The Other Short Story
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ChampagneTerrell 1 Desiree ChampagneTerrell Ms. Gardner English 10, Period 4 9 September 2014 Nature’s Green On a July day, around noon, in the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, I saw someone I never thought I would see again. I watched her walk up the high bridge to gaze down at the flowing river below, and her hair caught my eye, it was wavy and dark brown, covered by a wool cap but so familiar, I just didn’t know why. With a feeling in the pit of my stomach I couldn’t place I trudged up that bridge after her. By the time I reached the top the garden seemed to have vacated and a cool breeze cradled my skin like a long lost friend. My presence made her look up, she smiled politely before looking down and playing with her shiny new gold hoop earrings nervously, I did a double take; I had seen those earrings before, I reached up to touch my own hoop earrings, that my father had gotten me for Christmas when I was fourteen they had faded over time, to a dull silver color. We stood like this for another minute or two, until she had decided that she could leave without seeming impolite, all the while stealing glances back at my bald head. I was staring at her, trying to wrap my head around all the theories dancing there, when she turned to leave, “Wait!” I blurted out. She turned, confused and more than a little afraid. “Where did you get those earrings, they’re beautiful…” “My father, ” she said, smiling. “I have earrings just like that, see? They were given to by my father also.” She smiled uncomfortably before answering, “Wow, what a coincidence.”
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A short story about meeting my double
Transcript of The Other Short Story
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ChampagneTerrell1
DesireeChampagneTerrell
Ms.Gardner
English10,Period4
9September2014
NaturesGreen
OnaJulyday,aroundnoon,intheJapaneseTeaGardeninSanFrancisco,Isaw
someoneIneverthoughtIwouldseeagain.Iwatchedherwalkupthehighbridgetogaze
downattheflowingriverbelow,andherhaircaughtmyeye,itwaswavyanddarkbrown,
coveredbyawoolcapbutsofamiliar,Ijustdidntknowwhy.Withafeelinginthepitofmy
stomachIcouldntplaceItrudgedupthatbridgeafterher.BythetimeIreachedthetopthe
gardenseemedtohavevacatedandacoolbreezecradledmyskinlikealonglostfriend.
Mypresencemadeherlookup,shesmiledpolitelybeforelookingdownandplaying
withhershinynewgoldhoopearringsnervously,IdidadoubletakeIhadseenthose
earringsbefore,Ireacheduptotouchmyownhoopearrings,thatmyfatherhadgottenmefor
ChristmaswhenIwasfourteentheyhadfadedovertime,toadullsilvercolor.Westoodlike
thisforanotherminuteortwo,untilshehaddecidedthatshecouldleavewithoutseeming
impolite,allthewhilestealingglancesbackatmybaldhead.Iwasstaringather,tryingto
wrapmyheadaroundallthetheoriesdancingthere,whensheturnedtoleave,Wait!I
blurtedout.Sheturned,confusedandmorethanalittleafraid.Wheredidyougetthose
earrings,theyrebeautiful
Myfather,shesaid,smiling.
Ihaveearringsjustlikethat,see?Theyweregiventobymyfatheralso.
Shesmileduncomfortablybeforeanswering,Wow,whatacoincidence.
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ChampagneTerrell2
HegavethemtomeforChristmaswhenIwasfourteen.Wesaidatthesametime,
andthenwelookedateachotherbewildered.
Itwasthatmonth,thatIreadtheOdysseyforenglishandgotwhoopingcoughandI
wenttoHawaii,andIstartedhighschool.IrambledonabouteverythingIcouldremember
aboutthatyearseventyyearsago.Thegirllookedatme,stupifiedandIfeltawaveofdejav
washoverme.
WWhat?AmIbeingpranked?Isthisajoke?Howintheworlddidyouknowallthat
stuffaboutme?Howdidthathappentoyou,too?Asshewasfranticallytryingtofigureout
whatwasgoingon,somethinginsidemeclicked.BeforeIknewitmyhandhadsnakedoutto
turnherheadtotheright,thissilencedherimmediately,shelookedatmeoutofthecornerof
hereyeswithconfusion.Wordlessly,Iletgoofherchinwhileturningmyheadtotherighttoo
so,shecouldseethebirthmarktherearound,browndot,exactlythesameashers.
Ilookeddown,underthebridge,totheriverbelow.ThereIsawthesamestreamshed
beenlookingatearlierinit,thereweretwoKoifishswimmingoppositeways,whentheymet,
thekoiswimmingdownstreamturnedtogoupstreamwiththeothervibrantfish.
Iamyou,youareme.
Shelookedatme,perplexedbut,therewasnodenyingthetruth:Idontknowwhywe
aremeetingnow,maybeitsbecauseyourlifeisjustbeginningandmineisending,andIdont
knowwhyyouwontrememberthismeeting,maybeitsadreambut,wereherenow
surroundedbythesebeautifulcherryblossomssowemightaswellmakethemostofit.
Youredying?Why?How?
Iranawrinkledhandovermybaldheadandavoidedherquestion.Isthereanything
youwanttoknow?Icangiveyouadviceifyouwantmetoo.Shestaredatmeforalong
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ChampagneTerrell3
time,Icouldpracticallyhearherquestions:Doesschoolevergeteasier?WhatcollegedoIgo
to?AmIgoingtogetmarried?WillIhaveanychildren?Whowillbemymaidofhonor?
Butinstead,sheshookherhead:No,Idontwanttoknow.Itmightdisruptthe
balanceorsomethinglikethat.
Thefuturedependsonwhatyoudotoday.
Whosaidthat?
Ghandi.Andinanswertoyourearlierquestion,Ihavecancer.
OhmyGod,ImsosorryIdidntknow.Whenwereyoudiagnosed?
Dontyougoworryingaboutthatsweetheart,thatsnotforanothersixtyfiveyearsfor
you.Icouldnowseethelightfadinginthehorizon,Iknewitwouldbetimetogosoon.So,I
tookbothofherhandsinmineandlookedintoherbrowneyes,amirrorofmine.Listen,live
lifethewayyouwant,dothethingsyouwant,bewithwhoyouwant.Andremember,I
motionedtohergoldearringsandmyfadedsilverones,thesamebutovertimetheyve
becomesodifferent.Nothinggoldcanstay.
IdontknowwhyIneverthoughtaboutthisdaywhenIwasgrowingup.Infact,Istill
dontknowifitwasadream.Idanceontheedgeofrealitythesedays,livingfromtreatment
totreatment.Butthisvision,ordream,ormemoryhasenlightenedmeallaroundmeismy
family,fromchildrentogreatgrandchildrenandIhaveneverbeenmoreatpeacewithmyself
andwithmylife.Ihadfound,inmymeetingwithmyyoungerself,theclosureIneeded.And
asIfallasleepforthelasttime,Ithinkofthosenewgoldearrings,nowfadedtosilver,
Nothinggoldcanstay.
