STORY OF THE CHUBBY

STORY OF THE CHUBBY 3

‘Morning, Mrs Watson,’ I greeted the elderly woman who was getting her morning paper, wearing a robe and holding her favourite orange mug in her hand. Typical Mrs Watson, I thought with a smile.

She turned to me and gave me a smile, ‘Morning dear,’ she said sweetly as I crossed her yard to meet her.

 I gave her a quick hug. ‘I have a question, Mrs Watson,’ I asked tentatively, not sure how should approach this.

She smiled, ‘It’s about Chris, isn’t it? I’ve been expecting you because of that.’

I sighed, ‘So he is your grandson, right?’ She nodded, her golden eyes dancing in the morning light. ‘You never told me you had a grandson.’

She looked toward the streets, her smile a bit sad, ‘How would I, when I just found out on Friday?’ She looked at me, ‘You should run along to school now. Whatever questions you have about that ask him, okay? I need to bake some chocolate chip cookies for your sister.’

I smiled, ‘Save some for me, Mrs. Watson.’ Her cookies were the best and she always said her secret ingredient was love. She said she would and after telling me to say hello to Chris, she entered her house, leaving me outside while I thought about what she said.

How couldn’t she have known she had a grandson? I thought as I entered my car and started for school. She’d told me once that one of her daughters had gone her own way and had only heard from her seven years later, before she died. Could it be…But how could that be? Chris’ parents were very much alive. I had seen them around during school functions or when Chris got in trouble.

I parked into the school’s parking lot, just in time to see Chris get out of his Jeep. I got out quickly, grabbing my things before catching up with him.

‘Edwards!’

He turned and when he saw me, he grinned widely, ‘Chubbs! How’s it going?’

I cringed at the nickname of my nickname but I ignored it, ‘Turns out you were saying the truth about being Mrs Watson’s grandson,’ I said when I caught up with him.

He put a hand on his chest dramatically and said, ‘Ouch! How could I lie about something like that, Chubbs!’

I shrugged, ‘I don’t know…maybe it’s the fact that she never told me about you, What puzzles me though,’ I say when we enter through the double doors of the school, ‘Is that she only just found out and apparently you did too. How come?’

I may have imagined it, but I saw Chris stiffen from the apple of my eye, ‘I don’t know.’ Then he turned to me, ‘You don’t really want to know, Chubby. It’s ugly and dark. So don’t worry your pretty head about it.’ His hazel eyes were cold and his jaw set as he said that that I almost took a step back. But then his whole appearance changed and he smiled at me, the smile not really reaching his eyes as he said to me, ‘Have a great day, Chubbs.’ He patted my back and walked away as I stood there looking at his retreating back wondering what had just happened. The warning bell rang and snapped me back to reality as I rushed to my locker to get my books. I was never late and I didn’t plan on starting now because of trying to solve the new puzzle that was Christian Bradley Edwards.