Small World

Small World Part I ♡

“Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you;
Until we meet again!”
-Unkown

Chapter 1

The doorbell rang at the Smith’s house in Florida, which had been all decorated with colorful balloons and a “Happy Birthday” banner on the wall. “Daphne, open the door, please!” shouted Olivia, Daphne’s mother. She was an old-fashioned Caucasian mother who cared deeply about her only child. She was a young 26-year old with light brown locks of hair and pale white skin. 

Daphne was turning eight years old that day. She wore a pink dress and had half of her hair held up with a pink bow. Looking at her was like looking at Olivia. They had the same hair color, the same honey eyes, and the same thin straight eyebrows. From her dad, Nick, however, she had inherited her small thin nose and her pink heart-shaped lips. Her dad, whom was also Olivia's same age, and her mom were making her a small birthday party inviting only their closest friends Teresa and Roberto Mendoza whom both had an eight year old son named, Eduardo, and a four year old girl named, Inez. They went right in once Daphne opened the door for them. Eduardo held a small gift bag in his hands and Inez carried a bouquet of flowers in hers.

“Eduardo!!” exclaimed little Daphne when she saw them standing by the door.

Eduardo smiled holding the gift bag out in front of her, “This is for you.” She took it from him and the flowers from Inez as well and gave the stuff to Olivia to give them both a hug.

“Happy birthday, Daphne,” Eduardo said, hugging her back.

They all talked for a while and then began to eat cake after singing Daphne the happy birthday song. After that she opened her present. From the gift bag she took out a pink and white music box. She was speechless when she saw it and opened it. Music began playing and there was a ballerina with a man in a tuxedo dancing.

“Do you like it?” asked Eduardo, worried that she wouldn't.

A smile spread across her face, “I love it!” excitement filled her soft voice. “But that’s not the only thing I love.”

“What else do you love?” he wondered curiously.

“You! I love you too, Eduardo!”

They hugged and their parents smiled, loving how Eduardo and Daphne got along so well.

“Daddy, can me and Eduardo go to my room?” Daphne asked Nick.

Nick replied, “Yes, go ahead and play, but no troublemaking.”

Daphne held Eduardo’s hand and ran with him to her room. 

Once they got to there Daphne opened the music box again. She was fascinated by it. “Look,” she started, “this man is you when you grow up and the ballerina is me. That means we’re going to be best friends forever!”

“No way, that man has yellow hair. My hair isn’t yellow.”

“You can paint it yellow silly! But if you don’t want to be my friend forever then…”

“Forever, Daphne. Nothing will ever change that,” he stated with a grin.

Daphne closed her new music box and put it aside. “Eduardo? Can I give you a kiss?”

“Always,” he chuckled. His smile grew bigger as Daphne kissed his cheek timidly and giggled. 

Eduardo then gave her a kiss too. “You know what I want for my birthday when I’m older?”

“What?”

“I want you to marry me in a very nice and big church like my mom and dad.”

Daphne opened her mouth with shock and disgust, “We’re too little for that!”

“That’s why I said when we grow up. Te casas conmigo, verdad?”

“What did you say?” she asked with a puzzled face.

Eduardo remembered she didn’t speak Spanish since she was Caucasian. He smiled at her confusion, “Will you marry me? When we grow up?”

“Oh,” she took a few seconds to think about it, “maybe…if you never change.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise?” she held her pinky out.

“Te lo prometo,” he held her pinky with his to seal the promise. She knew what that meant.

A few months passed and it was Inez’s birthday. Her parents had gone out to get her cake but they ended in a terrible car crash instead. Eduardo’s and Inez’s aunt who was visiting in Florida for Inez’s birthday, received the call saying that Teresa and Roberto had gotten in a car accident and didn’t make it out alive. It was a terrible pain for both Eduardo and Inez. However, Inez who was only turning five didn’t know what was going on at first.

“Por qué estan llorando tu y mi Tίa Jessica? Por qué no llegan mamá y papá?”

Eduardo didn’t know how to break it to her, “Ya no van a regresar, Inez. We’re never going to see them again,” he answered crying.

“Inez, mi amor,” Jessica held her close, “Lalito,” she brought him closer too, “sus papás ahora viven con Dios y los estan cuidando desde ahί.”

“Por qué se fueron? Dónde vive Dios? Vamos ir a decirles que regresen, que no nos abandonen,” insisted Inez.

“Ay Inez, no sabes cuanto me gustarίa verlos, pero Dios vive muy lejos. No se puede visitar, pero tus papás estaran siempre contigo aunque no los puedas ver.”

Eduardo and Inez became orphans but their Aunt Jessica, also being their godmother, got custody of them and took them with her back to California where she lived. 

Daphne and her parents accompanied them to the airport to say goodbye. Once they couldn’t go farther into the airport they all began saying their goodbyes but Daphne and Eduardo took a long while. They stood face to face holding hands.

“Promise you’ll write to me everyday,” Daphne pleaded.

“I promise if you promise to call me everyday too.”

Daphne nodded, “I will.”

At the same time they both said, “I’ll miss you.” Eduardo however, had said it in Spanish while she in English. They both began to cry giving each other big strong hugs.

“Eduardo, it’s time to leave,” mentioned Jessica, while carrying a sleeping Inez in her arms.

“Bye Daphne.”

“Bye Lalo.”

They slowly let go of their hands as Eduardo walked away. As he, Jessica, and Inez proceeded and left Daphne and her parents behind, Eduardo kept looking back. Daphne watched him as he left and tears ran down one after another. 

Years passed and their lives eventually went through different directions as they stopped writing and talking to each other on the phone; losing all connection.