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-1983-
"Hey!"
Bobby ignored the voice, lost in the space world of Xexus, fighting Galatians who were destroying his space cruiser, piece by piece.
"I said Hey!"
"Ouch! Stop that! I heard you! Ow!" Bobby yelled, ducking as another rock flew past his head and hit the trunk of the tree his fort was built on, "Stop that!"
"I said Hey!" Mary-Anne yelled from the ground, " What's you up to?"
Bobby groaned loudly. For two years he had been free of his shadow. Now it was back. He knew that voice sounded familiar. He lay on his stomach and peered over the edge. That was she, the crazy girl who used to live next door. The one who's father tried to steal her when they were in grade one together. The one who he never saw again after he received a medal for bravery when he stopped her dad from stealing her away. The one he kissed and didn't catch cooties from. A small smile came to Bobby's face as he remembered the day he received his medal. How he hadn't thought, simply reached over and kissed her lightly on the lips, making her smile. Even if only for a moment, she had a smile. Bobby's stomach did flips at the memory.
"So, you got no mouth now, you can't talk?"
Bobby jumped and nearly fell off the fort. Mary-Anne startled him by climbing up the wooden ladder while he was lost in memories of days past.
"Hey! No girls allowed! Don't you see the sign?" Bobby yelled, "You better get down now! Or else!"
"Oh ya! And who's going to make me?" Mary-Anne poked his chest hard with her fingers as he attempted to push her back down the ladder, "You? Give me a break Bobby Parson, as if you could!"
Bobby looked down then back at Mary-Anne. If he pushed her and she broke her head, he'd be in so much trouble. He might not even be able to see the new space movie if he broke her head. His mum would make sure of that!
"Ya, well, I could if I wanted to, I just don't want to right now, so sit!" Bobby barked out with an edge to his voice, as he sat back down on the edge dangling his feet in the air. Mary-Anne sat down beside him and swung her feet in time to his.
"So, where you been living? You never came back to school."
Before Mary-Anne could speak Bobby added, "Not that I missed you or anything."
"Ya right, Bobby. I know you did so don't lie!"
"Did not!"
"Did too! I got your pictures and letters and everything! I know!" Mary-Anne stated with smug knowledge, leaning into him and giving a friendly shove with her shoulders, "And you know, Bobby Parsons, I missed you too."
Bobby shook his head. This girl was always so crazy. She just said what she wanted, whenever she wanted too, never mattered to her if he agreed or not.
"So, why you back now? Going to come back to school or do you have to stay in that crazy place forever?"
"Take that back!" Mary-Anne jumped up and hit Bobby right in the chest with her fist, driving him backwards. Before he could recover, she jumped on him and hit again, on the face, the shoulders and the stomach. Bobby simply put up his arms, trying to stay covered as she hit him over and over, screaming for him to take it back. In her anger, she stumbled and nearly fell off the fort. Bobby screamed he was sorry, frightened for her safety and his own. Mary-Anne recovered her balance and stood over him, hands on hips, glaring down with much hate.
"I don't know why I love you! You are so stupid sometimes Bobby!" Mary-Anne yelled, unshed tears forming in her eyes, "I wasn't in a crazy place! I'm not crazy!"
Bobby scooted up against the back of the fort, pulling his legs up, wrapping his small arms around and resting his chin on his knees. Tears fell down his red cheeks as a bruise began to form over his left eye. Why was it always like this? He'd say something, sometimes stupid, sometimes not and she'd go ballistic. It wasn't fair.
"I had to live in a group home because of my dad, OK! I wasn't crazy!" Mary-Anne screamed as she hit the wall with her fist, "I just didn't have nothing to say for a couple years, OK!"
Finally Mary-Anne slumped down on the floor, her energy spent. She looked over at Bobby and reached out to brush away his tears. Startled by the sudden act of kindness, Bobby threw himself backwards, hitting his head against the wall of the fort. Eyes wide, he watched as Mary-Anne moved towards him and gently wiped away his tears. He shook as she held his hands tightly.
"I'm sorry Bobby, I'm so sorry," Mary-Anne spoke quietly, "I didn't mean it. I just get so mad sometimes. Don't tell on me, ok?"
"Mmmary-Aaannne," Bobby stuttered, "Why? I didn't do nothing."
"You called me crazy and I hate that!" Mary-Anne's voice rose to a loud angry pitch. Sensing tension, she brought her voice back down and continued, "I'm supposed to take deep breaths, punch a pillow or something when I get mad but I always forget."
"I'm not crazy Bobby, honest," Mary-Anne whispered, "I just couldn't talk no more."
Mary-Anne added so quiet that Bobby barely heard, "And you were my hero but I didn't know how to say thank you."
Bobby stayed silent, pulling his hands away from her. Hiding his head on his arms, Bobby pulled his knees closer in attempts to hide away from Mary-Anne and her pain. She moved closer, pulling his hand back into her own.
"I never forgot you were my hero. And I'm sorry I hurt you Bobby," she whispered, "I just hate people saying I'm crazy 'cause I wouldn't talk. Why should I? No one was listening anyhow."
Mary-Anne stood up, stomping the floor, her voice rising, "No one listened! I told them about my dad and they said to ignore him. I said he hurt me and no one believed me. Then he tried to steal me and it was like I told them, so I quit talking."
She dropped back on the floor, sitting outside with her feet dangling off, staring into space. She continued to rant as Bobby remained curled up inside, crying for his pain and her pain. Even if he really didn't understand, Bobby's heart knew she was in pain.
"When I told them about my mum, no one cared. They said I lied but you know, I saw him do it, I did!" she whispered into the wind, no longer on the fort or with Bobby, miles away in her mind, "I said he killed my mummy, I saw him. But they said, no Mary-Anne, she took her life and it's just too hard for a little kid like you to understand. But she didn't! I saw him put those pills in her mouth and make her drink that junk. I did!"
Bobby crawled out, ignoring his bruises and sat beside her. He took her fist, opened it and wrapped his fingers tightly around her own. Mary-Anne continued to stare out, ignoring him.
"Then you know, he punched her real hard and she couldn't wake up, " she continued, tears falling silently down her cheeks, "and he watched TV! I tried to wake her up but I was only 3 years old! I said Mummy! Mummy! Wake up! But she didn't."
Bobby squeezed her hand tight. Confused and scared, he stayed with her. His 9-year-old heart knew if he left something bad might happen, even if his logical mind wanted to run for help. Bobby simply knew Mary-Anne needed him there right now.
"Then he called the cops. He lied. Said we just got home and he found her," she whispered, her fingers nearly cutting off circulation in Bobby's hand, "All those big people asked me if I was ok. Were they stupid? Of course I wasn't!"
"No Mary-Anne, you weren't stupid, they were," Bobby said quietly. Mary-Anne looked at him puzzled.
"Ya, I wasn't, was I. I knew and they didn't," she looked deep into Bobby's eyes, "Then he hurt me so bad I had to go to the hospital and that's when he went to jail."
Mary-Anne looked away before Bobby could say anything more, pulling her hand away from his. Fists formed as her voice became louder, filling with anger. Bobby's heart began to beat hard and loud, as he became scared of the changes in Mary-Anne. Fearing for his safety, he moved back from the edge and curled up far behind her.
"I tried, I did!" her voice continued to rise, " I said he'd come back and they said, it's ok Mary-Anne we can keep you safe but I knew they couldn't!"
Mary-Anne jumped up and screamed, "So I stopped talking to the stupid world because they never wanted to hear me anyway!"
Mary-Anne turned around and saw Bobby move quickly to the back of the fort, in attempts to distance himself from the intensity of her anger. She broke into huge sobs and fell onto the floor, tightly wrapping her arms around her trembling body.
"I'm sorry Bobby, I didn't mean" Mary-Anne gulped, her tears flowing faster and faster, "I didn't mean to scare you. You are my only friend!"
Bobby looked at her, small and frightened, curled up on his fort floor and crawled over to her. He placed his arms around Mary-Anne, pulling her close and whispered promises to keep her safe forever. Time past quickly for the two small children who were both lost in the pain of yesterday and the realities of today.
"Bobby? Mary-Anne?" a voice cut into the duck, jarring Bobby awake, "Are you kids still up there?"
"Coming Mum!" Bobby yelled down, blinking the sleep from his eyes and shaking Mary-Anne awake.
Together the children descended the fort, still shaken from the waves of emotions they had experienced together over the course of an afternoon. The bruise over Bobby's eye was now a deep purple and new bruises were forming on his arms where Mary-Anne hit him. Mary-Anne looked at his bruises, fresh tears forming in her sad eyes as her fingers traced the outline on his face. She whispered her apologies while he took her hand, dropping it to his side and squeezing tight. He helped her down the ladder, then hand in hand they walked towards the house. Away from the innocence of childhood and towards the world of adults, not truly understanding what had taken place yet knowing they could never return to the innocence they once knew.
© 2001
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