NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? part six

NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? Part six

Max

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Mary Ellen quietly thought of ways to not hurt Tommy but at the same time, to get to know him better. She decided that, as her mother always said, time and patience bring results, she would have to find a way to be just that: patient. Guess if I’m patient enough and wait, he’ll start telling me more about himself.

As he relaxed beneath the beautiful big tree, his mind wandered, She’s so gently wit him. And yet, she plays wit him just like me. Not at all like a sissy girl! Guess if Max can have a new friend, who happens to be a girl, so can I.

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Much too shy to start a conversation on his own since leaving the orphanage, he felt awkward around people and considered after listening to how adults speak, that his lack of proper education, made him inferior – although that’s something he never admitted to anyone. Things now changed and for a few seconds, he began to dream.

Someday, I’ll get back ta a real school. Someday! he thought, until reality crept into his thoughts and dimly stopped him short.

Who am I kiddin’, his mind tried to scream. I ain’t got no money. Uncle Jimmy’s got no money and money’s what ya need to get any place in life. Aw! I might as well forget any dreams I might have and just be who I am. What am I feelin’ sorry fa myself fa? It’ ain’t gonna get me nowhere but sadder than I already am!

Yet, at the same time, Tommy felt fortunate to have Mary Ellen as a friend. And, still, he didn’t understand what she saw in him. After all, she had so much more, so many things of which Tommy only dreamed: both parents, a nice house in a good neighborhood, a good education. Their lives were completely opposite.

He also felt that so much time had passed him by that he’d be so far behind in school, the other students his age might only ridicule him for his lack of knowledge. Also, he’d be mortified if they placed him with kids so much younger because of his lack of knowledge. To Tommy, it was a lose / lose situation.

In addition, he felt obligated to help his uncle who so willingly took him home and accepted the responsibility of caring for him. How could he ask his uncle to find the money to send him to school – any school. Schools cost money. He heard people talk about the cost of books, paper, pens, clothes and probably much more than Tommy could even imagine.

When his parents died, Tommy seemed to slip into a state of suspended animation. Still too young to understand right from wrong, he did what he was told, when he was told, without emotion, without question.

The orphanage didn’t offer much in the way of school, plus he was only four years old when he left. Whatever they offered in the way of education, he just wasn’t interested. He remained uninterested. Even as he turned ten, his grades were just above passing and some, not even that. He was only pushed ahead grade-wise because of his age. Finally, his uncle received a letter from the Board of Education. It offered him a solution. As soon as Tommy turned twelve, rather than a regular high school, they advised his uncle to place him in a trade school. There he’d learn a skill and be off the streets that could possibly steer him in the wrong direction. It seemed like the only answer to Jimmy’s dilemma.

A few short months after moving in with his uncle, Tommy found Max and that became the beginning of a whole new world for him. For the first time, Jimmy saw a spark of life in his nephew’s eyes. Three years later, he met Mary Ellen and his life changed, yet again.

Tommy knew he envied Mary Ellen. To him she had everything. AT least, Tommy thought so. It was obvious that Max loved Mary Ellen just as much as she loved Max. Her love for his pet often made him wonder if she liked him, or if their friendship was only caused by and held together because of Max.

“Hey, Mel,” he started to ask.

Turning to look at Tommy, her eyes squinted with curiosity. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something” she interrupted. “Why do you call me Mel?”

Tommy shrugged his shoulders and quickly raised his eyebrows, then shook his head. “I don’t know. Short for Mary Ellen, I guess. Just easier. Don’t ya like it?”

“Hmm, it’s definitely different,” she said while thinking it over. Smiling, she added, “It’s okay with me. I was curious, that’s all.”

Her eyes drifted away, and Tommy heard her mumble, “Mel, Hmm!”

Breaking her concentration and changing the topic of his own thoughts, he asked, “I was wonderin. Ya get along so good with Max. How come ya ain’t got a dog o’yer own?”

Mary Ellen lowered her head as her eyes filled with tears. She took a deep breath and exhaled so slowly that Tommy didn’t notice her breathing. So many minutes passed before she answered that Tommy thought he’d, once again, said something wrong. Then he noticed her tears.

“Mel, what’d I say?” Tommy asked in a rush. “Whattsa matter? Talk ta me, Mel, please. Come on, Mel.”

Then with a softness that Tommy, himself, didn’t understand, he gently touched her hand and said, “Please, Mel? Talk ta me, please.”

Trying hard not to cry, Mary Ellen took another deep breath and began telling Tommy about her puppy.

“Oh, Tommy, she was such a pretty little puppy. A beautiful cocker spaniel with long, wavy red-brown hair! We called her, Kat.” Mary Ellen sniffled, blinked back a few tears, and continued. “I know it sounds like a silly name for a dog, but she was always so curious about everything. My mom would often say that she was just like a cat, so that’s what we called her.”

Her voice grew to almost a whisper, “Last year on my brithday, Kat dug a hole in our backyard and got out. I guess she just wanted to see what was on the other side.”

Her voice began to tremble. “We didn’t know she’d gotten out. A little while later, a man knocked on our door and asked if we owned a cocker spaniel. When dad said we did, the man pointed to the road and said, ‘I’m so sorry, Sir,’ he said shaking his head, ‘I never saw her until it was too late. She was so small. I’m so sorry.’”

Mary Ellen finally lost control and her tears quickly rolled down her face but still continued. “My dad and the man walked over to where Kat was lying. Dad gently picked her up and took her to the backyard. My mom was crying so much. Even dad cried, although he tried not to. I sat in the yard with Kat in my lap until dad finished digging her grave. She used to love to lie in its shade of that big oak. We outlined her little grave with rocks and ...” Mary Ellen never finished her story. She cried as though her heart was breaking all over again.

Tommy sat in silence and stared at the ground. The shock of Mary Ellen’s story brought tears to his own eyes as he looked at Max and wondered what would he do if anything ever happened to him.

He was lost as to what he could do. He’d only seen a girl cry in the orphanage. Even then, he was only a little child. Time after time, year after year, he watched as new children entered the home. Each time a frightened child walked through the doors; the terrified crying could be heard echoing throughout the rooms. He also remembered watching how the frightened children were calmed and comforted.

Keeping those thoughts in mind, he followed his instincts. He gently, put his arm around Mary Ellen’s shoulders, pulled her head on to his shoulder and allowed her to grieve.

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.