Some Bittersweet Memories

Chapter Nine

Was it possible to remember someone you knew over a decade ago when you were just a little kid? Or in other words, did Bluebear still remember me?

It's funny how a simple friendship turned out to have such significance in my life. Even after all these years, I still had his locket, I still wrote him letters and sometimes, I wondered if he had my locket too or if he wrote me letters as well. It wasn't like I'd be upset if he had forgotten about me but... a part of me hoped he hadn't.

When mom and I were left alone after dad, we had to move in with my uncle. He was a good man and had a nice family but his wife didn't like our stay.

I don't blame her; it wasn't her fault what happened with dad. She only wanted to ensure that her own children lived the best life. Maybe she was afraid we would take uncle's attention and money for ourselves and leave them with nothing. To make it clear we didn't mean them any harm, mom started working at a local hospital as an LPN to earn for the two of us and enlisted me into a play center on her way to work.

That was where I first met Bluebear.

I didn't even know his real name - it was just a nickname he had somehow earned. I remember being so excited on my first day; I had taken out my favorite outfit and was eager to make new friends. However, I was met with disappointment when the kids couldn't pronounce my name the correct way. Little me preferred not to be called Daneen at all than someone mispronouncing the name.

I quickly got a solution though; mom suggested I could choose a nickname for myself and let others call me by that name. I was obsessed with sparkly things, especially sparkly teddy bears, and the thought of being called 'Sparkles' sounded great. And so, I became the super energetic girl 'Sparkles' who was friends with almost everyone in the play center.

The kids were friendly and we all played together without having any care in the world. We never stopped for a moment to look at someone who was perhaps too shy to even approach us - or to be more specific, to look at one quiet boy who would sit back and watch us play with a delicate expression on his innocent face.

He was a small, skinny kid whose face was half taken over by huge, round glasses. I never heard him speak and nobody tried talking to him either. Maybe we were waiting for him to interact with us himself, we would've definitely become friends with him. But since he never spoke to us, we never bothered speaking to him either.

He was always alone; even on the day everyone was supposed to gather in the main room to color pictures with their friends. Coincidentally, my gaze had wandered to the back of the room and I noticed him there all by himself. At that moment, I couldn't help but feel bad that he didn't have anyone to color with. Feeling sympathy for him, I decided to sacrifice my time with my friends and made my way to the lonely boy's table.

His big eyes snapped up in surprise as I took a seat across him with a chummy smile. "Hi, I'm Sparkles. I like sparkly things. Do you want to color together?"

He pulled his almost non-existent eyebrows together, observing me carefully before shrugging in reply, his cheeks turning slightly pink. I looked over his paper and saw him coloring a superhero.

"Do you like superheroes?"

He kept his silence, shrugging his shoulders once more.

I puckered my lips, discontented that he wasn't responding with words when the face of the tall and intimidating lady who always came to pick him up every evening flashed through my eyes. "Oh, are you going to give this painting to your very tall mom when she comes to pick you up today?"

He finally paused moving his red marker and glanced up at me, his eyes dulling behind the round glasses. "That's not my mom. My mom can't pick me up because she's sick."