It's Your Week Charlie Brown!
By Sean Mahoney
Chapter 6
Friday
"You are worthless Charlie Brown!" Violet approaches me screaming. A second Violet comes from behind, "You are nothing but a creep!" I try to run away from them but I am cut off by a third Violet, "You are going to be alone forever!" The three of them start laughing. I rush past them and run away. I keep running, but I don't seem to be getting any distance.
"Charlie Brown! Help!" I look back and see Marcie surrounded by the three bullies from Monday, who are in the place of the Violets. The three of them are laughing at her, and are stomping her glasses, "Help Charlie Brown! Help!" I try to stop them; I try to walk over to them but I can't move. I'm paralyzed!
"Charlie Brown! There she is! The Little Red Haired Girl!" Linus is behind me, and off in the distance is the Little Red Haired Girl. I can run again! I run towards her and she looks at me, but as I keep running towards her, she keeps moving away. I stop, I can't keep up. Once I stop, the Little Red Haired Girl turns into Peppermint Patty! She gives me a blank stare.
"Poor, Sweet, Baby." And with that she disappears!!
………..
I wake up in a cold sweat…what a nightmare.
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I'm tired: physically, mentally, and emotionally. I had a horrible night's sleep. First off, it took me forever to get to sleep, thanks to everything that has been on my mind. Once I finally did get to sleep, I was plagued with nightmares the entire night. I'd have a nightmare, wake up in a cold sweat, and then it'd take me a good amount of time to get back to sleep only to be woken up again. I don't feel any motivation to even get out of bed; now that the Little Red Haired Girl is taken, why should I even bother? And to make matters even worse, this is my second to last day of freedom before I am shipped off to summer camp. I really feel like my life is utterly over.
I had my bland cold cereal for breakfast and intend to just watch TV all day. I don't want anything horrible to happen to me today, I just want to stay inside and avoid any trouble that's going to come my way. I don't want to deal with anybody. No Violet, no Lucy, no Joe Agate, no anybody.
"Big brother!!!" Ugh, except Sally… "There's somewhere here at the door for you!" Who is it at this early hour? Maybe it's Peppermint Patty or Marcie…
"Hey Charlie Brown, how're you doing?" It's Schroeder of all people…
"Oh, hey Schroeder, I'm hanging in there."
"Yeah, I know yesterday was rough for you." That's the understatement of the century! "Well let me give you a little advice. Whenever I'm feeling down, I listen to some Brahms. I'd suggest doing that, Charlie Brown." I appreciate Schroeder's gesture of friendship, but I doubt Brahms is going to really make me feel any better.
"Thanks Schroeder…"
"No problem, anyway, I was wondering if I could borrow Snoopy for the day. Do you mind?" What could Schroeder want with Snoopy?
"Yeah, he's sleeping in the back; you can go talk to him."
He nods and walks off, "Remember, Brahms." I look out the window and see him talk to Snoopy. Snoopy eagerly responds to whatever Schroeder says, and the two walk off together.
I go back to the T.V. to see that my sister Sally has already changed the channel on me. I groan and walk out the door, I'm not going to bother to try and fight with her over it.
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I head to the wall to do some thinking. For some reason, I seem to be naturally drawn to that wall. It's a pretty bad choice when you want to be alone though, since almost everybody goes to the wall. In fact, within two minutes Lucy walks up to me.
"Hey you 'old blockhead! How're doing?" She seems awfully cheerful.
"Meh."
"Oh you're still upset over yesterday? Get over it Charlie Brown!" Get over it!? How can I just get over it? Everybody is always tearing me down and then treating it like nothing ever happened! "Man, you shouldn't have walked off last night after Violet ripped into you!"…is she serious!?!
"You are kidding me right?"
"No way, it was crazy! After you walked off Peppermint Patty and I went over to Violet and started to argue with her. And then out of nowhere, Peppermint Patty knocked her block off! She slugged her like I've never seen anybody ever slug someone! I've never even hit Linus like that!" Peppermint Patty beat up Violet!?!
"Are you serious?! Why would she do that?"
"What do you think you dolt? We were both upset with her after what she did last night, but Peppermint Patty was at a level of anger that I have never even reached! She was on the war path over you!" On the war path over me…good grief! Violet got hit thanks to me! Oh no…
"I don't think I should believe you, Peppermint Patty wouldn't hit someone because of me."
"Oh you don't think so Charlie Brown? Take a look over yonder!" Violet and Patty were walking by! Oh no, I don't want to deal with Violet again!! But she's avoiding me! She's walking to the other side of the road! And she has a black eye!?! Lucy was right! Violet sticks her nose up as she passes by while Patty gives me a quick smile. Wow! "Peppermint Patty also told Violet that she doesn't want her going anywhere near you ever again!"
"She did all of that…for me?"
"Yeah, haven't you listened to a word I said? That girl is crazy! But I guess any girl who can slug Violet is alright in my books! I'll see you later Charlie Brown! I'm heading over to my honey-bunny's house!" I wave goodbye to her and she heads off, her head hung high like always. Peppermint Patty punched out Violet for me? I can't believe it, but why would Lucy lie about something like this?
I just stare off into the distance; maybe I should go and talk to Peppermint Patty about last night, but she probably wouldn't want to bring it up again. In fact, I don't even know if I would want to talk about it… it would just remind me of all the horrible things Violet said to me, and how they are all true. I just stare for some time. Who knows how long: five minutes, fifteen minutes, a half hour? Eventually Frieda walks up to me.
"Hey Charlie Brown, it's nice to see you." She seems a little nervous.
"Hi Frieda…" I'm not sure how to react to her, she's obviously trying to comfort me about yesterday, but she's the type to dodge the issue.
"It sure is a nice day out today huh? I really think it's nice. It's warm, but not very humid. I can't stand the humidity because it always messes up my naturally curly hair." Frieda prides herself on being a good conversationalist. She's so good at talking that it's impossible to get a word in edgewise. "So I'm sorry about what happened last night Charlie Brown, I should have stayed to stick up for you." She's feeling guilty over leaving after Violet started ripping on her.
"You don't have to feel bad for me Frieda…"
"I know what you are going through though Charlie Brown, a lot of the girls in school don't like me either. I talk too much and I get on everybody's nerves." I thought Frieda was one of the popular girls? What's she going on about? "Look, what I'm trying to say is, you're not the only one who has problems…well maybe that's not the best way of putting it; that sounds bitter which isn't what I'm trying to go for here. All I'm trying to say is that you aren't alone Charlie Brown. And you can get through this." Frieda looks nervous. I never thought about it like this before. I didn't know Frieda was having all of these problems of her own. I feel really guilty right now.
"Thanks a lot Frieda, I really mean it. I didn't know you had those problems… I'm glad you understand. But I don't understand, I mean you are such a nice girl, why would people not like you."
"For the same reason that people don't like you Charlie Brown. Some people can be cruel, but that doesn't mean we have to go around hating ourselves because of it."
"I suppose that may be true for you, but you're not the wishy-washy block-"
"Charlie Brown, you are a blockhead, just like I am an annoying chatterbox. But you are a nice guy, a really nice guy, and that's all that matters. Who cares if you aren't the world's best manager; I'm certainly not the world's best outfielder! What matters is how hard you try, and one day soon, all that effort is going to pay off for you Charlie Brown. Trust me on this." I never thought I'd be having a deep conversation with Frieda, but maybe she's right, maybe sometime soon things will get better.
"Thanks Frieda. I sincerely mean it too." She smiles at me.
"We'll lick this old world yet Charlie Brown! You promise me that you'll hang in there?"
I give her a smile and shake her hand, "I promise".
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[Snoopy]
Here's the world famous Secret Agent going undercover for his latest mission. That piano playing kid has me doing surveillance for him, to ensure that his piano practice goes smoothly. I'm hiding in the room next to his living room, with a clear view of him and his piano. If he gives me the signal, I am to carry out my objective. But for now, I must wait. He's playing some Beethoven on the piano; a soothing song, but I mustn't loose myself in the music. I must remain vigilant!
Right on schedule, my target enters the living room. "Hi honey!" Schroeder doesn't acknowledge her; he just stares at his piano keys. A more dedicated man I have never known. She leans her back on the piano; I can see his face start to get red with anger. "I was doing some thinking Schroeder…"
"I guess there's a first time for everything." Ha! I like the cut of his jib! She gives him a dirty look and then continues.
"I was thinking, when we get married we could have three kids and form a rock band. One could play the guitar, one could play the bass, and the third could play the drums. You'd of course play the piano and I would be the lovely lead singer!" Schroeder stops playing and stares at her.
"There are two major problems in your theory. First off, I would never abandon my principals and sink to playing rock music." I notice a look of disgust on his face. That Schroeder can be such a snob sometimes, what's wrong with rock?! "And secondly and most importantly Lucy…" He then slams on the keys of the piano creating enough force to cause her to get thrown off, "we will never be getting married!!"
Lucy regains her balance and leans back on the piano. "My Aunt Marian was right, not only shouldn't you marry a musician; you shouldn't even try to reason with them!" He just ignores her and continues playing. "Schroeder? Is this our song? Is this the song that is going to be playing on the day of our wedding?"
Schroeder stops again and stares. "Lucy, are you after a kiss? Is that what you want? If you get a kiss right now, would you leave me alone for the rest of the day?" Her face lights up. She turns around and faces him.
"Yes!"
"Very well then, please close your eyes, I need a moment to prepare." Lucy obliges. She puckers up and leans over to him. Schroeder winks at me. It's go time!
Here comes the world famous Secret Agent, ready to charm the enemy. Her lips are puckered; I am prepared to please her. I give her a nice big wet one. She instantly opens her eyes and stares for a moment in absolute shock. Not bad sweetie, but I've certainly had better kissers!
"Ugh! I've been kissed by a dog! I have dog germs! Somebody disinfect my mouth! Call the paramedics! Call the army, I need to be quarantined! AHHH!" She runs right out of the house. Schroeder gives me a high-five. Mission accomplished.
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[Charlie Brown]
"I'm surprised to see you outside Charlie Brown. I was afraid you'd lock yourself in your room for days after last night." I'm pretty surprised I didn't do that myself.
"Sally took control of the TV remote."
"Oh, I know how that is." He frowns; Lucy always changes the channel on him when he is in the middle of watching something. "Well, I know last night was rough on you Charlie Brown. But least things couldn't get worse." I hate when people say that. No matter how bad something is, there is always the very likely possibility that things can get worse.
"Thanks a lot Linus." I don't veil my sarcasm. He leans on the wall. I hadn't really moved from my spot here. Once Frieda left I just stayed and thought about what she said. I am glad to know that I am not completely alone, although Frieda and I are still miles apart. I talked to Shermy very briefly as well. All he really offered was a 'no hard feelings' thing. Whatever, he couldn't possibly know how crazy I am over the Little Red Haired Girl.
"Well Charlie Brown, the question is…as it always is with you, what do you do now?"
I shrug, "What is there for me to do? The Little Red Haired Girl, the girl I've been crazy about for years, is going out with Shermy. She knows I like her, and that doesn't matter to her. What can I do?"
"Well Charlie Brown, the one thing you don't do is give up. As written in James 5:11, 'Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.' Of course, I certainly wouldn't say you had it as bad as Job did." Well good grief, I don't think anyone had it as bad as Job did. But Linus is right, if Job can do it, I should be able to as well. But even still, I basically have no chance with the Little Red Haired Girl. Do I keep chasing the impossible?
"So I should keep trying with the Little Red Haired Girl?"
"You finally got to talk to her yesterday Charlie Brown. Was she the avatar of perfection that you had always dreamed of? I'll bet you she probably wasn't." What is he getting at? "You need to do some thinking Charlie Brown, is she really the girl of your dreams?" I've spent so many years longing after her, but yesterday she rejected me in a manner of a minute. Maybe she really isn't the girl I want…. Oh good grief! What am I saying!?!
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[Peppermint Patty]
Another easy win for Peppermint Patty's Pelicans! We decimated that team like it was Chuck's! And it was an especially sweet victory because it was the team that Thibault switched over to, and trust me, there is no love lost between our team and him. Thank god for baseball, it really helps me keep my mind off of some of life's less wonderful things. "All right, great game everybody! Everybody come on over! I got an announcement to make." My players gather 'round the pitcher's mound. I notice Marcie stumble over. She's without a doubt the worst player on my team, she knows nothing about baseball, but since I kicked off Thibault I needed a replacement. And she's certainly not Lucille bad! Jose Peterson is my best player, next to me of course. He's a cocky one, but boy can he slug em! Franklin is a good player too, and he has a knack for leading. Roy is also a valuable player, but I don't think he'd make as good a leader as Franklin. Roy is a very passive kind of guy; very shy and all. He reminds me of 'ole Chuck, which is funny cause it was Roy who introduced me to Chuck in the first place!
"All right everybody! I want to first congratulate you all on a game very well played!" They all cheer. "We really stuck it to those guys didn't we?! This may be another perfect season!" That gets the boys (and Marcie) even more fired up! I love being a manager; nothing is more uplifting than your team cheering for ya! "Unfortunately, I've got some bad news. As you may or may not know, I'm going to be going to camp this summer for two weeks! I leave on Sunday! Now in the past this hasn't been much of a problem, but unfortunately I wasn't able to reschedule this one game that we have to play next week against Calvin Coolidge Elementary's Terrible Tigers! That's why I am selecting Franklin here to be acting manager for the next two weeks! He's a dedicated player and has a good head on his shoulders! I'm sure he'll lead you guys to victory the same way I always do!" My team cheers and Franklin blushes. "Just remember what we went over in spring training and we'll do fine!"
My team disperses and I start gathering the equipment. Roy follows me and helps me clean up. "So you excited to go to camp this year Patty?"
"Yeah, it'll be alright. How come you don't go anymore Roy?"
"Eh, you know, camp isn't for me." As I said before, that Roy is a shy one. I heard when he first met Chuck; he was almost completely in hysterics over his loneliness. It's funny that Chuck of all people was able to help Roy with being lonely. "So, is Charlie Brown going this year?"
"Yeah, I was talking to him about it two days ago. He's going to go."
"How's he been doing?" Ugh, I wasn't hoping he wouldn't ask. I still feel terrible for what happened to the poor kid last night, and I've really been just trying to keep my mind off of it.
"Eh, same old." I shrug.
"That bad, huh?"
"Yeah", I shouldn't be trying to avoid thinking about what happened last night though. I really should be talking to Chuck right now. Yeah I slugged that no good Violet but I still haven't tried to make 'ole Chuck feel better.
"Out of my way four-eyes!" What's going on!?! Franklin runs up to me.
"Peppermint Patty, that kid over there just pushed Marcie over!" Oh no! Not this again! I run past Franklin and my suspicions are put to rest. I see Marcie getting up brushing herself off and Thibault laughing at her.
"You don't look half bad in the dirt four-eyes! Granted you'd look even better in the kitchen! What are you doing playing ball!?!" On top being irritable and easily provoked, Thibault is also a huge male chauvinist. "Everyone knows girls can't play baseball! You are dragging your team down! It's a good thing I left; I wouldn't be caught dead on the same team as you!" What does that little slug have against Marcie?! She's just standing there taking it too!
"Shut your mouth Thibault! Every time you were up at bat I pitched a no hitter! You shouldn't talk! You just got creamed by a girl!" He smirks.
"I'd hardly call you a girl Peppermint Patty!" ….that little toad! Who does he think he is!?!
"Why I aught to…" I raise my fist; I'm going to slug this little Neanderthal! I'll rip his obnoxious sideburns right off!
Marcie pulls me back, "Maybe Mr. Thibault is right sir. I'm no good at baseball. In fact, I rather hate the sport." Thibault starts to smile.
"Well looks like she has some common sense after all! Look Peppermint Patty, she's terrible! Let me back on your team. These guys I'm with now are small time! Come on, you know how good I am! It's win-win!" I can't stand this twerp's audacity!
"I wouldn't let you on the team if you were the last second baseman on earth!"
"Pft, it's your loss. You're going to be stuck with four-eyes over here. You're going to deny her of her true calling; a long and productive life in the kitchen!" Argh! Where does this slime ball get off!?! I can see Marcie is starting to shake a little bit. If he makes her cry I'll cream him!
"How can you say those things Mr. Thibault? Do you really think you are superior to us based on gender alone?" He laughs.
"Of course I do! You two are a bunch of good for nothings! You couldn't do anything without me!" I see a small smile form on Marcie's face.
"Is that so?" Suddenly POW! Marcie decked him! Marcie decked Thibault! "It looks like you might need a nurse right now Mr. Thibault." He lays there moaning.
"Haha! Great job Marcie! I didn't think you had it in ya!"
"I feel terrible for resorting to violence sir, but that Thibault just makes me so mad!"
"You and me both, Marcie. You and me both!" We walk away from him. He gets up, gives us a scowl, and walks away. I'm sure I'll be dealing with that toad again.
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[Charlie Brown]
"Out of my way you wuss!" Thibault charges past me. He looks like he's in a hurry to get out of here. He's got a black eye and looks embarrassed. I can't say I feel bad for him, I can't stand that punk. Anyway, I can see Peppermint Patty and Marcie in the distance. After talking to Linus I decided I might as well go over to them and show them that I'm okay. Roy waves to me as I head over and I return the favor. I admit after I started hanging out with Peppermint Patty, I don't talk to Roy that much anymore, but he's still a nice guy. As I head closer to the two girls, Marcie notices me.
"Charles!" she runs over to me and gives me a big hug. I start to blush; I'm certainly not used to being on the receiving side of a hug. "I was so worried about you! Are you alright?!"
"Calm down Marcie, it's not like Chuck has been off at war or anything. It's good to see you though Chuck, I'm glad you came over here."
"Thanks you two. I guess I just wanted to come over here and tell you I'm doing alright. I'm still upset over yesterday, but I've been doing some thinking, and I guess I'll manage." The two of them just stare at me, I guess I'm not very convincing.
"Are you sure Charles? Cause I understand if…"
"Come on Marcie, I don't think Chuck needs to dwell on things!"
"No it's alright Marcie, I appreciate the concern. Anyway, I also wanted to thank you guys. Marcie, I know I was really out of it and I probably treated you like a jerk; but I'm really glad you came to my side last night." Marcie smiles at me, I look at Peppermint Patty, she just sighs. "And you Patty, I heard what you did to Violet. I can't thank you enough. I wish I was man enough to stand up to her."
She blushes, "Aww, anytime Chucko!" Chucko? I start to feel nervous though, I know what I have to say.
"And um, I'm really sorry about last night. When I saw the Little Red Haired Girl, I completely blew you off. That was really horrible of me. I feel absolutely ashamed of myself." She looks down at her feet.
"No it's alright Chuck; I know how much you like that Little Red Haired Girl. I-I really wish things went better for you yesterday. You really deserve a girl like her." No I don't. I'm nothing. "Well anyway, I'm going to miss the 'ole ball field these next two weeks. You want to throw the ball around for a bit Chuck?" That would be nice.
"Sure thing Patty." I turn over to Marcie, "Do you want to join us?"
She starts to laugh, "Oh no thanks, I think I've had enough baseball for one day…or lifetime! I'll see you guys around!"
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I can't hit, I can't pitch, I can't run, I sure can't lead, but at least I can throw and catch a baseball. Granted, I've missed a few of Peppermint Patty's throws, but not enough to make me feel like a complete fool; only like a minor fool. She's not trying to throw anything difficult or anything, this is just a friendly game of catch.
"You excited for camp Chuck?" As she asks me she throws me a fairly slow ball that I'm able to catch without too much effort. I throw the ball back, though it doesn't get much distance; she has to close the distance between us to catch it.
"Not really, I figure it's just going to be the same as any other year." She throws me a fast ball.
"Last year you beat Joe Agate in marbles. Wasn't that pretty cool?" She's right, though that was probably a one time fluke.
"I don't think something like that is going to happen again. Besides, if Joe Agate is there, he's going to go out of his way to make my life miserable." It's not like any of us kids can do anything about him either at camp since his dad owns the trading post.
"Aw come on Chuck, I'll make sure you at least try to have fun this summer. At least I don't have to come sneaking into camp this time. No summer school this year!" Peppermint Patty pretty much alternates her summers between going to camp and going to summer school, so this was a very good thing for her.
"Ah, congratulations Patty!"
"Thanks Chuck, now if I can beat the 'ole school board, you can at least get through camp!" I throw her another ball that turns into a pathetic grounder.
"We'll see about that."
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After about thirty minutes of playing catch, we grew bored of throwing the ball around. We decided to take a breather and sit down by the tree near the baseball field, like we've done so many times before. Once more, the sun is setting and another day is about to end. I hear Peppermint Patty sigh and I take a glance at her. She looks very pretty, in her own weird way. But she also looks kind of sad. She's staring at the sunset with a sort of vacant look. This is how she was acting on Monday night when we were at the park. She seemed really out of it then (until of course she started to flip out at me).
"Hey Patty, is something wrong? You're unusually quiet."
"Oh, it's nothing Chuck." I know she's lying, because I've said 'it's nothing' to plenty of people before when I was completely miserable. I know that 'it's nothing' means that everything in the world is wrong!
"Come on, you were like this Monday night. Is something bothering you?"
"Eh, it's just some stuff going on at home…" Problems at home? From what I understand she usually has a very happy home life.
"Like what?"
"It's my dad. He's been really out of it lately. This week is the anniversary of my mom's…passing… I was too young to remember her, but it's really upsetting him. He's been trying to keep strong around me, but when he doesn't think I'm around, he sits in his armchair and just stares at the wall. Sometimes he even starts crying…" Oh man, I feel like an eel. This has been bugging her for the past week, but I've been too absorbed in my own problems that I never bothered to see what was wrong with her.
"Patty, I'm really sorry. I know how that can be. Sometimes my dad gets depressed too. I know it's really tough." She looks at me and smiles.
"I know Chuck. I know he loves me too much to let himself give up. I just feel bad for him and I feel guilty because I just don't miss my mom like he does. I wish I could remember her." That's something I don't know anything about. At least I have been lucky enough to have both of my parents. To live without a mom, I don't know how I'd get by.
"I'm really sorry…"
"Oh it's alright Chuck, I'm glad you asked though. That was thoughtful of ya."
"I don't deserve any thanks, I should have asked a long time ago, but I've been so self-absorbed."
"It's okay Chuck, it really is. We all know how down you've been lately. And I really want to help you out."
"That's really nice of you, but I don't think there's much you can do. I mean, the problem is 100% me."
"Well let's hear it then Chuck. I may not have a psychiatric booth like Lucille, but I still want you to get off your chest whatever you need." Why should I bother? Anytime someone wants me to talk about why I feel so depressed I get interrupted every five seconds about 'oh it's not that bad' or 'it's just all in your mindset'. And that kind of talk just makes me feel even worse than when I began.
"I don't know, you're not going to want to hear about any of this. I mean.."
"Come on Chuck, I'm not going to tell anybody or anything. I really just want to help. If you tell someone (who isn't going to pull apart every word you say like Lucille would) it'll make you feel better. Trust me!"
"Oh fine... I guess the thing is… Well it's just…" I don't even know where to begin. It's overwhelming when you try to put everything you've been thinking in words!
"It's alright, take your time Chuck." She gives me a little encouraging smile. I take a deep breath and try to relax myself. I'm just going to say what's been on my mind.
"It's like…every moment of my life is mocking me. That's how it feels, I know it sounds terrible and I shouldn't ever say that and it isn't as bad as I'm making it out to be but that's how it feels!" I expect to be stopped, but she just nods at me. "…it's just everything. I can't do anything. I mess everything up. Nothing ever goes my way and whenever something happens that I get hopeful about it all comes crashing down on me. Every time! Without fail! It's like somebody is writing a story where everything has to go wrong for me! It's almost like I have no choice in the matter, nothing ever goes right. And nobody likes me for any of it either. I try to do my best and be a nice guy, but that's never good enough. I'm always either being snubbed or chewed out! People seem to get a rise out of seeing me unhappy! I'm just so sick of it. And I've always tried to hold out for things to get better. Like maybe I'll win this time or maybe one day soon I'll be able to talk to the Little Red Haired Girl." I shouldn't have mentioned her…this is always where Peppermint Patty explodes on me, when I bring her up. I see a frown quickly appear on her face, but she gets rid of it quickly and nods at me to continue. "…but each day I feel less and less like there really is any hope. Things aren't going to get better. They are getting progressively worse every day! What's the sense in life if you don't have any hope for things to get better?" I stop for a moment, I know what I need to say next, but I don't want to say it. Peppermint Patty looks at me.
"Please Chuck, continue."
I sigh, "I'm going to be alone forever Patty. No one likes me now and there's little to indicate that changing ever. I am going to be lonely for ever. I've really lost all hope…" I stare at the ground. I shouldn't have opened my mouth; no one needs to hear all of this.
"Well Chuck, I know what it's like to be lonely like that: to be completely hopeless. I've had that happen before." She sighs, "But, I'll tell you this. You are wrong about nobody ever liking you Chuck. I know for a fact, someone out there really likes you. You just got to hang in there." Ugh, I hear this every time from Linus. Just because they keep saying that there is someone out there for me, doesn't mean that she is going to be created. I understand they are trying to make me feel better but it's all just words.
"Yeah sure, okay Patty." All of a sudden I feel her arm on my shoulder.
"I know the last thing you want to hear right now is 'oh it's not bad and blah blah blah'. I know that when someone is really down on themselves the only thing that anyone can really do to help is to show that they care. And I want you to know Chuck that I really do care. I'm not really a sensitive gal so I really may not do a good job at showing it, but I really do care about you. And it kills me to see you like this."
"Thanks Patty, it's nice to know that someone cares…" I suppose there is a first time for everything. "And I guess, even though I'm wishy-washy and can't really do anything to ever be of use I do care too about what's going on with you." She starts to laugh. What I said definitely came out wrong.
"Haha, any other gal who didn't know you would probably have been offended at that response Chuck, but I know you mean it in the most sincere and caring way you can." She pauses, "Look Chuck, you have talks with people like this a lot, and I notice it makes you feel better temporarily, but then you slip back into your depression. I know that's something I probably can't stop but I feel that maybe if I tell you everything it may help things." Everything? What's she talking about?
"I'm not sure I get what you are saying Patty." She takes in a deep breath.
"Look Chuck, any other guy would have picked up on it a long time ago, but you are so down on yourself that you would never allow the possibility of what I'm about to tell you." What in the world is she going on about? "You know I flirt with you a lot; Marcie and Linus have mad it apparent to me that you think I'm teasing you when I do that… trust me: I'm not…" Wait, what is she saying? Does that mean…
"Um… what does that mean….?"
"Oh man, you really are dense Chuck… hah hah. Oh boy here it goes…" Dense is one way of putting it; utterly clueless works well too. "Look Chuck, I really like you. And I don't mean just like as a friend. I really like you. As Marcie would say, 'I'm fond of you'."
…………………………………………….. what?!? I stare at Peppermint Patty in absolute shock.
"I really do like you Chuck. Yeah you may not be the greatest pitcher, and you are a bit clueless about things, but you are also one of the nicest guys I've met. Ever since I first met you, I knew you were probably the most sincere person I know." I'm the most sincere person ever?! Wow, I've never thought of myself like that. Man, I can't comprehend this: she likes me? How can anyone like Charlie Brown?! I don't even know what to say!
"I…I…I…." It's hopeless, I have no idea what to say or do! I never saw this coming!
"I'm sorry that it's just plain 'ole me who likes you. No one pretty like the Little Red Haired Girl or Peggy Jean…" Ugh, don't even mention Peggy Jean! I still can't think about her!! "…I just figured maybe it would help if you knew that someone really does like you…I don't know…" She sighs.
"P-p-patty I… I…" …don't have any idea what to say! Augh!!!!!!
"It's alright Chuck…I'm going to get going. Hope you feel better." She pats me on the back and gets up. She gives me a little smile and walks off…..and I just sit there.
I have to say something! I have to talk to her! But I don't. I don't have anything to say. I just sit under the tree and watch her walk away. I think I really blew it this time.
To Be Continued…..
