Key Chain

How did a simple key chain sealed with a strong prayer made a strong tight between two different people?

Julia was sitting on a wooden bench in a nearby park. She was currently thinking of a story that will be good for their upcoming school play.

A man maybe same as her age, suddenly sits beside her, stayed there for a while then he stood up again and walked away.

He’s a bit weird Julia told herself. Oh never mind! I have my own business to do.

After a few minutes, Julia already thought of a good story. She wrote it on her notebook and mentally planned who will be the main and supporting characters among her group.

“Miss,” a man disturbed her while she was in deep thinking.

“Yes?” she asked politely. As to her surprised, it was the same man that sat beside her awhile ago.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but by any chance have you seen a key chain here when I stood up,?” he asked her.

“I’m sorry too, but I haven’t seen anything,”

The man looks helpless.

“Oh shit! Why do I have to lose it?” he said on a mad voice.

Her eyebrow rose up, “is that key chain so important to you that you have to say such bad word?”

“Yes! It is so important that nothing can be trade for it!” his voice rose up also.

“Hey, you don’t have to shout at me! It’s not my fault that you’ve lost it!” she said to him.

The man remained silent for a long time, maybe measuring what he has said.

“I’m sorry,” he then finally spoke.

And she didn’t say anything; she stood up and walked out of that park.

How she wished she just did her assignment at her room so that no one tried to bother her.

Julia was in a hurry because she might be late on her first class when she accidentally bumped in one of her classmates in Physics.

“I’m sorry Phil! I’ll be late at my English class!” she said to him while picking her books that fell on the ground.

Phil helped her, “It’s okay, anyway, is this yours?” Phil showed her a key chain that was dropped on the floor.

She remembered the guy she met at the park last weekend.

“Yes, it’s mine. Thank you,” she grabbed it at Phil’s hand and continued to walk in a rush.

Actually, she’s not sure if that’s the key chain the guy was looking for. It was the first time she saw a silver heart shaped key chain like this. But something inside her just felt that it belongs to the guy she met.

But why on earth, it’s here at my school?

“Julia Perkins?” her professor called.

“I’m here, Ma’am. Present!” she shouted.

“Regarding with your play, are there any plans already?”

“We already have the story. The rehearsal will be starting tomorrow,” she informed her professor.

“Okay, that’s good to hear and I just want to inform you that there will be some students from the other school who will watch you, so for the three groups, do your very best. Did I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the whole class answered.

It has been a very busy week for her. Being the script writer and director of the play was not that easy but she has to give her best. She doesn’t want to feel ashamed in front of other school’s students.

She’s just 16 but she already has the guts of being a great leader. Her classmates know that well.

She’s a perfectionist and strict when it comes to school projects that’s why everybody on her class wants to be her group mate.

The presentation will be tomorrow. She’s a bit nervous and scared. But she has to be brave. She knows that her group can do this.

After their final rehearsal, she went on a convenience store to buy some additional stuff that will be needed for their play tomorrow and again she saw the guy she met at the park last weekend. He was standing outside the convenience store and maybe he’s waiting for someone. She went out of the store trying to call out the guy.

He was in a hurry and has a headphone on his ear that Julia wasn’t heard when she tried to call him.

Never mind! Maybe we will meet again some other time. She just told herself and felt the key chain that was on her pocket.

Their play is about a story of friendship between two girls who will part on ways after graduation. They promised to be still best of friends despite of distance and absence of each other.

The long wait is over! The theater is ready as well as the audience who will watch their play.

“Julia, we had a problem!” one of the lead roles announced.

“What is it, Mara?” she asked her.

“I lost the props that I’m going to give Lea as a souvenir and sign of our friendship. I can’t find the necklace!” she almost said on panicked.

“Calm down, Mara,” Julia said to her. She knows she feels nervous.

Julia thought for a while and she had an idea, “wait! I have here a silver heart shaped key chain, maybe you can alter the necklace with this,” she gave it to Mara.

“Yeah, your right! Thanks Julia, such a relieved!” Mara hugged her.

“You’re welcome and good luck! Break a leg!” she said to her.

Their presentation has just started.

As for the final part, the best friends will give each other’s gift.

“Thank you so much for this bracelet, Lea! I will forever treasure this as my friendship with you and please take care of this key chain,” Mara showed her the key chain and gave it to Lea. The two friends hugged.

Then suddenly a guy in the audience shouted, “hey, that’s mine!”

He got the whole theater’s attention.

“Close the light!” Julia instructed the utility man. She never expects that the guy who would shout was the guy she met two weeks ago.  And she was right to her hunch that the key chain Phil handed to her was the keychain that guy was searching for.

Some ushers escorted the guy who shouted outside of the theater.

The lights were on again and the whole members of Julia’s group were in front to take their final vow.

Then the next group presentation is now on the stage.

She went out of the theater and went to that guy. She saw him sitting on one of the benches.

“Hey, you! You don’t have to shout in front of many people if this stupid key chain is yours!” she threw it to him, “you’ve just ruined our play, don’t you know that!”

“But this is mine and I’m sorry if have ruined your play, it was just this is so important to me,” he told her.

“That couldn’t be your keychain anyway, Mister! The producer may do thousand copies of that keychain, fyi!”She was really mad at him.

“My mom made it so I am pretty sure that this is the only copy she produced. This was the last gift she gave me before she went to heaven,” he said on a calm voice.

Julia can feel what he feels right now. Maybe it was hard for him to live without a mom. Just like her when she was seven.

She couldn’t speak for she didn’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry if I acted that way, I was just surprised that I will be seeing this in a much unexpected place. I thought it was gone for good,” he said.

“I- I’m sorry also. I didn’t know it was so important to you, I didn’t know the story behind that key chain,” she said to her with full of sincerity.
The guy smiled, “I am just wondering how this key chain went to that girl, Mara and eventually used as props in your play?”

“Ahmm, actually it was my idea to replace Mara’s lost necklace with that,” she explained.

“So it means that this was with you all this time?”

“No! If you mean from the day we first met on the park. I had it when I accidentally bumped in one of my classmates in Physics here in school. I don’t know where it came from. I just took it and kept it. Believe it or not, I felt that that was the keychain you were looking,”

“ I still can’t understand but it doesn’t matter anymore. Thank you for taking care of it,” he smiled again at her, “We were talking for so long that I haven’t introduce myself. I’m Tim,”

“And I’m Julia. I think it is much better for us to watch the two more plays inside. I heard that their story were also good,” she suggested.

“But not as good as yours,”

“Yeah and you were the highlight of it!”

The new found friends laughed and went again inside of that theater.

Few years after, Tim finally gave the keychain to his better half, Julia on their wedding day.

 His mom was right, she sealed the keychain with a prayer that whoever Tim will give it or share it with, is the person he will be living with for the rest of his life.

END  J