Chasing Charlie

Chapter Fifteen | His Story

Charlie

Exams were approaching fast and I stayed at the orphanage more instead of heading out to the park. It was a Saturday afternoon and I thought it would be good to head to the park to relax a bit from all the studying. I headed downstairs with my shoes already on, only to bump into Olivia.

“Hey Charlie,” she smiled up at me.

“Hey Olivia,” I replied.

“Where are you going?” She asked curiously.

“I’m heading out to the park, would you like to come?” I asked her, her facial expression instantly lighting up in happiness.

“Yes!” She screamed in joy.

“Come on then,” I gestured her to follow me.

I quickly stopped by the kitchen to let Miss Lancy know that we were heading to the park and the two of us were off towards the park.

As always it never took long to walk to the park and when we arrived, Olivia darted off towards the playground. I ran after her, slowing down near a bench by the playground. I sat down and looked at Olivia, quickly making friends.

“Hey,” I jumped at the sound of Darcy’s voice next to me.

“Hey.”

“You here with your sister?” She asked.

I nodded. “Is your sister here?”

She nodded looking towards the sandpit where her younger sister played in the sand, alone.

“Olivia! Come here,” I hollered.

She came running towards me and stopped right in front of me.

“This is Darcy, my friend. And Darcy this is my little sister Olivia,” I introduced the two of them.

“It’s nice to meet you Olivia,” Darcy said politely, smiling at her.

Olivia smiled in return. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Olivia, Darcy’s younger sister is playing in the sandpit,” I said pointing to the lonely girl with a pink bandana wrapped around her head.

Olivia ran off towards the smaller girl and instantly became friends with her. The two younger girls talking about little girl things, playing in the sandpit and laughing and smiling together.

I looked over at Darcy, who had a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

I frowned, “why are you crying?”

She looked at me. “I’m just so happy to see her this happy and talking to someone her age. It’s been a while since then.”

“Why is she wearing a bandana?” I asked curiously. “Last time she had her hair out, nice and long.”

More tears escaped from her eyes and I shuffled myself closer to her, wrapping my arms around her. “Sshhh, it’s okay. Don’t cry.”

“She relapsed,” she whispered.

A lump formed in my throat.

Cancer, I thought. Of course it had to be that killer disease.

A tear dropped from my eye as I thought about the torture children had to go through with their families. How even though I had only known Darcy for a short period of time, I knew she had gone to hell and back, watching her younger sister fight this tragic disease.

 We stayed silent as she cried into my chest, letting all her tears go. I sighed, wishing someone was there when I was crying those many tears from my parent’s death.