You Again

"Cal always loves celebrating his birthdays. I bet he has that big cheesy grin on his face just thinking about it coming up next week," she thought but said aloud. "Maybe it's finally time to tell him, after all, how long has it been?"

"How long has what been, Ruby?" asked her husband.

"I will thank you not to call me that, Frank! You know I hate that nickname."

In secret, she always loved to hear that name...but only when Cal used it for her. It sounded like, "I love you" when he did. When others echoed it, she took strictly as an invasion of privacy.

"Why do you hate it so, Char? "

"I got so much teasing about my red hair when I was little from the cousins and the other kids," was all she answered back.

But those memories flooded in like little daggers to her tiny hurt feelings until the part where Cal had taken her aside (with all the wisdom of a ten-year-old) and reminded her that her hair color was like the Ruby red slippers of Dorothy's and because of jealousy, the wicked old witch wanted them desperately. He said they were all just jealous of her because of it, that's all.

That day had changed the six-year-old Char. From then on, hurtful words spoken to her slipped off her back like pond water did on a duck. It was all because of Cal. He was her big brother and her protector. He would always be on her side. She knew that truth deep into her soul. That kind of courage is so important in a girl's life, and turning into a woman as the years rolled by, she was keenly aware of the person that had implanted within her.

"So, who is him and how long has what been, Char?" prompted Frank

"Cal. It's time I apologized and told him how important he's been to me all these years! I know I've neglected to express just how much he's meant and how his love was the trajectory of my life."