Ren

Needs alot of polishing up which I will do over time but the story is good.

   I was sitting in my favorite arm chair sipping my coffee and reading the daily newspaper when my daughter stomped in, “God he's impossible, he's such a jerk!” she screamed as she slumped  down on the sofa across from me. I looked up at her and chuckled, “What did Joe do this time?”

   Joe or as my daughter Anna nicknamed him “Jerk” was her best friend and they seemed to always be arguing about something. People who knew them both compared them to a married couple, and mostly the things they fought about were so trivial it was funny, like books, or music, they even didn't speak to each other for a couple days because he teased her too much. Honestly I thought they were both idiots but they held a closeness that was rare. Usually when they fought she would stomp in angrily grumbling to herself and then after a short time he would come to apologise and they would be okay again. It mostly filled me with nostalgia looking at those two.

   She sat on the couch across from me and told me what happened. She wanted him to find something for her on the internet but he didn’t do it. And then he said it was stupid and started joking about it and she got angry. I sighed and chuckled to myself thinking, my god they're so dumb. “Hehehe. I know what I'll do.” Came Anna’s voice snapping me out of my thoughts, and I looked up at her, she had a mischievous grin on her face, “He's probably going to come to apologise in a while, Dad, tell him that I'm not speaking to him, I know him, it's going to eat at him and he's going to worry and fuss and he'll feel so sorry. hahaha. It'll serve him right.” she grinned like a mad scientist who had devised a way to take over the world.

   Upon hearing this all I could do was shake my head in disappointment. I leaned back and rest my papers on the table, “Honey I want to tell you a story.” Aww dad.” she groaned “Please don’t tell me it’s a story about how you met mom.” “Nah, that one was simple, I knocked her up and we had to get married.” “Really?” Her eyes were wide open now with interest, “Yeah her dad made me marry her with a shotgun.” “REALLY?!” “Okay okay we're going off topic I'll tell you that one another time. This story is about my best friend her name was Ren.”

   I paused to enjoy my accomplishment of after many years after puberty, finally reclaiming my daughters undivided attention, when she was a kid we use to talk for hours then she grew up and became a teenager. I continued my story, “When I was growing up I had a childhood friend we met in elementary school and were friends since then. Even after we got older and started attending different schools we still hung out a lot. She would come to my house most evenings. We also always argued and fought over stupid things. “Jerk and I don’t fight over stupid things.” “Yeah sure you don’t honey. Anyway when we were fourteen, Ren started going away for weeks at a time, and when she returned and I asked her where she went she wouldn't say.  She always changed the subject and after a while I got use to it and just stopped asking her altogether.” Anna was listening intently at me hanging on my every word. I continued, “Ren was weird and said weird things sometimes when she came back from those trips, and I don't think I fully understood her. I remember sometimes when we were alone together, she use to sit next to me and rest her head on my shoulder and then she use to say things like Brat (that was her nickname for me) you know I care about you right? And I'm glad I met you…. And she would start to cry, but quickly wipe away the tears, and I, not knowing what to say or do, use to just quietly look away and pretend nothing happened. But I remember the smile she wore after saying something weird like that lit up the world when you saw it.” I paused as I picture my friend that smile. “Dad?” Anna called out in concern, it seemed while remembering  Ren’s smile I too had started to smile like a small kid who had gotten a new toy, I looked at her and smiled, “... every time we fought Ren usually was the first to apologise she would call my house and ask to come over and she would apologise. Even when I knew I was wrong she usually apologised before I did.

   One day however, it was the day before she left to go on one of her trips, we had gotten into a really bad argument over a stupid book, it was such a stupid thing to get angry over now that I think, but we were young, things were simpler, to youngsters trivial things to adults are big serious matters to the young.” Anna shifted uncomfortably in her seat, “We were both steaming mad. I sat in my bed grumbling. Later that day my mother would call to me to tell me Ren was on the phone and I was still so angry I yelled back down from my room loud enough for Ren to hear me say that I wasn’t going to talk to her. I remember saying to myself what you just said to me; how I'm gonna make them sorry they crossed me. I'm gonna make them feel guilty, let it eat at them, they deserve it.” The room was deftly quiet as I paused to take a sip of my coffee, “Ren came over that evening trying to talk to me, and I turned her away. I'll never forget that sad look on her face as I watched her walk from my house. This was normal I thought, we fought, and we eventually apologised and became friends again….

   A week had passed when my father came home with the news Ren had passed away, she died while receiving treatment for a rare disease she had developed. It turns out, the reason she left on her trips was to receive treatment.

   Upon hearing that I broke down from the guilt, after her funeral I spent a year in a Psychiatric Institute.” Anna was staring at me wide eyed and unblinking with her jaw now hanging open. I smiled, “I loved Ren with all my heart and because of my taking her for granted, in my ignorance I was never able to tell her that, and now I live with that guilt and regret for the rest of my life. That’s my punishment.

   My dear daughter, don't make the same mistake I did. Don't take people for granted and people’s feelings are not something you use as an advantage over them. Thinking this way will more often than not leave you in regret.” I exhaled as I looked at her and leaned back in my chair. Anna took out her cell phone dialled a number put it to her ear and waited “... Hello Joe? Umm... I'm sorry.”

Reviews

[Rod Dangers]

Touching and sad. Moved me.
Told really well and with an honest meaning. I, for one, will take something away from this.
Thank you.

[Praveeta]

I liked the story. Thanks for sharing.

[SAYED THANGAL]

it has a smooth flow, very good story
sayed

[hanah]

simply breathtaking story! enjoyed it alot ♥

[Chris Rampersad]

Thank you very much hanah its a pleasure to know my works are enjoyed. :)

[Vidya Bacchus]

aha you have returned vampire hunter lol you catch them all? :)This was avery good story better than i could write great job.

[Chris Rampersad]

Thank you dumb dumb. I come up with this one last night. this started off as a poem.

[Vidya Bacchus]

This is better than a poem keep it as is.

[Chris Rampersad]

yeah if i try to make this into a poem i go run out of words to rhyme.

[Daniel Sala]

A round of applause is in order. I have truly enjoyed your story: natural, real, funny in places, sad, meaningful; I can see the characters, your words create a world in motion... As you say, it is good; not sure if I'd polish anything here though, it already sparkles brightly.

[Chris Rampersad]

Thank you. So you think it's good the way it is? I'm really glad to hear that. Thank you. :)

[Daniel Sala]

I think you have a lot of talent writing, Chris, both poems and stories, and this is another example, if this is unpolished, I can't wait to see polished... Thanks.

[Chris Rampersad]

I'm really grateful for your kind words dude. :)