A Valentine’s Day Love Tragedy (in 3 acts)
Slipping into her favorite, comfortable pajamas, Val rested on her bed, with her back against her pile of pillows and menagerie of stuffed critters. She scooped up her tablet, and swiped through her messages. Photos were posted. Friends were tagged. Likes, silly comments. ‘I can’t believe the Runner boys actually tried climbimbing the wall so close to the kitchen.’ Thought Val. ‘Don’t they know they could have slipped and landed in one of the roasters? Those crazy nuts! It’s goobers like them that give the rest of us the kind of bad name that mama and pop try so hard to defend. ‘
More images flipped across her screen. There wasMaggie, and Gabs doing their little dance. They were actually from Oklahoma, but to be around them, you’d think they thought they were from Spain. Always doing that clattering dance with the castanets.
Another few swipes, and Val glanced at her calendar for the next few days. School… detention on Thursday… ‘Ugh! How will I break that one to mama,’ she thought. Drama meeting, and dance class on Saturday… ‘What a boring life,’ Val almost said out loud.
Bling!
It was an alert for a live chat. Were her other friends still up this late? ‘Should I risk it? Where did I put my ear buds?’ were among Val’s racing thoughts as she gave the on screen accept button a tap. The image on the alert message register in her brain at the instant her finger touched the screen. In the same instant her emotions both crashed and soared, ‘It’s him!’ But the thought of what her mother would do if she caught her was crowded out, as her eyes widened at his image gazing back at her.
She felt her heart go all a flutter, as he spoke.
“Hi Val, I hope it’s not too late to call.” Teddy said in those silky sweet tones.
“Shhh. I’m up, but we can’t wake up mother.” Val cautioned, and snuggled deep into her animals and pillows. She snapped in her ear bud, leaving one out as a precaution, and tossing the blankets over her. .
“I know what you mean,” Teddy said, ” I had an argument with my old man over you when I got home.” Adding some depth to his always sultry voice, he impersonated the gruff tone of his father, “No son of mine is going to rake the good name and reputation of the Cocoa family through the muck! Just because you want to be seen hanging out with that goober girl!”
“Teddy!” Val was shocked at the slanderous remark directed towards her family. He saw her shock too late. “I’m sorryVal. I was just repeating what I had to go through.”
“Never use that G-word around me again.” Val warned, only slightly aware that she and her friends used it around each other all the time.
“I promise Val.” Teddy’s words were as sincere as he could make them. “Will you forgive me?”
“O Teddy, of course I will,” she corrected herself, “I mean, I do. I do forgive you. Why do our families hate each other so much. They both say the same kinds of things about the other.”
“I know what you mean.” Teddy agreed. “All that fuss about family names, reputations, and shame that will be the undoing of a…”
“A grand and glorious heritage,” Val finished for him in her best pompous voice just the way she has heard her mother say it countless times, then with a giggle that she had to stifle for fear it might wake someone. “After a quick check to make sure all was still clear, she continued as she gazed dreamily into her tablet screen, “I wish we didn’t have to hide, and tell people that nothing happened.”
“Nothing has happened,” Teddy replied as he returned her gaze to her from the other side of her screen. His complexion so clear and absolutely scrumptious to her.
“I know it, but I wish we could be together all the time.” Val clarified. “No having to go home to our different houses…”
“No hiding under the covers when we want to talk.” Teddy finished for her.
“Yeah, hiding under…” Val stopped herself then added, “Hey, wait! How did you know I was hiding under my covers?”
“You are?” Teddy was genuine in his surprise. “I was talking about me.”
Val couldn’t contain her giggles, “You’re hiding under your covers too? I’ll bet you’re not wearing fuzzy pink jammies with little bunnies and daisies on them.” Their laughter took them to heights that soared over the rainbows, and to the highest mountain peak.
Their fantasy world came to a crashing halt with the sound of her mother’s voice.
“Val? What do you think you are doing?” Mrs Hypogeo started timidly. Then realizing who her little girl was chatting with, the shriek came, “VAL!” Things were a blur as the blanket was laid back, the tablet ripped from Val’s grasp[ and thrown to the wall with the sound of crunching glass.