AMACon 3: Oikos Omnibus

Caelum

“I don’t believe in shooting stars. Everyone created that story for fun. But I don’t believe in them.”

“But isn’t it a great story though? Shooting stars and wishes that do come true?”

A flash of light envelops the dark sky as chances are renewed and prayers are answered.

Maine looks out the window and wonders how she has always lived next to RJ’s house all her life. She has known him for most of her life but of course she’s still 10. She loves sitting by her window and watch him play with his friends, sometimes he waves at her and sometimes he blatantly ignores her, but she still watches him.

“Maine, if you want t go talk to RJ just go next door.” Her mom says, smiling at her.

She looks at her Mom and makes a face How do grownups know anything? I wish when I’m as big as her, I could read minds too. Maine goes down from her stool, takes a deep breath and pushes the front door.

“Oh honey?” her Mom calls out to her “Happy Birthday.”

Those little steps she makes to RJ’s house next door feels like her parents were going to reprimand her when she got low grades or when she didn’t do her project or when she didn’t mean to neglect her dog. Those little steps she makes her question why she does this in the first place. She glances and sees him with his friends happily playing ball.

“RJ, your girlfriend is here” Eric, his friend says to him. She pouts at that friend, she never really liked him; never really did.

She could see him flinch and slowly look at her; a ghost of a smile brightens his face only to be replaced by disgust.

“She’s not my girlfriend, Eric. Girls have cooties and I don’t go near people with cooties.” RJ says as he turns back to his friends who started to laugh. Maine could only stick out her tongue at him, the only thing she could think of to spite him. What else can she do? She’s only 10.

She runs away, tears welling up. RJ is a jerk, a definite jerk. How did I spend all those years being his friend? He’s a jerk.

“Maine?”

She looks up and sees Grandpa Jay from next door who was smiling at her. “Grandpa!” she wraps her arms around his middle and he laughs.

“What’s the matter? Why are you crying?

“RJ is a jerk.”

Grandpa Jay chuckles and ruffles her hair “Ah, yes. Do you want to go inside for cookies?”

Maine’s eyes twinkle at her favorite neighbor. “Of course!”

She has always been inside Grandpa Jay’s home. When their parents were away, RJ and Maine used to sleep over with him as a constant babysitter. Now, she would rather go here alone than be in the same room with that jerk.

She looks around and smiles; a home away from home. Grandpa Jay has always been here all her life. He even knows her siblings since they were born. Her parents used to gush of how he is their parent away from their real ones. The smell of peppermint will always remind her of the elder friend.

“What did he do?” Grandpa Jay asks her while placing the plate in front of her.

“He’s a jerk, Grandpa. I never wanna see him again for as long as I live.”

He looks at her, eyes twinkling “I know you don’t mean that, Maine. He’s a friend”

“How could he consider himself to be my friend when he insults me on my birthday!” The little one rages. “It’s my 10th birthday and a milestone, Grandpa. I never wanna see him again.” She rants as she takes a huge chunk off her cookie.

The elder man looks at his young friend and laughs heartily “Ah, so that’s what it is. Happy Birthday, dear child; know that this “milestone” will be one for the books. Have faith and trust RJ.”

“I don’t trust him anymore” She pouts and all the elder man could do is laugh as he ruffles her hair.

“Happy Birthday, Maine!”

Maine was still pouting as she went home. She could see her parents and siblings holding balloons with a “Happy Birthday, Maine” donning their dining room wall. She smiles but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” her Dad asks her.

“RJ is a jerk. I hate him.” She rants and everyone laughs like it isn’t an important thing. She glares at them and continue to laugh while her siblings are starting to fill their plates with her birthday dinner.

“Everyone knows you make up with him eventually” her elder sister says as Maine glares at her.

“I don’t care. I don’t want to be his friend anymore. He’s a jerk” she continues to say as she stomps her way up to her room.

“Where the hell did you learn that word?” Her older brother asks.

“From you!” she shouts “And don’t bother me.” She says as she slams her bedroom door amidst everyone laughing.

“He’s a jerk. RJ is a jerk.” And everyone does not take me seriously.” Maine tries to muffle her screams at her pillow. She glances at the night sky and wonders why he would go low as that when she thought he was a friend. She closes her eyes and tries to sleep when she hears pebbles tapping at her window.

She looks out and sees RJ bashfully waving as he smiles up at her. She glares at him and makes her way to her bed.

“Maine, RJ is here!” Her mom says but she ignores her. All she did is snuggle deeper into her bed.

She could not even remember how she ended at their backyard by the swing set with RJ in front of her, head down and feet shifting from left to right.

“What do you want?” She says, pouting at him. “I do have cooties so why are you here?”

RJ looks up somberly “I’m sorry. It’s just that they usually tease me so I…”

“So you insult me instead?”

“Sorry” He says as he hands her his gift “Happy Birthday, Maine and I’m really, really sorry.”

She grabs the box because who wouldn’t? A gift is still a gift no matter how a jerk this guy is. She opens the small box and sees a star locket inside. She looks at him “Locket?”

He nods. “There’s a surprise inside, but don’t open it now. Your name is engraved. See?” he says as he proudly shows “Maine” engraved at the middle as he sits beside her in the swing set. “Someone said that if you clutch that locket and wish hard enough, your wish will come true.”

She smiles at him and clutches the locket “Thank you”

They look at the sky in silence and see a shooting star “Hey!” RJ points at it and looks at her “Make a wish, Maine. It’s your birthday, it might come true.”

Maine closes her eyes and smiles “Done.”

“What did you wish for?”

“That you would trip and fall”

RJ stands up in protest and glares at her, his foot accidentally tripping over a pebble as he falls.

"Wish granted, best birthday ever.” Maine laughs as RJ continues to glare at her

A flash of light and the wheels start to turn; a glimmer of hope in a barren field.