This chapter is a little longer. The story really starts to take off here.
Year 1, Spring, Day 3
I think things may have turned out a little better today. And I may have made a new friend. It's funny. There are some things in life that you would think are never going to work out… and then they do. And here's how it started.
Of course, I was still upset for hurting Gill, and I needed to fix it. Honestly, I was scared to apologize, not because I'm a wimp, but because I thought he would not accept my apology. I really wanted to make things right with Fish-boy. And I realized the only way would be to march right up to him and tell him I was truly sorry. I made my way down to town hall around 2 o'clock, planning to ask Gill if we could speak privately. But he wasn't there! Instead, Hamilton was sitting at Gill's desk, finishing the work that Gill didn't finish yesterday. He looked up when he saw me come in. I spoke first.
"Hello Hamilton. I was wondering if you could tell me where Gill is. I said something yesterday that I need to apologize for."
"Uhh, yes, I see…Gill is at my house… he refused to come to work today. You can go on in."
"Thank you very much," I said bowing, and I started to leave.
"Wait Angela," Hamilton said. I turned around to look at him.
"Gill's having a rough time. Please go easy on him. He doesn't have any friends, and he is dwelling on his past. Maybe you can help him. I think all he might need is a friend."
"I'll do what I can Hamilton. Believe me, I need a friend too." And I left. It should have only taken me about 2 minutes to walk to the mayor's house. Instead it took me 10. I guess I was just stalling, because I was kinda nervous to talk to him. I mean, what if he completely hated me now, and wouldn't let me talk to him? What if he never talked to me again? What if he became my enemy? What if, what if, what if. I knew I had to shrug off my worries and just go. So I silently opened the door and walked inside.
The house was quiet, so I figured Gill must be upstairs. Probably in his room. It took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn't intruding, because Hamilton had told me I could come in. I made my way upstairs, and down the hall where I saw a closed door with Gill's name on it. I took a breath and knocked.
"Come in," said Gill. Jeez, his voice was different. I hoped he wasn't too depressed. I opened the door and took one step inside, closing the door behind me. I don't know why; it's not like anyone else was in the house. I guess closing a door signifies privacy. Gill was sitting on his bed. As soon as he saw me, he looked down and said, "Oh, it's you." His voice turned crusty again and he put an emphasis on "you" like he was talking to a guilty person. But I guess it was fair…because I was guilty. I cleared my throat.
"Umm, hi Gill. Look, I… I uhh, came to apologize… I'm… I'm really sorry for hurting you."
"I guess that's fine," Gill sighed, "It's not like you understand what it did to me."
"Well, maybe you could tell me," I said, "It would help me not make the same mistake again."
"…Whatever... If you must know, my mother was killed in a fire ten years ago. And that pin I was wearing was something she gave me when I was little. It's my only memory of her…. because everything else was burned." Gill paused. Then he said, "It's not like you would understand though. It's deeper than your stupid problems," he remarked, his voice turning to acid again. This was not going well. I was already holding back tears, and he continued to insult me.
"What do you mean 'deeper than my problems' "?
"Oh come on. A happy little kid like you? What could you know about tragedy?"
"More than you think, Fish-boy," I said in a weak voice. Then the tears started. "Both my parents died when I was eight." My knees buckled and I dropped to the floor.
Gill's eyes widened, and he jumped off the bed. "I'm sorry Angela, oh my goddess, what have I done? I'm terribly sorry, please forgive me! I promise I'll never say anything like that again! Please don't cry!" Gill sat down beside me and put his hand on my shoulder while I cried.
"It's… it's…. o…ok Gill," I said. "It's just that, I…I haven't thought about that day…. in a long time. It just…triggered a sad memory." I took a deep breath and looked up at Gill. We continued to sit on the floor in silence until Gill finally spoke.
"I never thought I would meet someone who went through what I did," he said softly. "I can see I've hurt you, perhaps more than you hurt me. Will you tell me about it?" He paused. "Only if you want to of course."
"I don't really remember Gill. I was eight. All I remember was coming home from school one day, and finding a woman from the orphanage sitting on my front step. From there, it was misery. I lived in the orphanage until I was 18. I went to college for 4 years, and now I'm here. That's all I can say. But I do have this." I reached under my shirt and pulled out my locket. I opened it to show Gill a picture of me with my parents. Then I closed it and started crying again.
Gill put his arm around my shoulders, and cried with me for a while. It felt good to let it all out with someone who knew what it felt like to loose a loved one. Finally I spoke.
"Gill?"
"Mmm?"
"Maybe… maybe we can help each other."
"How?"
"I don't know, but between the both of us, we…we could help each other… be happy again. I need a friend Gill. Living in an orphanage, you never have true friends. One day they're there, and the next there off with some parents who adopted them. But not me. I wasn't wanted. I watched kid after kid find a happy new family. I wished for the day that I would be adopted into a family with other kids. So I could have a friend. That moment never came. But I know you need a friend too Gill. And I think we could get along. Will you be my friend?"
"I suppose… we could be friends. Or we could at least try. I used to have many friends. But that was a long time ago. I'm not sure I even know how to be a friend anymore."
"Well, we're both on the same page then, right?" I managed to smile.
"Yes," Gill said, one side of his mouth turning up into a small half-smile. "We're both on the same page. A bad page… but still."
"Wow Gill! Did you just crack a joke? I didn't think you had it in you!"
"Well, I'm learning." Then Gill sighed. "So how do you want to start? With being friends?"
"Umm… I dunno…do you want to come over to my house? On Friday?"
"I have to work on Friday."
"Saturday?"
"Ok… I guess. What time?"
"Whenever."
"Alright. I'll a… I'll be there."
"Great." I stood up and started for the door. Gill walked me downstairs and before I left, he said, "Angela? It's good to have a friend."
I smiled and waved as a walked away. I made it back to my house before breaking out in tears again. I think they were happy tears this time though. I have to admit, that meeting didn't go how I expected. But maybe that's good. I'll just have to wait and see how things turn out.
Kind of cliff-hanger-ish ending for the chapter, but a new one's coming soon.
