had. So he decided to keep his love between himself and Roger for now.

He watched her everyday, as he walked by her house to the grocery store with Mr Thompson. He made it a habit,to play in the front of her house every evening wth Roger, hoping to catch a brief glimpse of her. She seemed to be in his thoughts, his dreams , following him wherever he went. It was almost a month since she had moved in next door and yet he had not spoken a word to her.

‘Roger, I can’t take it any longer. I have to tell my love to her ’ he exclaimed to Roger one day.
‘And how are you gonna tell her? You don’t even speak her language’
‘You know what, tomorrow is St Valentine’s day. I’ll pick up some nice roses that she likes so much and present it to her.’
‘Jim, I am warning you. Don’t get yourself so passionate about her and have your heart broken.’

All Jim knew about Vantine’s day was what he heard when Mr Thompson was talking on the phone with his girl friend. He knew it was on February 14, which was easy for him to remember as it was just two days before Mr Thompson’s birthday . And he also knew it was a day where lovers wished each other and gave each other presents of love and affection.He remembered somebody telling him about some guy called Mr Cupid, who was responsible for Valentine’s day but he could not recollect who he was.

And so unheeding his friend’s advice, Jim went about picking the best roses he could find in the corners of the small garden in his house. The next day he went up to her house boldly, ignoring the butterflies flying about in his stomach. He found Lucy playing in the gardens. He went inside the gate and walked slowly upto her. She noticed him and stepped back in fright, wondering who this peculiar stranger was, who had entered her house. He went up to her and placed the flowers in front of her not knowing what to say.

She looked at the flowers for a moment and then noticed a mouse runnning behind Jim. She immmediately leaped over his carefully selected roses,crushing them, and dashed across to the mouse toppling a flower pot while doing so. Jimmy’s heart broke into a million pieces like the flower pot, but then how could he know that cats hate dogs , and that cats love to chase after mice, when he had never seen a cat before in his whole life.



Word Count- 1063