Charlie

• Jade Sinis
• Short Story
• 2017

Charlie. A name that I will never forget. I want the lies gone. I want the memories gone. I want him gone. I precisely remember the moment when I received a letter in the mail, it was addressed to me, Hailee Teller of 38 Addle-street, Paradise cove. In the left corner of the envelope, the address of the sender, Armidale NSW. Staring at the blank void that was held in my hands, I tore it open. Walking down the hallway, I tried not to collide with anything lying on the floor, as I stopped. My heart sunk. I re-read the letter thinking I may have seen it incorrectly, but I hadn’t. Sliding down the beige painted walls, I sat and stared at the boxes in front of me cluttering the narrow hallway. How could he have done this to me? Shaking my head, letting tears roll down my red splotchy cheeks onto the wooden floorboards.

Wiping away my tears, the front door opened with a creak as the wind forced it back against the wall. The glass in the door vibrated as though my anger was strong enough to cause an earthquake. Charlie. My eyes widened as he stepped through the door and wiped his shoes on the tattered mat. He saw the tears running down my face, along with the letter clutched in my drooping hands. His sullen looks and unspoken words frustrated me even more than I already was.
“Why?” I whimpered.
“Haille.”
“No, how could you do this, you know how much this meant to me!” I shouted.
“And you know how much it would have hurt me!” he shouted back.
“This is my future Charlie! You just took it away from me like it was nothing!”
“Your future? Aren’t I part of your future Haille? “
“Honestly, I don’t know, a week ago you told me you wanted what’s best for me and now you have gone and done this, you lied to me, about this and God knows what else.”
His head was turned to the ground in what looked like guilt, but I didn’t feel sorry for him, how could I?

Pushing the bedroom door open with an aggressive force I walked towards the mirrored wardrobe catching a glimpse of my reflection. My puffy eyes and red cheeks were slowly fading, but my anger wasn’t. Grabbing my creased and unfolded laundry off the welted shelves, I shoved them into a purple bag scrunched underneath my dresser. As I flung my bag over my shoulder headed for the door, I saw Charlie, crouched down against the wall just as I did.
“You don’t have to leave Haille, we can sort this out, I’m sorry!” he sobbed.
As I turned my back to Charlie I opened the front door and stepped out, before closing the door I faced Charlie for the last time.
“You’ve told me so many lies Charlie, but the biggest one you’ve told me, is that you loved me.”