Some Things Never Change

A simple misunderstanding can leave scars that last a lifetime.

 

The December wind pitches up suddenly, cutting through my much too light sweater and sending shudders down my spine. I gather my coat around me more tightly, valiantly trying to defend myself from the wind’s assault, and take a few more paces forward, looking for one thing in particular. As I walk, I do my best to forget. But the story rings in my ears and pounds in my head, making me feel ill as it repeats itself to me.

 

            Like any senior class during the month of February, excitement surged, making the air laden with giggles and squeals. Valentines, cards, presents, and candies were exchanged to blushing school girls and gloating ball players.

            Todd Hemmingway observed all of this passively, not sure what to do. He was a brain, not a jock, and therefore had very little attention paid to him. So when he reached into his desk before class to find a delicate pink note hidden there, he gave a start. The handwriting was delicate and curving, smudged slightly as if someone had dragged their palm across it. He read it through twice and excitement flared inside him. Putting his books down, he hurried over to the vacated desk in front of his best friend, Rachel.

            “Rachel,” he hissed. “Rachel!”  But the redheaded girl remained stubbornly bent over her notebook, working on some assignment or other as she always did. After poking, prodding, and snarling did nothing to change her impassive expression, he seized her notebook and flopped it on the empty desk next to her.

            Admitting defeat, Rachel looked up. “What, Tiger? That’s due next period!” 

Todd waved his hand dismissively in reply. “Never you mind. Guess what I got? A note!” He held up the pink letter proudly like a dog who had unburied a particularly hard-to-find bone.

The glare he received in return was not an impressed one. “Congratulations. Now give me back my notebook!”  When Todd refused to remove his hand from it, she made a show of rolling her eyes. “Honestly, Tiger, who cares? Valentine’s Day is all a scam anyway. Now would you please give it back?”

Looking crestfallen, Todd handed the journal back to her. “What’s up with you, Lefty? Are you just ticked because you don’t have the nerve to write to anyone? Or maybe you’re jealous that the most popular girl in class wrote to me.”  He smirked then “She signed it ‘yours truly’. Who else would that be but the most popular girl? It obviously has to be someone everyone knows!”

“And what,” she countered heatedly, “makes you say I’m ticked? Besides, it has nothing to do with nerve; I just don’t have anyone to write to! And what makes you so sure—”

At that moment, said popular girl, Elain Pruett, marched up to him and whispered something into his ear. Grabbing his hand, she dragged him to the corner of the room where some words were exchanged. When the bell finally rang, they both hurried back to take seats in the front of the class, hands intertwined. Rachel heaved a heavy sigh and returned to her assignment.

 

            Time flies quickly, but some things never change. So when Todd Hemmingway and Elain Pruett were voted prom king and queen, no one was surprised. Rachel, upon Todd’s request, wrote an article in the school paper about the couple. Todd was so elated by this, that he demanded twelve copies from the scandalized looking salesgirl.

 

            Relationships come and pass, but sometimes the strong ones survive. It was a reunion of sorts for that 12^th grade class. They gathered together, years later, to celebrate the marriage of their old prom king and queen. After the vows were avowed and the “I do’s” made, the couple made their way to the reception hall to join their friends.

            “My Todd is just an absolute genius!” Elain cooed to some of her friends around the buffet table. “He’ll be making millions for sure! Won’t you, Todd?” she asked, raising her eyes to his face. He laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll see.”

Elain beamed then, but it was obvious from Rachel’s place in the back of the crowed that the smile didn’t quite meet her eyes.

 

With a tired sigh, Rachel stepped out the side door of the reception hall. She rested her back against the building for a short moment before sitting down slowly on the steps. Todd found her there, examining the stars like they were some kind of interesting book. 

“You’re doing it again, Lefty.” he informed her. “Guess some things never change.”

“What’s that?”

“Staring into space and daydreaming. You always used to do that when we were kids.”

She gave him an odd look before returning her attention to the sky. “I’ve always looked at the stars. They have a tendency to reflect my mood.”

Todd frowned and followed her gaze. “It’s cloudy tonight.”

“I suppose it is.”

He removed his eyes from the sky to stare at her intently. “You can still help me, right?”

“What is there for me to do?” she asked, never turning to look at him. Her expression was unreadable, which was unnerving to him.

“Keep writing for me, Lefty!” He replied at once. “I’m going to the Institute to learn more about Medical Science. What if I discover something? Some kind of breakthrough? You could report it! Your articles are all so powerful; you could get people to notice!”

There was a pause before she made any kind of reply. After a moment, she seemed to decide something. “Sure, Tiger. I’ll do that.”

As Elain summoned Todd back into the hall to cut the cake, a large cloud made its way across the moon, casting everything into deep shadow.

 

It was his big breakthrough, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The medical field was in an uproar, and the happy Hemmingway couple was right in the middle of it. Elain, who was simply delighted with the new-found fame and money, promised to give her husband a special dinner to celebrate. They made a toast to wealth and happiness before tucking in, and it was not until the last spoon of rice pudding had been licked dry that Todd begin to feel ill. Elain allowed him her arm as they made their way to the living room. She made him lay down and the couch and bent over him, smiling serenely. “Not feeling well, dear?” Todd opened his mouth to give a definite “no” but couldn’t seem to draw the breath to do so.

“You’re worth a lot of money, darling.” She informed him needlessly, still beaming. “What would your poor, grieving widow do with all that money if you were to pass away? But I’ll take care of it, hun, no worries!”

As his vision began to tunnel, the last thing Todd Hemmingway saw was his wife’s beautiful, terrible smile.

 

I puff out a breath irritably as my lungs begin to constrict in my chest and watch as it makes an impressive white fog in front of my face. Deciding I shouldn’t stay long due to the ridiculous weather, I move more quickly down the lawn.

When I finally come upon it, I stop. All I can do is stare in a state of frozen (that has nothing to do with the weather, mind you) disbelief. After a moment or two of silence broken only by the howling of the wind, I sigh and sit down beside the stone, pressing my forehead to it. It sends chills down my spine to be in contact with its smooth, cold surface, but I pay no attention.

 “Some things never change”, I tell the stone matter-of-factly. “And Todd Hemmingway, you are one of them. You would pick the most beautiful flower in the field, even if it had the most rancid scent.” I pause for a moment and absently trace the words “Loving husband” with my finger.

“I will never figure out how you could twist ‘Yours Truly’ into ‘Elain Pruett’. I guess it’s just lucky for me that she had her eyes set on you. That girl isn’t stupid; she knew you’d be worth millions one day. You’re a genius, all right. And a mighty stupid one at that.”

At this point I had pressed my finger so hard into the groves of the stone that I could feel the seam of my mitten ripping. Pulling it away quickly, I fumble to regain my train of thought. “What you didn’t notice,” I go on, “Is that the smudge marks on the note were from someone left-handed. Elain Pruett certainly was not. But you knew I was! You always had! You called me ‘Lefty’! How much more oblivious could you get?” The wind decides to give a particularly angry howl at this point, reminding me of just how fickle time is when winter is fast approaching.

“Anyway, Tiger, I just came to tell you that I kept my promise. I wrote about your breakthrough; the magazine has never sold out faster, my boss was elated! And not a week later, I wrote your obituary.” With a final glare at the headstone, I stand up and make my way back to the car.

As I turn my gaze skyward, I can’t help noticing how fiercely the stars are shining.

Author's Note

This story is ancient; my writing has improved by leaps and bounds since I wrote this piece. But I've always had a fondness for it, so I thought it would be worth posting.

(This was originally an English assignment. We were meant to mimic O'Henry's original stories which were famous for their surprise endings.)

Reviews

[Wolfwind Words]

I really liked this story. It's twisted ending and the note that was written by a lefty made this into a wonderfull tale of emotions and drama.

You have captured the essence of so many people with your characters here. From the arrogant and blind male, to the smart yet meek female, rachel, and the prom queen that would kill to become famous. It's got all the elements for a made for tv movie.

This was a great piece, even if it had been writing a long time ago.
Great Work! :)

[a Messenger]

If this piece is "ancient", then in antiquity you were already a great writer.
This is an excellent write. Believable characters and a good story line hold
your readers' interest. Though it was obvious from the beginning, to everyone
but Todd, who had written the note, still his murder was a surprise worthy
of O'Henry.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Thanks for sharing.