Catori, Charlie’s mother, comes to hug him, her face so full of sadness for her crying child.
Joy is right next to her, “Charlie,” she says warmly. “That’s not true. You’re a great friend!”
“Go away!” he stands up suddenly. “Go away!”
Catori vanishes. I can’t help but wonder why he would dream away the one person who could truly console him.
“Go away!” he shouts again, and all the children reappear around us.
“Time to go-o-o-o!” one of them sings.
“We’ll leave you with your girlfriend!”
“You cry like a girl!”
“Do you think he kisses his girlfriend?” another kid says.
Joy stares at them open-mouthed, clearly shocked by this behavior, as the boys and girls stream out the door, saying awful things as they leave.
Charlie’s crying is now full of uncontrollable heaving and he bends over, trying to breathe as he cries. All the while, his hands cover his ears.
“Jeez! Out, kids, out!” Justin pushes them out the door, clearly knowing they’re only dreams and not real children.
He shuts the door behind them. “There! That’s done!”
Charlie slowly calms down, as Joy looks at him and says nothing.
As his crying becomes less hysterical, Joy shouts at him, “Why did you have them say that?”
“Wha–?”
“Why did you make them say all those awful things?”
“I didn’t make them do anything! It’s what they say! It’s who they are!”
“You gave them words! It’s what you think!”
“I would never think any of those things!”
“They’re your dreams! They said awful things about me and–”
“They said nothing bad about you! Everybody loved you! They said bad things about me! Everyone hates me! All the time! That’s how they behave! All the time!”
Joy switches gears. “Really?” she says softly.
“Really,” he says.
They look at each other. I look at Justin and Suzy and I can see on their faces that they’re as horrified as I am that this is Charlie’s everyday reality.
“I have to wake up soon and go see them again. And go through this again,” Charlie says. “Just like yesterday. Just like last week. Just like last month. Just like ever since we moved to Patterson!”
Charlie’s hands begin to shake.
(To be continued…)
—Told by Grampa Walt