Minnie and Wen Guo (a puppy love story)

It was the first time Minnie had seen so many children.

Clinging to the hem of her mother's skirt, her tiny feet padded on the floor. Her footsteps gradually became inaudible as the drone of parents' voices and children’s' loud wails grew louder. Teachers were making attempts at reassuring children and parents, obviously in a hurry to conduct lessons.

"Don't worry, if you are a good girl, mommy will pick you up earlier okay?"

"See, you want a lollipop? If you are a good boy teacher will give you one okay? Which color do you like?"

Minnie didn't cry, but that did not mean that she wasn't afraid. In fact she was more than afraid; she was petrified and scared stiff. The color was drained from her porcelain skin, and her rosy lips were parched. She needed water. She needed a lollipop. She needed her mommy.

Minnie tumbled along the school corridors- her child like stance making it quite impossible to keep up with her anxious mother.

"Come on, min, the earlier the better. So you can meet your new classmates sooner okay? Don't be scared, come on, and walk faster. If you continue like this you can only reach your classroom at Christmas."

"Yes mama." At these words, the six year old girl put up a fake show of bravado, pretending she was a stout soldier marching to war. Acquiescing halfheartedly to her mother's request to walk faster, her heart started to pound wilder than ever. Class 1E was only ten paces away.

A smiling lady was waiting expectantly at the classroom door. Despite her continuous smile, Minnie could detect the strain behind it. She became stiff. The lady reminded her of grandma Tabitha. Gran Tab the scare- her cousins called her. This lady was exuding the same overbearing aura as grandma, only she was younger by two decades.

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Lim! I'm Madam Teo. And this must be..." Her long, willowy forefinger trailed down the list she was holding. Minerva Lim Yi Min. Hello Minerva, welcome to 1E. The rest of the students are already inside. Come, let's join them." She held out a spindly arm to Minnie, beckoning the child towards the classroom. But Minnie edged away even further.

"Come on, min, don't be naughty. If you behave well at school, Madam Teo will reward you. And you can make a lot of new friends inside. No-no, don't cry min. don’t cry. Here, take some tissue. Do you have tissue in your bag? Go on. No one will bully you." Madam Teo watched with beady, un-amused eyes as the mother half-dragged half-pulled the girl into the chattering classroom.

"Sorry Madam Teo, my daughter is quite jittery today... Usually she isn't like this... Thank you so much, teacher, and it was nice to meet you too."

Minnie strained her ears for her mother's footsteps, her eyes bleary as each thud grew fainter. She turned to face her desk partner. It was then that she realized- the boy was staring intently at her. She looked back at him innocently. He was tall for his age, and handsome. He had brown eyes, and tan skin.

"Hello, my name is Li WenGuo. What's your name? You look very shy." He beamed at her. Minnie blushed, but she liked him. He was friendly.

"My name is Minerva, but you can call me Minnie." She smiled sweetly back at him. Was this the love at first sight mommy had always spoken of?

- - - - - - - -

WenGuo was the best-looking boy in class, and many a time was proposed to. But he'd always turned the girl down, proclaiming to his gang of playful friends that his "girlfriend would always and for forever be Minnie."

Whenever his friends teased the shy girl, he would retaliate. After all, he was their leader. Anyone who disobeyed him could not "be his friend" anymore, nor be in the gang.

She, on the other hand, always made him imaginary food from her masak-masak set whenever he sat next to her in between lessons. "What do you want to eat today?" She would ask. And he always pretended to gobble up her meals with a ravenous appetite, although they were really tasteless.

He'd bought her tiny gifts now and then- like the pink bunny eraser with a roller that she'd wanted for a week. He'd sneaked sweets into class for her when she was sick. He'd held her hand once, when they were told to line up in pairs for a field trip.

He'd even tried to kiss her, but she'd moved away because she'd dropped her jacket. He had been too embarrassed to make a second attempt.

She was too shy to even brush her shoulders against him. Oh she remembered the time when she had to hold his hand in the zoo. She had turned a fluorescent color of red, she was sure. But WenGuo had taken care of her, and she had felt safe and protected. She had given him her snacks. She wasn't hungry anyway.

She had even tried to play with toy guns because he liked them, and ended up spraining her foot while chasing after an imaginary soldier.

But their puppy love romance was to come to an end just a short six months later.

- - - - - - - -

"Mom i don't want to move house!! Please!!! I want to stay HERE! HERE!! I don't want to go to a new school!!! Please i beg you!!"

"Sorry honey, but your daddy and i already decided. You can always make new friends at the new school. And it is a good boys' school. You will have a great time there."

“Mom!! pleeeease!! I will give you my play station, my power rangers!! You can take my ultra man glove!!! Don't move house PLEEEEEASE!!!"

“Honey, why are you so afraid of moving? It will be okay. Oh dear, don't cry." Mrs. Li moved her slender arms around her sobbing son, but he pushed them away rashly and ran angrily to his bedroom, banging the door as mightily as he could.

- - - - - - - -

Minnie was sitting in the school bus. Staring out of the tinted window, she watched curiously as the air coming out of her mouth clouded the window. Her hand traced the empty seat beside her. Was WenGuo late? She patted the handful of sweets in her pocket. He would like them. Wait a minute! She pressed her nose against the window. Was that WenGuo? Riding in the Mercedes? He must have woken up late. She waved cheerfully at him, jumping up and down on her seat.

WenGuo had been gazing out of his car window. No, it couldn't have been. Minnie was waving at him from the school bus. She'd have seen him looking at her. What should he do? What should he do? WenGuo smiled weakly to himself, then ignored her and looked ahead. He felt like kicking the car door open and running onto the road just to scream goodbye to her.

Minnie was shocked. WenGuo had ignored her. No, he wouldn't. He must have not seen her. She slouched further into her seat, glumly staring at his profile. The bus was reaching school now. It was turning to its left...

Wait! WenGuo's car was going straight ahead. Did his parents lose their way? She banged on the window, shouting directions. But she knew they couldn't hear. They were going in the wrong direction. They were going in the wrong direction!

But Minnie was a smart girl. She knew what was happening.

As the weight of her painful realization sunk in, tears began to pitter-patter on her tiny lap as she lightly touched the handful of sweets in her pocket.

*END*
22nd august 2007

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