Painful Hearts

• Willem Ma, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2014

That day had arrived. He wished the day had never come. He hopped into the car with his mother and tells his best friend to sit next to him at the back. That way they could talk and laugh together without boredom intercepting their conversations. Throughout the trip he reflects the cherished moments he and his best friend had together.
As the car reached closer and closer to the destination, the boy held tightly to his friend’s hand. He didn't want to let go of him. He pleaded his mother for him to stay for a bit longer but she wouldn't allow it. He had to go.
The mother pulls up to the side of the road. The little boy begs for his best friend to stay a little longer for the second time. The hardest part in a strong friendship is when it’s time to say goodbye. Nothing lasts forever...Everyone says goodbye someday. We do it in different situations. I've heard that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us to grow. The boy watches his mother to take his friend inside. That moment when he couldn't see him anymore his loved moments with him vanished.
Although it was a wordless goodbye, he placed his hand on the car window signalling his farewell. His heart felt lost and broken in an instant as the door shuts with a shattering bang. That was his final goodbye before he would leave to live somewhere else. He wished had spent more time with him.
He knew he had to move on, but this was far too hard to bid farewell to his best friend. He couldn't leave him. Neither the little boy nor his best friend could stop it. It was like they were destined to be split up. He did not know why they had to part. There wasn't any reason for them to stay together forever. He was always there like a good friend. He felt vulnerable, lost and weak. No one was there to put a blanket of comfort over his fears and doubts to vanish them. It was almost like he was getting beaten up from the inside out, there wasn't any light around him, just darkness. Distress was attacking him as he started to drive further and further away. As he looked back out the window he felt a tear of sorrow trickle down his soft cheeks. The little boy had the urge to jump out of the car and run back to say a proper goodbye but he knew he couldn't.
“Sit properly and put your seat belt on. Don’t worry about your little teddy, he will be alright with his new owners”, his mother said.