NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? part 10

NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? Part ten

Max

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Walking over to his friend, Tommy, much to his own surprise, leaned over and gently did what he saw others do on special occasions. He kissed her cheek. “Happy Birthday, Mary Ellen.”

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Mary Ellen stood there in shock. Tommy hadn’t called her Mary Ellen in almost three months and now, not only did he use her proper name, but he placed something at her feet – something for her! And he kissed her cheek! But the biggest surprise of all was when he wished her a Happy Birthday. It was too much for her to grasp all at one time.

“Go ahead, Mary Ellen. Open it,” Tommy encouraged.

Still baffled, she knelt on the cool grass and with hands shaking, tried to undo the string. “I don’t know where to begin,” she said with eager helplessness.

From the front pocket of his pants, Tommy pulled out a small pocketknife that once belonged to his father. A sea of memories, almost forgotten now, ran through his mind. His finger lovingly caressed the brown and tan case.

Max barked with excitement and brought Tommy’s thoughts back to the present.

“Sorry, Mel. This knife was my dad’s It got me thinkin’ again.” After carefully opening the blade, he cut the string in one place and looked at Mary Ellen. She opened her mouth to say something about Tommy’s parents, but he interrupted her as he closed the knife. “It’s yer turn. Ya gotta do the rest yerself, now.”

Mary Ellen no longer held back her own excitement. She pulled and yanked at the string until it all came off. Then she ripped the papers until every last one was on the ground. As fast as she ripped them off, Tommy picked them up and placed them in the trash receptacle.

Mary Ellen gasped as her eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, Tommy! It’s beautiful. How on earth did you find such a wonderful thing? How did you think of it?” She held her gift close to her heart as if hugging a memory that refused to let go. “And how did you know today’s my birthday?”

Tommy sat beside his friend and began to explain.

“Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about yer dog and how ya said ya parents wouldn’t let ya have no more?”

Mary Ellen nodded her head, her eyes still misty with happy tears.

“I started thinkin’. If ya couldn’t have a real dog, why couldn’t ya at least have a stuffed one? I thought about it all that night, so I went ta the toy store and found this one.”

Looking at Mary Ellen as if for approval, he continued, “It was a bit tough getting’ the right dog, but I finally found it. I thought, well, maybe it kinda looks like the spaniel ya had. I only had an old picture ta go by, and as far as knowin’ about yer birthday, well…” he paused and lowering his eyes to avoid embarrassment, a shy grin appeared on his face.

“The day after ya told me about Kat, well … Ya don’t live too far away, so I went ta ya house and waited fa ya ta leave fa school. When ya did, I rang ya doorbell and asked yer mom. She gave me this picture.” He retrieved a small photo from his shirt pocket and handed it to Mary Ellen. Adding to his recollection, he said, “Ya got a real nice house and I like yer mom. She’s a real nice lady.”

“You did what? Tommy, oh, Tommy!” Mary Ellen shut her eyes tight while years of joy slid down her face. Squeezing her new stuffed animal with one hand, she never tried to resist the urge to give Tommy a hug with the other. “You’re such a good friend. Someday, I hope to be able to do something nice for you, too.”

“Ya do already, Mel, just bein’ my …” Tommy paused. Then just as quickly, sneezed. He sneezed again. Then a third sneeze erupted as he quickly covered his nose and mouth and began coughing. When the coughing and sneezing stopped, he said, “What I was tryin’ ta say is yer my friend and that’s what counts.”

And then, he sneezed again.

“Gee, Tommy, that sounds like a nasty cold you’re getting.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Tommy said indifferently, “Been doin’ this for the past two days. I’ll be okay.”

“Come home with me. My dad’s a doctor and I’m sure he’ll help you.”

Tommy being a proud boy, knew Mary Ellen to be very stubborn. He also knew, as much as it might embarrass him, it was time for the truth. “Mel, I can’t. Ya know I ain’t got no money for doctors. Especially now! I can’t pay him. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be okay. You’ll see. I get sick like this every year and every year, I get better. I’ll be okay, you’ll see.”

Mary Ellen suddenly realized that he must have used his meager savings to buy her the stuffed dog. Being her usual determined self, but now, even more so, she refused to take no for an answer. “Tommy! I won’t hear of it! Let’s go!” She stood ready to leave.

Her take charge manner completely shocked him, therefore, as he laughed and catching him off guard, she grabbed his wrist, with a sudden yank of his arm, pulled him up and forward. He was still laughing as they approached the park’s exit.

Holding Tommy’s wrist in one hand and her new stuffed animal in the other, with her defiant chin in the air, walked proudly, pulling Tommy toward her house, with Max following close behind.

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Thank you for reading Now Will Ya Leave Me Alone? I’m working on another segment. Please stay tuned to see what else might happen to Tommy and Mary Ellen.