SHORT STORY

 

DIANA

By Rini Lasman

            Hair?                                               

            Check.

            Cologne?

            Check.

            Breath?

            Check.

            Zipper?

            Check.

            I’m all set. Ready to meet the girl of my dreams. Don’t you just love it when you fall in love with a girl and she loves you back? Not just any girl, but the girl of your dreams. Oh, Diana. How I love you with every beat of my heart. Diana, Diana, Diana!

            At first, I was not sure if she loved me back. But after this morning, I am a hundred percent sure that she does. Let me tell you the story. I’m supposed to see Diana after basketball practice. She usually finishes at five. That’s ten  minutes from now.

            Well, a few days ago, Diana had her sixteenth birthday. I sent her a poem in the wall bulletin of our school. Not just any poem, but a love poem which I had carefully composed for three weeks. The first letters of the lines spell her name

            Darling, happy birthday.

                In my heart you’ll stay,

                Always the apple of my eye.

                No other girl can ever replace you.

                A love that is true is my gift to you.

            At first I was afraid that she hadn't read the poem, but this morning she gava me a smile and waited for me outside my classroom.
            “Nice poem. So sweet,” she said.

            “Do you like it?” I asked.

            “Yeah,” she giggled.

            “Can I see you after school?” I asked again.

            “Oh, OK. Sure. I finish my basketball practice at five.”

            Diana, Diana, Diana! How I love you, Diana.

            Diana is coming out of her basketball practice. I’m right on time.

            “Hi!” She smiles. Oh, Diana, you and I are going to be so happy together. “So, where are they?”

            “Oh, my poems…. Here they are. “I give her several sheets. It wasn’t hard to write the poems. Diana is my endless inspiration.

            “OK. I’ll put them in our school wall bulletin.”

            Did you hear that? She’s going to put them in the school wall bulletin. She wants everyone to know that we are officially a couple. Can you hear the sweet melody? That’s the music of love.

            “I’ll let Diana know that you’re wrting some more poems for her. She’ll love it.”

            The music suddenly stops. Wait a minute. Where did the music go? Why does it stop? I’ll let Diana know that you’re writing some more poems for her. She’ll love it. But, but…

            “But,…”

            “That’s OK. Diana feels the same way, too.”

            “What dou mean? Diana who?”

            Diana giggles. “Come on. We all know which Diana. Diana from XI-6, right? The chief editor of the wall bulletin? That’s why you wrote the love poem last week. How did you know her birthday was last week? She has kept her birthday a secret all this time. Wow, you must love her so much.”

            I am speechless.

            “Look, that’s her. I’ll give these to her now.”

            I look behind me. And there she is. Diana. The other Diana. Not the one that I have a huge crush on, the wrong Diana. She is squinting at me through her thick glasses. She is coming towards me. No, that’s not quite right. She is running to me just like in the Bollywood movies.

            SOMEBODY, HELP ME!

Taken from C'nS Magazine