Charlie - A Story About True Love -- by Dipayan Chatterjee

CHARLIE 

by Dipayan Chatterjee 

"I love you" he said softly. She just smiled and replied "meow". He held his breath & waited for it. And then she meowed again. A smile instantly formed on his face as he held her in his arms. He knew 2 meows in a row always meant "Yes". And Charlie was always right with these things...always. Although the cat was a female, he still named her Charlie cause she had a strategically placed black spot right under her tiny nose, which made it look like a short moustache just like the famous Charlie Chaplin.

He always took Charlie's advice before doing anything special. She was his only friend...his only friend who knew evrything about him...who loved him unconditionally. And she was the most special thing in his life. He loved her with all the love in his heart since the day he rescued her from the street.

But he also loved Tina, her classmate and the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. There was something about her that made him feel happy from within. Just seeing her once made him forget all his problems. She was the reason he never missed school no matter how sick he was. First love can often make you crazy...especially if you are an introverted loner.

After loving her silently for so many years, he was finally ready to tell Tina about his feelings. So after getting Charlie's approval...he knew it was time. So he mustered up all his courage & practiced all night with Charlie about how he would express his love for Tina.

The next day at school, he patiently waited every second for the right time. He could see Tina sitting on the other side of the classroom, occassionally chatting & giggling with her friends. Her captivating smile and her beautiful eyes made him forget all about the teacher as he blankly kept staring at her.

Just as the class was over, he saw his opportunity & ran upto her. As he stood motionless in front of her, his heart kept pounding fast. His throat became dry as splintered wood. He forgot all that he practiced all night. Not a single word would come out of his mouth. He kept breathing fast with his mind going completely blank. As he closed his eyes for a brief second, he could hear the calming meow of Charlie. So he took a deep breath, stared deep into her expressive eyes & spoke his heart out.

As he kept walking back home with tears streaming down his eyes, he kept cursing himself for believing in Charlie. What kind of a fool takes advice from a cat? He must be really stupid to think that just because his cat meowed twice, a beautiful girl like Tina would say "yes" to an ass like him. He kept cussing & cursing Charlie for being wrong...for giving him false hope. Although Charlie had never been wrong before, but this time she was. He couldn't wait to go back home & tell Charlie how wrong she was...how she was responsible for his heart break...responsible for his tears & his pain.

As he reached home, he saw his mother sitting at the dining table, waiting for him. He instantly realised that something was wrong by the way his mother looked at him. He felt the intolerable burden of heavy darkness crushing the tiniest speck of light left inside his heart. As he looked around the room, he realised what was wrong. Charlie was no more. She was viciously attacked by a feral stray dog while he was in school. Although she fought like a brave girl that she was, but ultimately she succumbed to the fatal injuries. She was still young. And now she was gone.

He stood there silently pretending to desperately hide the excrutiating pain inside his heart. Without uttering a single word, he slowly walked up to his room & locked the door. As he lied in his bed, he felt his world had ended...as if everything was burned down. The tears kept flowing incessantly, making his pillow wet. He begged God to take away the pain he was feeling inside. The desperate screams of Charlie kept ringing inside his ears. He repeatedly kept visualising how it must have happened...how much pain Charlie must have felt...how she looked when she took her last breath. He kept blaming himself for not being there to protect Charlie. He should have stayed home by her side, protecting his only friend who actually loved him. Instead he wasted the day running after somebody who doesn't even know he exists. He screamed into the pillow. He punched the walls. But nothing could relieve his pain.

What's worse was that he couldn't even see her one last time. It was eating him inside.

He didn't remember when he fell asleep, but suddenly woke up at the abruptness of his vibrating cellphone.

It was still dark outside. He looked at the phone & the digital clock displayed 4am. There was a new message...a text from Tina. He opened the message reluctantly, rubbing his puffy eyes. It read "Sorry for reacting the way I did. I was a bit shocked whn u tld me. N everyone ws staring at us. I was so embarrassing. I ddnt knw wat to say. But the fact is I like u too....a lot. N i m nt afraid to say it anymore. I lov u. I ddnt mean to hurt u. I m sorry. Plz reply"

As he turned his phone off, he exhaled deeply. He smiled & thought to himself...Charlie was always right.

END