14

The next time I saw Christian, I told him my parents were getting a divorce. It was freeing to say that to someone.

    He looked shocked and sad.

    Then, he hugged me.

    “How do you feel?” Christian asked.

    I told him why I thought the divorce might be our best option.

    “I understand,” he said.

    “How?”

    “Based on how you described their fights, I can understand why you would feel that way.”

    “I wish things had been different.”

    “Sometimes marriages don’t work out. But I’m sure your parents will be able to be your parents, even if they aren’t together.”

    “That’s what they said.”

    “And you believe them?”

    I knew he wasn’t asking because he didn’t believe them. He wanted to make sure that I did to know that I was okay. Besides, he’s heard so much about my parents, especially Mom, and he met her several times that he trusted them as much as he could in this case.

    “Yes,” I said.

    “Do you want to talk?”

    “I don’t understand what happened. One day everything was going great. The next they started fighting.”

    “Did they tell you what they were fighting about?”

    “No, they said it’s private and they didn’t want to burden me.”

    “Well, of course, they wouldn’t.”

    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    “You always describe them as great parents.”“Yeah.”

    “Look. Even marriages that start out great don’t always make it. It’s a fact of life. I’m sorry.”

    I felt better after what he said.

    I liked his compassion.

    “My parents and I will be okay, once we get used to this situation,” I said. 

    “That’s a relief.”

    “Yeah.”

    I hugged Christian.

    We were done talking about this, but it would be a while before the rehearsal started and I wanted to continue talking to him.

    “Can I ask you something?” I asked.

    “Sure.”

    “You said you live with seven dwarves in the forest.”

    “Yeah?”

    “What happened to your parents?”

    “I don’t know where they are now. The day I was born they gave me to the dwarves.”

    “Why?”

    “They said they didn’t want to have kids. The moment they gave me to the dwarves they considered it the dwarves’ responsibility to take care of me and that it wasn’t their job anymore.

    “How could they think that?” I was outraged. “They’re still your parents.”“They think I’m someone else’s responsibility. They don’t love me and they didn’t want to take care of me.”

    “I’m sorry.”

    “One of the dwarves, Angus, is the one who adopted me.”

    “So he’s your Dad?”

    “Yeah. And he doesn’t like my birth parents because they abandoned me.”

    “And the other dwarves?”

    “They’re Dad’s friends, but they’re still family,” Christian explained.

    “Why do you live in the forest?”

    “It was because of the first ghoul war.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “The last war was so bad that Dad suggested all the dwarves go live together in the forest because the ghouls wouldn’t attack there.”

    “What happened to your parents?”

    “We don’t know what happened to them after they gave me up. You know, I always felt like I wasn’t good enough for them.”

    “You shouldn’t feel that way,” I told him.

    “Why not?”

    “Because you’re a great musician. And you’re a hero who’s helped the city many times. You’re brave enough to fight the ghouls and you have enough morals to know that what they are doing is wrong.”

    “The dwarves are always telling me that I shouldn’t feel that way,” Christian shared.

    “They must be great.”“They are.”

    “I think I understand how you feel a little,” I said.

    “How?”

    “I have always felt like I was surrounded by people who are more talented than I am and I feel like I don’t measure up.”

    “You do.”

    I smiled.

    I put an arm around his shoulders.

    We were quiet for a minute.

    “Are you okay?” I asked.

    “I wish I had parents.”

    “Maybe you don’t want these parents.”

    “Why not?”

    “Because they abandoned you when they should have taken care of you. And you have the dwarves. Are you happy with them?”

    “Yes.”

    “You’re a good guy.”

    I felt like I understood him better because we both had similar issues and we had people who told us we shouldn’t feel that way. I cared about Christian’s opinion so it was nice to know that he thought I was as talented as anyone else. I meant it when I said he didn’t deserve parents who treated him that way. I noticed he looked a little relieved when I told him that.

    We smiled at each other for a few seconds.