A Love Story

“O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?” a horrifyingly high-pitched female voice echoed out. I proceeded to cover my dying ears with my iPod, but even the loudest rock music can’t block the screeching dissonance that my ears are enduring right now.

By George, what kind of crazy class is this? Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth, blah, blah and blah. Look at the time, half an hour to go.

“Mr. Chevrolet? Eric Chevrolet? MP3 players are not allowed here young man.” my teacher Ms. Addison cried out. She took out my earphones and confiscated them, bad idea ma’am.

With rage building up inside, I stood up from my desk and with a taunting smirk told her, “Ms. Addison, that is not an MP3! That’s an iPod Video! You have got to learn your facts, maybe you’re becoming too old to be able to relate to students.”

“Very laughable,” Ms. Addison barked, “Then I can enjoy a bonding session with you in detention later? I’m sure I would enjoy it.”

“Love too but sadly, I believe this class is over for me” I bluntly replied, “Don’t bother running after me ma’am, I’m a blazing Chevrolet!”

As I was slowly going out of the school, I took a glance back at the college campus. Levinsburgh, it read – a cheap university nearing its inevitable extinction.

I crossed Park Lane Street and stopped when I saw a hungry man, a beggar. Filthy, filthy beggar, dirty and shameless; I tried to ignore him. As I walked pass him, he reached out to me and grabbed me by my black leather coat.

“Would you spare me some change, kind man?” the beggar weakly said.

“Why do you not work then?” was my icy reply.

“I am a writer, yet someone took my work and left me with nothing, please, I do not know of anything else I can do!”

Bad answer, I hate English. Too bad old man, I would have given you a dollar if you just kept quiet, but no, you had to give yourself some pride, a writer, so what?

Ugh, my head hurts. The rain’s pouring down like heavy dogs, and I am without an umbrella. I ran as fast as I could to anywhere with cover, but as I tried crossing the street, I fell into a hole…I heard the crash of lightning and then…darkness.

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Hahaha, is this what death feels like? It feels so…soft, so ethereal. I began to give in to the bleak surroundings that were encompassing me, yet I felt…I felt a gentle touch.

“Milord, milord” a gentle female voice echoed, “Are you all right?”

I slowly rose up from my supposedly rude awakening and found a woman, quite beautiful too, flashing me a concerned face. Woah, what’s with her get up? I glanced at her for a moment, and could not help but notice her unusual clothes, an elegant gown that reached the soles of her feet, painted in a soft pink hue.

“Is this the Renaissance fair or something?” I replied with confusion.

“Whatever are you talking about my good sir?” the woman replied, “We are in the 16th Century, have you been living a cave?”

“Riiiight.” I rolled my eyes, “And I suppose you have a Queen ruling over you? Hahaha! Where is this Queen of England of yours?”

“Why we do have one of course!” she said with a surprised look, “It’s Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, want to meet her? She must be upstairs in her bedchamber.”

Heck, well I’ll play along then, it’ll be fun. “Thank you milady?” I replied while trying to duplicate her heavy English accent.

“Katherine, Katherine Tudor” she angrily replied, “Isn’t a gentleman suppose to introduce himself first?”

Wow I must have pulled something wrong, whoever thought of this game must really love manners. “Why, pardon my ignorance, I am Eric Chevrolet.” I hastily answered.

“Chevrolet?” she answered in surprise, “Why you must be a Frenchman! Pardon my rude manners, I should have known that you are not familiar with our customs, foreigner.” She smiled at me with a look of apology, talk about mood shifts.

“Wait, I really have to get going,” I said, “I am going to be very –

Too late, she ignored my excuse and dragged me by my wrist and upstairs to a large and ornate door. So much for ladylike manners.

“Your Majesty?” she softly uttered , “I have a man from France wants to see you, his name is Sir Eric Chevrolet.”

“Let him in then.” The door from the voice gently said.

This is going to be good for laughs. As I opened the door though, I did not see a fake woman in a costume as I expected, but a noble queen with a crown atop her head and a face that has wisdom written all over it. I wonder, could Katherine really be telling the truth?

Before I even got to speak, Katherine slapped me across my back forcing me to kneel in pain. As I desperately tried my best not to scream, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ looked at me with sheer amusement.

“You are a Frenchman are you not, Sir Chevrolet?” the Queen gleefully said

“Aye, your Majesty”, I said, imitating all the lines I’ve read from Shakespeare during my English class in high school.

We proceeded to pass the time drinking tea and sharing tales, and with both amazement and a pang of shock, I kept nodding in agreement. After an hour or so, Queen Elizabeth stood and shot me a warm glance.

“Sir Chevrolet, you have not wandered off to the streets of London yet?” the gentle Queen inquired, “Perhaps Lady Katherine can show you to the wonders of England!”

“I would be glad too Her Highness,” Katherine answered with a joyful glow on her face, “But we must not tarry, for it is already past noon.”

Before I got to reason out with her, she dragged me quickly again. We did not get to see much of anywhere, there was no Royal Opera House or Wembley Stadium, heck, I did not even get to see the buildings Garfield sees in his movie.

We stopped our tireless excursion at an old mahogany house; it was decorated with a very fine craftsmanship of gold and silver. There were vines hanging on the wall and an elegant carpet at the entrance. We began approaching the house, and as I began wondering who we are visiting, I read the initials on the door, “W.S.”

Oh, please, don’t tell me it’s…

“Why a pleasant afternoon to you!” a finely dressed man greeted us. He had a beard and had an unusual hairstyle. The front of his hair was missing yet the back was very long.

Katherine began, “Allow me to introduce –

– William Shakespeare”, I continued. Awe rushed through my veins, imagine, me, meeting the legendary Willie Shakespeare himself!

After a short greeting and a proper introduction, he invited us to take a seat. My wandering eyes searched through his desk to find an unfinished manuscript.”

“I see you’ve taken interest in my work, good sir.” Shakespeare noted, “If you may notice, it is unfinished, I cannot seem to conceive a fitting name for my female protagonist. What name can sound as lovely as Romeo?”

“How about Juliet?” I suggested. Without expecting it, his face beamed and his hand shook mine.

“Beautiful, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet!” Shakespeare announced in sheer bliss. He wiped a tear from his eye and gave me a look of gratitude.

I laughed at myself, how am I going to explain to class that I helped Shakespeare think of a name? I’d probably get sent to an asylum.

As the day reached its final descent, Katherine took me to a cliff overlooking a vast field; she told me it was her favorite spot.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked impatiently, my feet struggled to keep up with hers. How can a pampered lady run like an athlete, I wonder?

She kept silent all the way until we reached the top, and as we reached for the tree that lies at the very peak of the grassy cliff, we caught the radiant sunset in its entire splendor.

“I’ve had a wondrous day milord.” Katherine whispered to me, she grabbed my hands with a soft touch and approached me quietly.

“So did I,” I answered, “I could not have wished for a more perfect day, my cherié;

“When will you be going back to France?” she tearfully asked, her grip on my hands growing tighter.

“I do not know when…” I replied with regret, “But no matter where life takes me or where fate whisks me away, I will never forget you…Lady Katherine.”

“But in case we never meet again, what can you offer me to remember you by?”

“My heart, my love.”

We kissed with the most romantic of love that undying sunset; with a passion that Cupid could not break though his arrows may be blind and untrue. Without any knowledge of what tomorrow would bring, we left the Renaissance sun to take our fidelity across the bridges of time, and perhaps even to my time.

“The night is approaching my dear”, Katherine told me in a low voice.

“I will be here until the moon returns to the shadows my love…, look, rain approaches…”

“Eric, where are you? The moon does not shine tonight.”

“I do not know why, cherié,” I weakly said, “I feel as though we shan’t ever meet again.”

As I looked above the heavens, I could faintly see a silhouette of a full moon drifting away in the grey clouds. This…hole in the sky, am I going to leave Katherine so soon?

"Do not cry my love," I wiped away her tears, "My heart will never leave thy side."

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“I see you’ve done your homework today Mr. Chevrolet!” Ms. Addison squealed with glee and wonder.

“Of course I did Ma’am, I want to be a writer in the future.”

“Oh?” Ms. Addison answered with wonder, “I thought you detested English?”

“Well Ma’am, I would not live my life any other way.”

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“Eric, let’s go over to Raffie’s house!” my friend Sarah exclaimed.

“Yeah sure – oooof!” I yelled, bumping into a young woman. The collision knocked Sarah in the process which infuriated her very, very short temper.

“Hey watch where you’re going!” Sarah angrily barked, “You’re getting dirt all over my Chanel!”

“Sarah, be more understanding.” I answered, “Hello there miss, what’s your name?”

“Katherine” she sweetly replied, “Katherine Tudor, it’s nice to meet you…”

“Eric”, I answered, “Eric Chevrolet.”

“French eh?” she smirked at me, “Well I’ll be seeing you….”

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"Look!" Sarah pointed, "Isn’t this the place where you said you fell?”

"Yeah, it seems they’ve covered it up, it’s gone now…”

"Look, there's a beggar there, filthy beggar!"

"Hey, be nice to him."

"Excuse me sir," I uttered, "I apologize for the way I treated you back then..."

"It's okay young man, I understand..." the beggar answered me with understanding.

"But can you help me with something?"

"Yeah sure what is it?"

"I'm trying to think of a name that goes well with Eric, can you help me?"

"How about...Katherine?"

"Yeah, that's good...the Most Lamentable Tale of Eric and Katherine."