“Lorrie!” cried the 7-year-old Marcus Brown to his best friend. “That’s not how you do it!”
6-year-old Lorin McDonnell looked helplessly at him. Building with blocks was never her good talent.
“I can’t Marc Marc!” Lorin said with a sigh, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m no good!”
“No way Lorrie!” Marcus said, moving closer and putting a hand around her. “You are good at this!”
“You’re more better!” Lorin said, wiping her tears. “All I can do is play with dolls but you don’t like dolls…”
“Let’s stop playing.” Marcus said. “We’ll just play another game!”
Lorin brightened up. “Okay!” she said. “What should we play?”
Marcus thought hard of a game for both of them to play. Then he had an idea.
“Lorrie,” he said. “I watched a show on T.V where people do promises to each other. Do you want to try it out?”
“Let’s try it, Marc Marc!” Lorin said.
“Okay!” Marcus said. He took out two lollipops and he gave one to Lorin. “This is for you and the other one is for me! When two people love each other and they want to be together, they get married!”
“What’s getting married?” Lorin asked.
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s a good thing. If we get married, we can be together forever and never be separated! We can play everyday!” Marcus said. The two children laughed, liking the idea of getting married.
“I like it!” Lorin said. “We’ll tell our mummy and daddy and we can get married tomorrow!”
Marcus nodded eagerly and they jumped up, holding hands and ran to their parents, who were having a talk nearby the fireplace. They looked smiling at their children who came up to them, looking happy and holding their lollipops.
“Mommy! Daddy!” Lorin said looking at her parents. “Marc Marc and I want to do something!”
Lorin’s parents looked at Marcus’s parents.
“What is it, dear?” asked Lorin’s mom.
“We want to get married!” Marcus said.
There was silence as the adults looked at each other, surprised. Then they burst into fits of laughter and the two children became confused.
“Mummy, Daddy, what’s so funny?” Marcus asked.
Marcus’s mom looked fondly at her son.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you and Lorin go play first and we will talk about you, uh, getting married, alright?” she asked.
Marcus and Lorin looked happily at each other and hand in hand, they went off to play.
“Well,” Lorin’s mom, Tina said. “That was unexpected.”
“Very unexpected.” Marcus’s Dad, Mark said. “Why, I thought they wanted to ask us to bring them to Disneyland or something.”
“Dear,” Marcus’s mom, Diane said. “I think it’s a great idea. All four of us had been friends since high school and putting our family together is great.”
“I agree.” Tina said. She looked at her husband, Norman. “It won’t be an arranged marriage. They asked us themselves.”
“Yes, dear.” Norman replied. “But don’t you think the kids are too young?”
“Not now, silly.” Diane said. “When they grow up. Perhaps we can have a engagement party right after they finish high school and have their marriage after college.”
“Talking about it now make it seem so far away. Suddenly, they are all grown up and we are looking after our grandchildren.” Mark said with a sigh.
“Come on, man.” Norman said. “We don’t want to grow that old so fast. But it would be a good thing if we do put our family together.”
“However…” Diane trailed off, looking sadly at her son. “I don’t think they will be growing up together.”
“What do you mean?” Tina asked.
Mark gave his wife’s hand a reassuring squeeze and he turned to face Tina and Norman.
“I got a job offer in England.” He said. “A good house, good salary and good education plan for Marcus.”
Tina looked sadly at Norman.
“I see.” Norman said. “Well, does Marcus know?”
The Browns shook their head.
“Well, we were thinking of telling him tomorrow.” Mark said. “We are leaving in a week.”
“A week?!” Tina asked, taken aback. “That’s so sudden!”
“We know.” Diane said with a sigh. “Why don’t we tell the children right now? The earlier the better.”
“Are you going to tell them they won’t be going to grade school together?” Norman asked.
“Well,” Mark thought about it. “I guess not. They won’t take it that good if we tell them they won’t see each other in a long time. Remember, they are just kids.”
“Yes. When do you plan on coming back?” Tina asked.
“That remains unsure. We will just have to see.” Mark replied. He turned to the children. “Marcus, Lorin, come here for a minute will you?”
The two children who had been playing energetically came over.
“Are we getting married tomorrow then?” Marcus asked.
Diane looked at her son with amusement. “Tomorrow? Oh no dear, not tomorrow. You can get married in a few years.
“Aw,” Lorin said. “That’s so long!”
“Well you will have to wait, honey.” Tina said.
“We also wanted to tell both of you something.” Mark started.
After 4 years…
England~
“Mom!” Ten-year-old Marcus said. “It’s Lorrie’s birthday soon! Has the invitation arrived?”
“Well… Marcus,” Diane Brown said, sadly. “We won’t be going to Lorin’s party this year…”
“She didn’t invite me?!” Marcus cried out, feeling hurt and angry. “But why? I’m her best friend!”
“Dear, listen to me…” Diane pleaded.
“I won’t!” Marcus said. “I’ll call her and ask her why!”
He ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door shut. Diane sat on the sofa crying and holding a letter, which had just arrived. Marcus dialed Lorin’s number on the phone.
There was a few ringing and after a while Lorin answered the phone.
“H-hello?” Lorin said.
“Lorrie…” Marcus said, getting angrier and angrier at the moment, not wanting to understand why his only best friend didn’t invite him to their party.
“Oh Marc Marc…” Lorin said sadly, happy to hear her best friend. “Have you heard the news?”
“Yes.” Marcus said coldly. “You didn’t invite me.”
“W-what?” Lorin asked from the other line with confusion. “But…”
“I am your best friend!” Marcus said, exploding with anger. “And you didn’t invite me! How could you?! I HATE you! From now on, I don’t have a best friend and never call me again!!”
He slammed the phone shut and pulled the cord and sank onto his bed. He had thought of it. He was never going to write, or call or have anything to do with Lorin MacDonnell.
Marcus heard a knock and he answered with an angry “Come in.”
His father stood there, teary eyed and looked at him sadly.
“Son, I need to talk to you…”
Hong Kong~
Lorin looked at the phone in shock.
She couldn’t understand why Marcus had shouted at her. She hadn’t don’t anything wrong.
She walked outside the living room where her mother was writing down something on a paper.
“Mommy…”She said. “I don’t understand.”
“What is it dear?” her mom, Tina said trying to smile despite her grief.
“Why is this happening?” Lorin said, tears starting to form in her eyes. “First, we lose Daddy. Now, I’ve lost Marc Marc! Marc Marc is angry with me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
She leaned on her mom’s shoulders and started to cry.
“Dear,” Tina said, hugging her daughter. “Your father didn’t mean to leave so early. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“But Daddy’s a good man.” Lorin answered, through sobs. “Why did he have to die?”
“Daddy’s not gone yet. He’s watching over us now.” Tina said, pulling herself a way from her daughter and wiping Lorin’s tears.
“We have to be happy, without him.” Tina said. “You understand that do you?”
“Yes.” Lorin said. “Why is Marc Marc angry at me?”
“Maybe he didn’t understand. Give him some time, darling.” Tina answered.
Lorin wiped her tears.
“I don’t care about Marc Marc anymore.” She said. “I will have a new best friend and that’s it!” She went back to her room and climb slowly on her bed. She looked at her father’s picture, which seemed to be smiling at her and she picked it up.
“Oh daddy!” she cried. “Why did you leave me and Mommy so soon?”
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