Charlie was his name.
The love bug bit him hard. But I couldn't say the same for me.
The kid bombarded me daily with flowery weeds and a ton of love notes. They usually read: I love you. Do you love me? Yes or No. Or, will you be my girlfriend? Yes or No. He even drew me a picture of his idea of a dream house for us and what our children would look like.
He lived in the trailer park I lived in. Everyday after school and on weekends, he would ride his bike over to my house and pop a few wheelies. "You sure look purdy today," he would say, giving me a toothless smile. I wonder to this day if he grew his teeth in.
The poor kid was clumsy-looking and always barefoot, except when he was in school. Dirty feet grossed me out back then. And they still do today.
No matter what Charlie did, I wasn't impressed. The poor kid didn't get it. For a whole year he tried. He even carried my books home from the bus stop. EVERYDAY!
A year later, tragedy struck his family. Rumor had it, he ended up in foster care. Poor Charlie. I never saw him again after that. I felt horrible because I never said thank you for carrying my books.
Charlie, I'm thanking you now. And hope that you're happily married, in your dream house with your three kids and a nice set of teeth. Hope you're keeping your feet clean, too.
Hugs and chocolate, all!
Shelly
This is the kind of stuff you use in your fiction to give your characters depth. Good story.
ReplyDeleteHope things worked out for Charlie.
ReplyDeleteCharlie sounds like a very sweet boy. I hope with the passage of time, life has been good to him.
ReplyDeleteNorma: Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAlex: Me, too. What he went through was quite gruesome for a seven-year-old.
I hope Charlie found his way to some peace in his life.
ReplyDeleteNot only did Charlie have great taste, but he was a gentleman, and knew a thing or two about perseverance. I'd like to think he turned out just fine. Great story, Shelly!
ReplyDeleteJulie
I was waiting for you to meet him after you both and grown. l imagined him with all his teeth and a pair of expensive shoes.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to lose a friend, shoes or no shoes.
Julie and Yvonne: I sure hope all is well with him.
ReplyDelete