CHERRY

First part Elaina I remember perfectly the first time I saw it. That first moment when our paths crossed. That moment was recorded in my mind with indelible clarity. As clear as the finest crystal crossed by brilliant rays of sunlight. He was ten years old when my brother Ian brought him home for dinner. He sat across from me at the family table. I probably seemed like an i***t who looked at him without blinking, but he didn't seem to care that I had my eyes on him. Thank goodness, because even then I couldn't stop looking at it. Neil seemed so handsome to me from that first time I looked at him with my girlish eyes. He was simply and simply handsome. The fact that he was seven years older than me was unimportant, nor did it bother me that he showed no interest in the lanky child with braces on her teeth that I was then, certainly not pretty at all. He winked at me when he caught me studying him intently over Mom's delicious buns. I remember that that gesture made me notice something strange inside me, as if it were compressed and softened at the same time. I felt shy and self-conscious, but I knew I had just met the guy I would marry one day. Yes, that's right, it was that simple. I fell in love with Neil McManus when I was a child. I am sure of what I felt, as sure as that those feelings were not reciprocated. I watched him go from girlfriend to girlfriend over the next few years, but I don't remember if he said anything to me that first time we met. I know that he looked at my mother politely and that she thanked him for the delicious dinner. That impressed me greatly. Even at the age of ten I noticed the deep gratitude I felt deep inside her towards my mother for having accepted him into our home. I realized that Neil was not used to enjoying cozy family dinners; he appreciated something I took for granted every day. He was nothing more than a friend of my brother who had come from God knows where, whose problems we didn't know about, but the truth is that he was much more than that from the beginning. At least for me. Neil had dinner with us very often from that day on. Sometimes it seemed to me that he had a new brother who had just come to live with us. Other times, he would reappear after being gone for a few weeks, with a blank expression in his dark eyes. Everything indicated that his family life was s**t. He had no mother, only a father who didn't care about him. Mine wasn't at home much either, but it wasn't because he didn't love us, but because his job required him to travel a lot. Of course, I missed him a lot, so I guess it was natural to connect with an older male figure who always treated me kindly and didn't act like he had the plague. Neil called me cherry girl from the beginning. Because of the color of my hair. I have to admit that he was right. My hair was more or less the same color as one of those almost black cherries that the light gives off a reddish sheen, the ones the English call cherry. He once told me that he had very nice hair, and those words were enough for my self-esteem to flourish. I accepted his praise and treasured it within me. I also remember the first time he touched my hair. My memories are as clear as the day it happened, and I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to... because that was also the first time he rescued me... The cricket field extended from the edge of the copse for a considerable distance. When I was eleven, on a summery Sunday afternoon, I sat on the fence watching the local cricket team play. Neil and Ian were also there. I had seen them walking around, talking to other girls and their friends. I was happy to be able to watch the game from my position on the fence, away from the people. I guess enjoying a warm day, without the burden of a crowd and with a good perspective, had become a rare commodity. Suddenly a loud and unpleasant group approached me and, being so small, I was absorbed by them. The commotion broke out when the referee whistled for an infraction. A fight broke out right in front of me and two guys started punching each other without regard for the damage they might inflict on people nearby. I didn't get away fast enough and ended up being thrown away from the fence by a stray punch. I was unlucky enough to land on a rock, with all the weight of my body on my forearm. I heard my bones creak. I felt the pain as I watched the brutal blows the two fighters dealt each other, surrounded by the smell of beer that had been sprayed over me when someone threw the first punch. I held my arm as I tried to breathe, crying in pain, sure that no one would see me, much less help me. However, I was wrong. “I got you, cherry girl,” Neil whispered in my ear. It was the sweetest sound in the world. Everything is going to be fine. "My arm hurts," I confessed through tears. -I know honey. —I heard a crunch... Like when something breaks. Does that mean my bone is broken? —I moaned. He picked me up and shouted something to my brother. Anger darkened his eyes to a terrifying black as he looked at the two guys who had caused my injury. He did not want to be in the shoes of the fighters, an opinion that was confirmed by what I found the next day. Neil stroked my hair and sat with me until the doctor came to examine my arm. And also later, when the doctor placed the bone in me. He hurt me a lot, but the tender, gentle touch of Neil's hand in my hair made me almost ignore the pain. —Look at me, cherry girl. "Don't stop looking at me," she told me with a smile as she moved her fingers through my locks again and again. The next day, Neil arrived at my house accompanied by some visitors. Armed with humility and the palpable evidence of a second round of beatings, courtesy of Ian and Neil, at his side were the two idiots responsible for his broken arm. They arrived loaded with flowers and a thousand apologies to me and my terrified mother. My father had declared that he was prepared to give them a good beating when he returned home. Those poor bastards didn't stand a chance, and I'm sure they followed the right path after that. What Neil did for me, how he helped me when I needed it, made him take his own place in our family. Basically, he became like another son to my parents and everyone seemed to understand and accept that fact. I had to accept that my parents loved Neil too... which meant I had to share him with everyone in my family. I didn't even let my best friend sign my cast until Neil did; my knight in shining armor. And then... When he was fourteen and twenty-one, Neil enlisted in the Army and went to serve in Great Britain. My parents threw a farewell party for him, and I remember that it seemed perfectly normal that we were the ones doing it and not his own family. In fact, they never showed even the slightest interest in getting to know us. This saddened me as I realized that I couldn't remember a single conversation in which Neil talked about anything personal during the entire time he shared with us. What I knew about him had always been through my brother, Ian. The Morrison family had accepted Neil McManus into their fold, and that was it. When it was time to say goodbye, I was shy and had to struggle to say what I wanted to say when I realized that my lips didn't seem to pay attention to me. I didn't want Neil to leave without saying a proper goodbye, but I was also as self-conscious as any child would be when faced with an adult I adored, one I believed could walk on water. I waited until his girlfriend at the time, Cora, went to the bathroom. I didn't like her too much and I wasn't going to let her spoil that moment for me. I wasn't stupid, I was just at a disadvantage. "So, cherry girl, you're not going to fall off any fences or end up in the middle of a bunch of punks ready to fight while I'm gone, okay?" —Her dark eyes shined mockingly as she smiled a smile that I couldn't help but return. -I'll try. —If they pay too much attention to you, I'm going to have to beat the hell out of a lot of guys when I get back from Afghanistan. I looked at the ground and swallowed the lump in my throat. —No one will look at me twice. “They never do,” I assured. He tilted his head, searching my eyes, waiting for me to look at him. —I think that's going to change, cherry girl. The older you get, the prettier you are. The boys will descend on you like vultures. I've given Ian strict instructions to keep all the pricks at bay and keep me informed about them regularly. I blushed to the roots of my hair and forced myself to muster up all the courage I possessed to give him the gift I had for him. —I have made something for you. I handed her the small package and waited while she opened it, watching as his large hands carefully removed the paper. "It's a bracelet," I suddenly blurted out. It's for luck... To keep you safe. —I showed him my own doll—. I've also made one for myself. It has an infinity symbol and two lucky owls... I will pray for you every day and this will remind me of... —I stopped talking, feeling shy again—. Be very careful there, Neil, I want you to come back. He brushed the braided black leather with the pendants I had added and smiled before looking at me. "I will," he whispered. Now her expression was different. There was something in her that I had not seen before, or if I had seen it, it was not directed at me. And her eyes seemed a little cloudy... Without a doubt that was an unforgettable moment. He covered my cheek with one hand and held it there for a moment. -Thank you. “She” put on the bracelet and tightened it. I'm going to miss you a lot, cherry girl... And this... I'm definitely going to be the luckiest guy in the British Army. He raised his wrist to show me the bracelet before pulling me into his arms. —I'll miss you too, Neil. -"I love you". I inhaled the scent of him and clung to him with the firm hope that I would see him again one day, that the war would not take him from me forever. I felt his soft lips on my temple and felt that spongy vibration inside me again. I didn't want to move away, but the awkwardness that the young emotions that spread throughout my body made me feel, made me too self-conscious. —Never change, cherry girl. It's still the same as now. You're perfect. Those were the last words Neil spoke to me before he left to be a soldier.