Tell the Night Sky

Submitted into Contest #9 in response to: Write a story about unrequited love.... view prompt

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Romance

Dear five-year-old me,

Hello! You’re probably confused about this, this letter, why I’m writing this. I don’t know either. I think it’s because when I was out walking, I caught a whiff of something that smelled like fresh cut grass and hay and laundry detergent. It reminded me of my childhood, and the farm.

Well, I should tell you what’s going to happen.

You’re going to start Kindergarten soon. That’s going to be a bit scary, but it’s going to be so fun! You’re going to love it there. Natasha’s going to be in your class, and you love her so very much. You’ll excel in school- you always have. This is why I wrote you a letter. I know you finished Harry Potter, so you can read.

First grade is going to come up too. You’ll like that as well. Your teacher, Mrs. Walters, will be so very kind to you, especially since you already can spell and read. You’ll learn cursive, and while Natasha won’t be in your class, your neighbor Everett will be there. You’ll grow as close as peas in a pod.

Second grade is going to be pretty good. Your hair will still be curly and golden and lovely. I’m jealous of it to this day. Your teacher will have a puppy, and the whole class will be so far behind you. This is also the year where you stop wearing pink, and all your dresses. You work all summer at the farm, and have no use for them any more.

Third grade, you and Natasha won’t be friends any more. Don’t worry, you didn’t have a falling out or hate each other, you just drifted apart. She still wears dresses and helps her mother with cleaning, but you’re out in the fields with our Dad every day, or on horseback. You can’t be inside for more than the length of a night, and even then you’ll sneak out into the darkness and tell all your stories to the stars. You’ll also have a crush on Everett, who had grown quite handsome.

This is also the year when you meet Brandy. She’s going to be your best friend for a very long time. You’ll love her too, because she’ll go outside and ride horses and make up stories with you. She’s smart as a whip, and the kindest human you'll meet.

Fourth grade, and you and Brandy are still best friends, along with another girl who’s also named Charlie. You’ll be close, but Brandy will still be your best friend. Your crush on Everett will also be gone by now.

Fifth grade is okay. I can’t remember anything about it. Oh, wait.

Asa Hamlin.

You’re going to have the biggest crush on him. He’s going to be tan and hazel-eyed and funny and oh-so-tragic. His dad will have walked out on him when he was your age now. Your crush will border on obsession. You’ll stalk him every day. But do you remember Grey? Your best friend from the nice side of town? He’ll help you out with that, and the next year you’ll be desperately in love with him, with a few other side crushes.

Sixth grade will be a nightmare. You'll be depressed, stressed, and you’re going to be friends with Natasha again. She was nice enough, but all the girls she was friends with are not nice at all. Horseback riding will be one of the only things that stops you from floating out into outer space to dance with the stars. Your mother won’t care about you, as long as you keep bringing in those A’s she can show her church friends.

Seventh grade was one of the first good years. In sixth grade, you’ll hear a girl laugh in the halls, and you’ll love her laugh. This is the year you become friends with her. Her name is Maeve, and she’ll be funny and kind and sensitive and she’ll like the exact opposite music that you do, but that’s one of the good parts about her! You’ll love her so much, and you and her and Brandy will be the best of friends. Things are starting to look up for you. Your mother will get mad at you for having some B’s with your A’s, and this year is the first time she’ll call you useless. You will hate your face a bit, because you look so much like her. But Maeve thinks you’re pretty, so that’s good enough for you.

Eighth grade is going to mean you’ll have a better social life, and a worse home one. You’ll tell Maeve about your mother, because she’ll understand- she always understands. You’ll be happy at school, make fun of the teachers, and laugh more than you thought possible. Every summer, you’ll spend even more time outside, and get as tanned as your horse, almost.

Ninth grade was pretty good, too. You’ll be labelled as the weird girl because you know how to build bombs and kill people and you’ve gotten in more fights than you thought possible. You can break down doors and pick locks, as well. Every day you’ll wear combat boots, your horseback riding jeans, and a scowl. But you and Maeve will still be friends along with Brandy, and you’ll have adventures infinitely.

Tenth grade was the exact same as ninth. Actually all high school is going to be like ninth. High school is nothing like the games that you and Natasha would play- there’s no shopping or packs of friends and hot boys around you. It’s more like stress and panic and homework and a lot of very gay things.

College is ok- you’re not going to sleep at all, but you already hardly sleep. You and Maeve will be roommates, and you’ll whisper all your secrets to the stars.

Right now, everything is amazing. You’re going to want to know what’s happening, aren’t you? Well, let me tell you.

You’re married. You’re married to a beautiful woman from the city who dances as she walks and sings when she laughs. She’ll dance in the rain with you, and talk with you late at night when the sky glitters. I won’t tell you her name. You’ll have to run into her . You’re going to love her. We live in a little cottage in the mountains, but near the beach. There’ll be so many stars there.  I have a cat, named Lady. You’ll love her too. I work as an online therapist. I don’t want anyone to have had to go through what I did. My wife is a poet, and we live comfortably with our three-year-old daughter.

Her name is Serena. You’ll love her more than anything, as she came from your womb. You’ll still have horses. Three of them, and you’ll have a goat too. Your garden is going to be huge. You’ll grow everything you need there.

I know why I wrote this, now.

Life’s going to be tough, lovely. Really, really tough, but you’re not going to give up, and you’ll be so happy when everything comes out topside.

I wrote to say that I love you. You don’t even know I exist, so I guess it’s unrequited, but I love you so much. Also, please change. Grow! Flourish! Become whoever you want to be! But stay true to yourself. There will be some times when you forget who you are, and it’s going to be hard to do that but, I believe in you.

You got this.

-33 year old Charlie



October 01, 2019 02:03

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