"—I heard you are...different.

" Terry said as he

jogged to catch up with Cheelo.
"What does that even mean?" Cheelo made his
way to class after lunchbreak.
"You know. As in, not like us, like us."
"Hm. Be more specific." Though he knew too
very well what his acquaintance spoke of.
Nobody was ever killed for believing, for
hoping. Except, of course, for martyrs. But what
stopped Cheelo, at this time, from holding his
candle of hope.
"That it is within you."
Out went the aforementioned metaphorical
candle.
"What? Who did you hear that from?"
"Does it matter?"
"If you are done wasting my time–" Cheelo
quickened his pace, "–I have to get to class."
"Wait! Is it true?"
"Ugh! For the thousandth time today, no it isn't,
If you would excuse me, I'm late."
It struck Cheelo like a dager to the hear. No, to
the back. He had been stabbed in the back and
he knew it.
"Hey Lo, wait up man." Jeremiah said. It's
always when you want to avoid interactions the
most that people want to interact with you.
"What's up?"
"I heard something about you..."
"Come on you people. It's NOT TRUE. Leave
me alone." With that, Cheelo Hanjika's speed
walk graduated to a run. Tears welled up in his
eyes. He shook his head in denial. He would
never. I trusted Mulenga. Puzzled as he was, he
sought out the on place that he felt safe. It was a
place away from everybody else. Where he
could collect his thoughts.
You might have realised by now that our poor
Cheelo has had a life-changing moment just
now. He has been betrayed. He feels, just as you
might in his position, alone. Unlike you,
however, with your contact lists too long for
you to count, houses too warm for you to shiver
even on the coldest nights and too many friends
for you to keep track of, our poor boy felt alone
for his entire life.
In order for all of this to make sense to you—Oh
how much sense it will make when I'm done—
allow me to introduce you to Cheelo Hanjika.
This here boy's tale has nothing special about it.
He was an eternally malnutrition kid (pretty
much clinically in the very year the incident that
opened this story occured) and had teeth placed
with the least of care. He way yelled at by his
family (or at least it seemed that way) even
though he tried to stay on his best behaviour
always. This lead to him becoming what is
commonly known as a 'People Pleaser'. He had
the self-esteem of Courage the Cowardly Dog.
In fact he identified himself with this cartoon
character. Cheelo's life actively resembled that
of Courage's.
For years Cheelo went to that very school but it
was only in the fifth grade that he met someone
'like him'. He was a quiet boy with a long face
and droopy eyes. He soon came to be Cheelo's
best friend. Together, each day for three years,
they doodled cartoon figures that they liked to
call 'Big Nosed Losers' (A horrible name I know
but that was the creative prowess of two ten
year old boys at its best) and read books that the
boy who Cheelo later found out went by the
name of Eric always brought to school. They
read and read, and drew and drew but rarely
talked about anything of importance. Until one
fateful day when they found it. The reason why
the universe had knitted their youthful lives
together. They both had it within them. That
was a bond unbreakable. At least until the day
of Cheelo's epiphany.
"Where were you yesterday?
"I had to go somewhere with my mom"
"Where?"
"Never mind, just to check on something
important."
"You also go to 'check on something'?"
"Yep." Cheelo noticed that a grin had appeared
on his face then turned grave once more. "Wait
do you mean you also go there..."
"The 'market'? Every three months."
"No way, same." At that point they both
exchanged forced 'what the heck, I can't contain
myself' chuckes. "I've been going their my
whole life."
Then they proceeded to drawing their obscene
figures. One thing was different though. From
that day forward they drew with a certain gusto
that wasn't there before. They felt closer,
happier even, that they could both share their
lives' burden with each other. A heavy piece of
luggage it was to carry for children so small to
understand it.
By now, dear reader, I am confident I have
entrapped you into wondering now what it is.