A Painful Lesson

A Painful Lesson

�Hey Lissa.� A male voice greeted her quietly. Melissa Talbot peered around the door of her locker. She found her ex-boyfriend, Jason McKinley, standing there.

�Hi Jase.� She replied, just as quietly before quickly rummaging through her locker. She picked up her math book and notebook and shoved them in her backpack.

�How have you been?� he asked her. It had been two weeks since she had broken up with him, and this was the first time they had talked since. He had wanted to, you could see it in his eyes. But she had always avoided him.

�I�ve been fine. How about you?� she answered.

�Okay, I guess.� He sighed and then quickly said, �Look, I�m sorry. I know you haven�t wanted to talk to me and I really don�t want to come off looking pathetic, but I just wanted to let you know that I miss you. And, if you ever reconsider the break-up, come talk to me.�

�Thanks Jase. I�ve missed you too. It�s different not having you around all the time,� she smiled warmly at him. �But, I don�t think I�m going to reconsider my decision.�

Jason nodded. �Yeah, well, I have to get going. I have basketball practice.�

�Yeah,� Melissa said. �Bye.�

�See ya later.� He replied before taking off down the hall following some of his basketball buddies.

Melissa watched him for awhile before quickly returning her gaze to the books in her locker. History? No. English? No. Chemistry? No, well yes. She had a test to study for the next day.

�Hey Liss!� came the breathless female voice. Melissa smiled knowing full well she�d find her best friend on the other side of the locker door.

�Hey Angie!� she said smiling at Angela Gibbs. Angela�s cheeks were red. �What did you guys have to do in gym today?�

�Run the mile!� Angela groaned. Then she looked straight into Melissa�s eyes and said, �Hey! Some girls walking down the hall said that you and Jason were going to get back together. What�s that all about?�

Melissa laughed and rolled her eyes. The problem with being captain of the cheerleading squad, or in Jason�s case the basketball team was that everyone in school knew who you were. And one glance could send a rumor circulating around the school.

�Jason stopped by locker to say hi. They probably saw him. You know how rumors start here. This school is a hotbed for gossip!�

Angela smiled. �Yeah, it sucks doesn�t it? You ready to go to practice?�

Melissa zipped off her bag and pulled it off the hook in her locker. She pulled the straps up onto her shoulders and brought her coat off the hook. She slammed her locker shut and spun the dial a couple times before responding. �All set.�

They walked down the hall towards the gym.

~~**~~

�Do you need a ride to school tomorrow?� Angela asked later that night when she dropped Melissa off at home.

�No, I�m pretty sure my Dad is going to take me. I�ll call you tonight if anything changes though.� Melissa answered.

�Okay, see you tomorrow.� Angela said as Melissa climbed out of the car and grabbed her backpack.

�Yep. See ya.� She said slamming the door. She walked up to the garage and typed the code into the keypad. The garage door slowly opened. Melissa walked in and punched the opener on the wall by the door as she walked in the house.

She dropped her backpack on the floor by the door and went to the pantry. Grabbing the bird treats she ran down the stairs to the family room. Walking in she saw that parakeet was not on its perch. �Callie?� she asked as she slowly walked towards the cage. �Callie?�

She looked into the cage and saw the beautiful green and yellow bird lying at the bottom. It was on its side. �Callie!� she yelled, dropping the treats. Opening the cage she reached in and gently tapped the bird, knowing the truth yet not believing it.

�Callie!� she yelled again, but the bird didn�t move.

She ran upstairs, dropping the cage door back with a slam. She grabbed the cordless phone off the hook and quickly turned it on and dialed her mother�s work number.

It rang twice before it was answered. �Hello. Parker and Regis, Attorney�s at Law.� The secretary answered.

�Hi, can I please speak with Tammy Talbot?� Melissa asked hurriedly, blinking back tears.

�I�m sorry, she�s in a meeting right now. May I take a message?� the receptionist cheerfully chirped. Melissa wanted to yell at the receptionist for being so cheerful.

�Please. I really need to talk to her. It�s an emergency. It�s her daughter.� She yelled instead.

�Okay, let me see if she�s able to take a moment.� The receptionist replied just as cheerfully. Melissa rolled her watery eyes.

A few moments later her mother�s worried voice came through the phone. �Melissa, honey? What�s wrong?�

Not able to fight the tears any longer she told her mom in a wavery voice, �Callie�s dead.�

�What?� her mother exclaimed in disbelief.

�Callie�s dead. She�s at the bottom of the cage.� Melissa repeated tears spilling down her cheeks.

�I�m on my way.� Tammy said quickly. Melissa could hear her shuffling papers around.

�Okay.� Melissa said. �See you in a little bit.�

�Yeah, bye.� Her mother said and then hung up.

Melissa sat at the kitchen table. Her mother rushed in the house twenty minutes later. �Melissa! How are you?� she asked dropping her briefcase and hugging her daughter.

�I don�t know.� Melissa replied her eyes tearing up again.

�Oh, honey,� her mother whispered. �Come on, let�s go downstairs and bring the cage up here.�

Together Melissa and Tammy brought the cage up to the kitchen and set it on the floor. Tammy lifted the cage off of the bottom pan. Setting it on the floor she looked at Melissa. �Do you want to take her out, or should I?�

�You.�

Tammy gently lifted the bird off of the dirty newspaper and set the body on the floor. She picked up the newspaper and walked to the trashcan to throw it away.

Melissa stared at the body of her bird. She reached out and stroked the soft feathers. Tears fell down her cheeks. She heard her father come in. �Hi guys�� he started to say and then saw Melissa and Callie. �What happened?� he asked kneeling down beside Melissa.

�I don�t know. I came home and found her dead.� Melissa told him. He rubbed her back gently and touched the bird himself. Pulling her closer to him, he kissed her on top of her head.

She looked up to see tears flowing freely down their faces. Callie was twelve, the whole family loved her.

�I�ll go get a box.� Her mother whispered and walked out of the room.

~~**~~

That night Melissa stared up at the ceiling trying to fall asleep. Suddenly an image of Callie crossed her mind. Melissa rolled over and buried her head in her pillow.

She began to cry gut-wrenching sobs. Gut-wrenching sobs that made no noise. She now knew what it was like to feel your break, and she didn�t like it.

~~**~~

The next day at school she felt everyone�s eyes on her as she walked through the hall. She had put on a lot of makeup to hide the blotches on her skin that were made from crying.

She opened her locker and started to take her books out of her backpack and place them at the bottom. She hadn�t studied for her chemistry test the night before.

Angela came up to her and knew from her actions that something was wrong. �Liss? What�s wrong?�

Melissa looked up. Blinking back tears she said, �Callie died.�

Angela gasped. �When?�

�Yesterday. Sometime during the day. I found her after dropped me off.� Melissa told her.

Angela wrapped her arms around Melissa�s shoulders and said, �Oh, Liss. I�m so sorry!�

�Thanks.� Melissa said and pulled away. She could feel the tears trying to come out.

�Did you bury her?�

Melissa nodded.

�Can I come see the grave after school?� Angela asked.

Melissa nodded again and smiled at her best friend. She felt comfort by Angela�s request.

�Of course you can.� She whispered as she grabbed her chemistry books.

~~**~~

Melissa was playing with her food, not able to eat. Angela was watching her. She was about to say something when Jason came and sat sideways on one of the stools, staring at Melissa.

�Lissa, is something wrong?� Jason asked. �People are talking. Their saying something�s wrong and only Angie knows what it is.�

Melissa looked at Jason and smiled wryly. �Of course it�s around school that something�s wrong. I should have known by now. Callie died yesterday.�

�Are you all right?� he asked leaning a little closer.

�I don�t know�I guess.� Melissa answered.

Jason gave her a quick hug. �I gotta get to class. But if you want to talk, I�m available.�

�Thanks.�

She watched him as he walked off, wishing that he were still her boyfriend. Wishing that she really could call him and ask him to come over and comfort her. But she wouldn�t feel comfortable now.

~~**~~

Melissa didn�t know what to do that night. She didn�t feel like doing her homework. And she didn�t want to be in the family room�or the storage room for that matter. The cage was now all cleaned and sitting on the floor. The swings, and bells and mirrors that Callie had loved to play on lying in on the bottom in between the perches that she had sat on and underneath the ladders that she had climbed on. They were now waiting for the next bird, the next bird that Melissa planned to get. She just didn�t know when.

Melissa looked at her bedside table and saw her diary sitting on it. Having nothing better to do she picked it up and began aimlessly flipping through the pages.

She stopped when she came to a page that had semi-transparent spots all over it. The spots were from the tears that had dropped from her eyes when she had written that entry. She read it:

October 16 ~

I broke up with Jason today. I didn�t want to do it, but I didn�t want him to break up with me first. Everyone�s talking about him and Lacey. They were partners in Drama Class and did a great job apparently. They were playing a couple that had broken up and were now getting back together. And apparently, Lacey really does like him! She�s so beautiful, I just feel like he might dump me so that he can go out with her, and I don�t want him to dump me first. I wish I hadn�t�yet I�m glad I did. I can�t bare to think of what it would have been like to have him dump me. It had to have been worse then this, and that�s bad.

Melissa swiped at her eyes, wiping away the tears that had gathered. She flipped through some more pages until she landed on the page that she had written just the other night. The same semi-transparent spots were all over that page as well.

January 18 ~

I came home from school today, and Callie was dead. I don�t know what happened! She was fine yesterday and now she�s�gone! I miss her so much.

I keep reaching over to pick up the phone and call Jason. I really want to see him and talk to him. But I can�t call him, not anymore. And it feels so much worse when I realize that.

Melissa slammed the covers shut and quickly returned the diary to its original spot on the table.

She had broken up with Jason because she had believed he�d break up with her to be with Lacey. She hadn�t believed that good times she had with him would be worth the pain of him breaking up with her, and staying with him was a risk.

Now, as she thought about the empty birdcage she wanted to have filled again, she realized how stupid she had been. And now she was alone trying to live with the pain of losing a pet. And Lacey was gone, moved onto her next home since her father was in the military.

Reaching over to the phone she dialed the familiar number and waited till she heard him answer.

�Jason, its Melissa. If you�re not too busy, would you come over?� she asked.

�Of course. I�ll be right over.� He said quickly and hung up.

~~**~~

Jason rang the doorbell and shoved his hands in his letter jacket. Tammy soon came to the door. She smiled when she saw him. �Jason! What are you doing here?�

�Melissa called and wanted me to come over.� He explained as he stepped inside.

�It�s great to see you,� she said. �Liss is in her room.�

�Okay. It�s great to be back here too. Thanks, Mrs. Talbot.� He said as he ran down the stairs. He saw the empty space in the family room where Callie had once been and turned. He knocked and Melissa quickly answered. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him immediately.

He laughed slightly. �Hey Lissa.� He said softly wrapping his arms around her.

�Jase, I�m so sorry.� She whispered.

�For what?� he asked confused. He pulled away slightly and saw that she was crying. He gently nudged her into the room and sat her down her bed. Sitting next to her he wiped the tears out of her eyes and said, �What are you sorry for?�

�I broke up with you because I thought you liked Lacey more than me and that you�d break up with me. I was afraid. I�m sorry that I didn�t have more faith in you.�

Jason was surprised but he said, �There�s no one I like more than you. And if you needed to break up with me to make sure, then I�m glad you did.�

Melissa smiled weakly, �Thanks.�

�I love you Liss.�

�I love you too.�

January 19 ~

Well, Jason and I are back together. It all started when I realized that I want another bird. I want to have another bird because I love having a bird around, and it�s worth the risk of losing another one (which will happen eventually) to have this little bird that I can love and have fun with.

And I realized that it�s the same in a relationship, that you have to take the risk in order to having fun with your boyfriend, or husband, or your friend! It�s worth the risk of possibly losing them.

So, I called him up, and he came over and we made up and got back together and then went out and�

�we brought home Lilypad. She�s green and yellow too, with a dark blue on her tummy. And she�s so sweet!

Welcome to home Lily!

I never knew you could learn so much from a death.