Torn Between Two Enemies

Once upon a time… For little Lucas Jenkins first day of kindergarten was a complete and utter hell. The class hadn’t started but already his dad left him in order to tend to his construction business. He was alone, and lonely, and sad, and confused, and didn’t know what to do. All other children somehow managed to sit themselves in small groups of three, four, or just two. Nobody was without company, except him. He had refused to go to kindergarten for fear that he would be left alone, because he didn’t know anybody. But his dad had said that kindergarten was a place to make friends, since nobody knew anybody to start with anyway. But that was just it. Little Lucas didn’t know how to make friends. Looking around, Lucas realized that his dad might just be right. It seemed like everybody was just trying to get to know each other. Except him. It didn’t seem like anybody wanted to get to know him, though. Nobody came closer. Nobody came to sit by him. Lucas wondered why. Was it because he didn’t have a mommy? Was it because his dad was the one who took him to school instead of his mommy like any other children? Everybody else had their mommy with them. Most of the mommies even stayed. He was the only one without one. Lucas lowered his head, trying to hide the tears that threatened to fall on his cheeks. He couldn’t cry, he couldn’t. His dad said now that he was in kindergarten, crying was no longer an option. He was a big boy now. And big boys didn’t cry. But it was just so hard. Was it gonna be like this forever and ever now? When everybody else had friends, would he always be the kid who sat by himself at the corner table? School sucked! He knew it. He just knew it. Didn’t matter anyway. He didn’t care. If his dad wanted him to stay in this place that he called school until he picked him up, so be it. There was nothing he could do anyway. He was five, for crying out loud. It was not like he could drive. *** First day of school and Kate Conrad already knew that she was going to have the best of time. She was an optimist, and that might just bebecause her governess was also an optimist. Those kinds of things were contagious, you see. Just like the sweet smile that both girls possessed, or the polite mannerism that both girls also had, or the overall positive attitude towards life in general. For Kate, Sam–her governess was her hero. She adored her, more than her own momma. But let’s keep that one a secret, shall we? Sam had said to Kate that kindergarten would be just perfect. She would find herself some friends her own age. Perhaps even her own boyfriend, like Sam and Carl. They were so perfect. Carl was crazy about Sam and always dotted on her. He often took Sam, and as a result, also Kate, for a ride in his cool car. Sometimes they acted like Kate was their daughter and let Kate call them mom and dad for a goof. The three of them would go out for ice cream and pizza. Kate loved those times a lot, sometimes she even wished that they both had been her real parents. Sam told Kate that she and Carl had been lovers for a long, long time. They went to school together. She also expected him to propose anytime soon now. Perhaps not too soon since they were twenty-two years old and just finished college. But Sam was always giddy with excitement every time she told Kate about their love stories, and Kate was always giddy with her. Kate wanted Sam’s wonderful story to rub off on her as well. She couldn’t wait for her own Carl. And this was it! This was the time for Kate to find herself a boy like Carl. The boy that she could fall in love forever and ever. He could be her boyfriend now first and one day he could also marry her. “Are you nervous, baby?” Sam asked her while caressing Kate’s hand. They were standing by the door of the classroom. “I hope we’re not late. It seems like everybody is here.” Carl looked at his watch. “We’re not late, my babies,” he said to both Sam and Kate. “This is the first day of school. People are just excited; we should’ve left earlier.” Kate looked around the room. Sam was right, it seemed like everybody was already there. Almost all tables had been occupied. Kate’s heart was doing a summersault. Was she late? Were all the boys have been taken now? What about her happily ever after? What about her own Carl? There was this girl. She had two boys sitting beside her. Maybe Kate could sit there and asked her to give one of the boys to her. She didn’t need to have two boyfriends now, right? Two was two too many, right? Yes, Kate then decided, she must go there. But then her steps came to a halt. At the corner, sitting alone was the most handsome boy she had ever seen. Granted, she was only five, she hadn’t seen a lot of boys. Still, the boy was even more handsome than Carl. Suddenly she felt happy. Super-duper happy. Yes, that boy was her very own Carl. He would be her boyfriend. And one day, he would be her husband. Just like Sam and Carl. *** “Are you by yourself?” A voice, a sweet voice made Lucas look up. For a moment there, he was enchanted. In front of him stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Well, it was not like he had seen a lot of girls, the truth was. He was only five, for crying out loud. But this one really was beautiful. Lucas couldn’t find his voice, but he could nod. So, he did so. He nodded. The girl beamed. “Well, I’m gonna sit by you, then. From now on we’re gonna sit together,” the girl decided, after planting her small behind on a chair beside Lucas. “You’re gonna be my boyfriend.” Lucas’s eyes opened wide, couldn’t believe his ears. Did this beautiful girl just ask him to be her boyfriend? Wait, what was a boyfriend? What should he do as her boyfriend? Didn’t she know that he didn’t have a mommy? Perhaps she didn’t know. Should he tell her? But then she would change her mind. Then what? The girl looked at him with a keen observation that a five-year-old could make. “Wait a minute,” she said. For a moment she looked crestfallen. “Do you have a girlfriend?” When Lucas shook his head, the girl bobbed her head with glee. “Alright, then. Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” Lucas didn’t know how to answer the question, although he thought he kind of understood it. A friend who was a boy, right? Well, he was a boy alright. So, although unsure, he nodded. “Yes,” he answered, then smiled. The girl smiled with him. “From now on we will always be together,” she said with conviction. “Promise me that?” Lucas nodded again. “Yes,” he answered. Happy that he no longer had to be alone. Happy that he had someone that he would always be together with, like the other children. Now, he didn’t feel so different. “I promise.” The girl then clapped. “Yeay!” she said, the glee on her face spread to Lucas like a wild fire. Without realizing it, he clapped too. “One day, when we’re big you can marry me,” the girl continued. Now Lucas smiled, he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Promise?” “I promise.” “Pinkie promise?” The girl gave Lucas her pinkie. Lucas connected his pinkie to hers. “Pinkie promise,” he said, with conviction, and somehow, also determination of a five-year-old. “What’s your name?” the girl asked. “Lucas,” he answered, then asked, “What’s your name?” “Kate,” the girl answered. She then stopped, thinking, somehow. “I think you should kiss me now.” “What?” Lucas asked, confused. “Honey,” said a soft voice. Lucas looked up and saw a woman and a man stood close to them. They were just somehow there, out of nowhere. But then again, maybe not. Everybody else came with their moms and dads. Why not Kate, right? Only Lucas. Now he became wary. What if after Kate knew that he didn’t have a mommy she didn’t want to marry him anymore. And Kate’s parents, did they know that Lucas didn’t have a mommy? Would they be mean to him? Would they ask Kate to sit somewhere else? She was pretty, one of the boys here could marry her. “What mom,” Kate asked, her eyes were pleading. Sam and Carl smiled. They understood why Kate called Sam mom, she didn’t want to be the only girl in the room that was taken to school by her governess on the first day of school. It would be so humiliating, so they let her. “Everything good, princess?” Sam asked, caressing Kate’s hair. Kate nodded with enthusiasm. “This is Lucas,” she said, introducing him to Sam and Carl. “He’s my boyfriend. One day he’s going to marry me.” Now Sam and Carl laughed. “One step at a time now, princess,” Carl said with good humor before paying his attention to Lucas, extending his hand to shake Lucas’s. “Hello, Lucas. Nice to meet you.” Lucas was a bit apprehensive, but he took the hand. “Nice to meet you, sir,” he said. “So, are you going to marry my princess?” Carl continued with a teasing smile on his face. Lucas nodded. He no longer looked apprehensive. “Yes, sir.” “Well, that’s good,” Carl said. “But we’re not in a hurry, yeah? In the meantime, just take care of my princess, deal?” “Yes, sir.” “Promise.” “Promise.” Both Sam and Carl smiled. “Well, princess,” Sam said. “Now that we have someone who takes care of you, it seems like we can leave now. We’ll pick you up after school, okay baby?” “Maybe we can get ice cream?” Kate asked with hopeful eyes. Carl laughed. “That can be arranged,” he answered. “You should be rewarded for doing good on your first day of school.” “Yeay!” Kate said. Then she added, “Lucas can come with us.” “Well,” Sam said. “Of course, he can. But we should ask his mommy or daddy first, princess.” “I don’t have a mommy,” Lucas said. His voice was trembling a little. Oh God, now they knew. What were they going to do? He then added, “My dad will pick me up later.” “Oh, sweet pie,” Sam said before hugging Lucas. “Well, then. We’re gonna wait for your dad and ask him. Will that be okay?” Lucas looked up, couldn’t believe his ears. They didn’t leave. They still wanted him. Slowly he nodded, trying hard not to cry. “Okay,” he said in a whisper. Kate bobbed her head before hugging Sam. “Bye mom,” she said before turning her attention to Carl and hugging him also. “Bye dad.” Lucas watched Kate’s parents walking out of the room holding hands. Wow! He couldn’t believe it. She was still here. Kate was still here by his side, even though he didn’t have a mommy. Kate’s dad even made him promise to take care of his daughter. And Lucas would do just that. He had made a promise, he intended to keep it. “Lucas,” Kate said, waking him up from his thoughts. “You should kiss me now or other boys will. Then you’re no longer my boyfriend.” Oh-oh, that couldn’t happen. If Kate was no longer his girlfriend, then he would go back to being alone. He couldn’t have that. He would be sad. So, he nodded. Kate smiled then closed her eyes. Lucas didn’t know what to do now. Where should he kiss her? But then Kate puckered up her lips, showing him exactly where he should kiss her. Lucas then also puckered up his own lips before leaning closer towards Kate’s face. He closed his own eyes, just before his lips touched hers. There was this spark. It made them both opened their eyes so wide before giggling like crazy. “Are you a princess?” Lucas asked in a low voice. Kate giggled. “No, silly,” she said. “Then why did your mom and dad call you princess?” “Because they love me,” Kate answered in between her giggles. “You can also call me princess if you want. You love me, don’t you?” Lucas nodded. By now he knew that he would do anything for Kate. His princess. And why not. He loved her, didn’t he? “Okay,” he said. “I will.” “But not in front of everybody,” Kate said in a soft whisper and a conspiratorially tone. “Why not?” Lucas asked, also in a soft whisper, confused. Kate shrugged. “I don’t know,” she answered. “The other children maybe laughing at us.” Lucas didn’t care if the other children laughed at him, but he didn’t want them to laugh at her. That couldn’t happen. “Okay,” he said. “I will call you princess when we’re alone, like right now.” Kate giggled. “We’re not alone, silly,” she said, pointing at the other children. Lucas giggled with her. “But we’re the only ones on this table,” he argued. “If I call you princess in a whisper, nobody will hear.” Kate didn’t answer. That was true. In that sense, they were alone. Nobody was sitting on their desk but them. She then bobbed her head excitedly. “Call me princess now,” she asked in a whisper, leaning towards Lucas a little. Lucas leaned towards her as well before softly saying, “Princess.” She smiled, then he smiled. They were looking at each other. Both were equally enamoured. Well, it was official. Now they’re boyfriend and girlfriend. One day, they’d be married. ***