Jorie had a boy friend. But the guy always thought of her as one of his friends because they were friends since high school. But as for Jorie, she cannot deny the fact that she was totally in love with Levy for the past 7 years that they’ve been together.
Though she was vulgar in telling the three words that she felt for Levy, the latter just turns a smile at her and hands her a little pink stuff toy.
For the past 9 months, she would wait for levy to pick her up for them to walk to school together.
Most of their other friends even pick on them telling that the two would look better if they were a couple. “It’s too impossible. Levy doesn’t even get serious with all the things I tell him…” was all that Jorie had to reply.
“Levy, do you wanna watch a movie with me? Jorie said there’s a good love story airing tonight at the movie house…”
“I cant”, Levy replied.
“But why?”
“I don’t feel like watching those kinds of film.
Find somebody else. I don’t wanna waste your time sitting with me on that movie house when all I am thinking of is how long I’d be sitting there to watch the movie.”
“Ah. Okay.”
“Besides, I have a friend to meet. So,
I really cannot accompany you. Sorry.”
“Levy, I Love you!” Jorie said waiting for Levy’s reaction.
But the latter just smiled and handed her another stuffed toy before going away.
He was always like that. He meets girls in front of Jorie.
For him, Jorie was just one of his girl friends’.
“LOVE” would only be heard from Jorie but never at Levy.
Levy never said I Love You to any girls before.
She never even saw him showing what love truly is.
All he does before the end of the day is to give her a stuff toy which she thinks is kind of weird for a guy.
But what she concluded in her mind is that it was all
Levy could unfortunately give back to her — not the one she has been longing for.
That was how Levy ignored the three words coming from Jorie.
He just hand her a stuff toy and walk past her as if he was running away.
The toys that were given by Levy filled the entire room of Jorie one by one.
There were too many of them that she even had the idea of putting the toys in cartons and place it under her bed to maximize the space of her room.
Then came the 19th birthday of Jorie. She was too excited that morning when she woke up.
She had pictured a party with Levy and her friends but to her dismay,
Levy didn’t manage to come. She didn’t even had a single call from Levy informing her that he wouldn’t come. She felt so agitated and wanted to scream and cry out loud because once again, Levy made her feel that she’s not important for her.
After the simple lunch party, Jorie went outside to take a walk.
There by the street she saw Levy with another girl.
Levy was holding a stuff toy bigger than what he usually gives her – way way much bigger.
She felt so much pain contained in her system that she ran towards the Levy and grabbed his left hand pulling him to come with her.
The other girl was left behind shocked of what happened.
“Don’t you know what today is?”
Jorie said with a high tone.
“Today? Huh?” was Levy’s reply crumpling his forehead.
Jorie felt very sad and stupid at the same time for expecting that Levy would remember her birthday. He turned around as if nothing happened. Then Jorie shouted… “Wait‼!”
“You have something to say?” Levy asked.
“Tell me, tell me that you also love me‼!”
“What?” Levy replied with a slightly high but controlled tone.
“Tell me‼!” Jorie shouted as tears started to contain in her eyes.
“Jorie, I don’t want to say – that I love somebody so easily.
If you are desperate to hear it, then you better find someone else…”
Levy replied as he walked close to her before turning back.
After saying that, he ran off while Jorie’s legs started to collapse to the ground. It was clear now that Levy never really loved her and here she was beside the street crying all her tears out because the pain had already broken her heart. After that day, Jorie decided that she’d forget of Levy.
The next days, Jorie continued with her usual chores at home and in school. Levy would just continue to give her stuff toys. But what made the pain to resurface was that Jorie saw Levy again on the street with another woman. Though she didn’t want to get affected, she still felt the same pain she had the first time she saw him with another girl. She hated the feeling.
She ran towards their house and to her room. She took all the stuff toys and threw it everywhere. Then, the phone rang. It was him, Levy. He told her to come out to the bus stop near their house. Jorie tried to calm herself down and proceeded to the bus stop. Upon seeing Levy, she couldn’t help but to hate him for what he has been doing to her.
“Jorie, I thought you were really pissed. Thank God you came!” Levy said in his opening salvo. Soon, after getting close to him, Levy held out a bigger stuffed toy that was quite different from the usual.
“I don’t need it‼!” Jorie said.
“What? But why?…” Levy asked
“Because you never said what I needed to hear…”, she replied.
“I’m sorry…” he apologized in a low but clear voice before bowing down and handing her the toy.
“I said I don’t need it‼!” Jorie said then tapped the toy that feel on the center of the street.
Levy walked to where the toy had been thrown and squatted to pick it up.
“Levy, Move‼!” Jorie shouted. Then a loud honk was heard… BOOM! – a sound that terrified Jorie. Next thing she saw was Levy lying breathless at the center of the street with the stuffed toy between his arms.
That’s how he went away from her… that’s how he went away without opening his eyes to tell her a single word…
After the incident, Jorie felt very sad and guilt coveted her entire system. She had to go everyday with sadness of losing him. And after spending a month of being numb, she took out the stuffed toys Levy had given her and started counting it as she reminisce the memories that they had.
“ONE… TWO… THREE… FOUR…” she continued counting ‘til it ended in 286. She started to cry once again with one stuffed toy in her hand. She hugged it tightly as she tries to remember all the happy thought Levy had left her then suddenly – “I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU”. She dropped the stuffed toy shocked of what she heard. “I LOVE YOU??” She picked the dolls and pressed the heart of the thing then again, she heard the familiar voice that made her feel LOVE. She pressed all the stuffed toys’ heart as it piled on the other side of her bed having the same message from the first. She realized that Levy didn’t want to say I love you to her because his heart was already by her side protecting her as she sleeps. She took the last stuff toy, the largest one that Levy gave him – the stuff toy that paid for his life. It still has the blood stains from Levy.
She took a deep breath and pushed the heart of the toy. Then, a voice recording started to play…
Jorie, do you know what today is??? We have loved each other for 287 days. Do you know what 287 are??? Jorie, sorry because I never had the chance to tell you that I love you for even just one time. It’s because I’m shy to tell what I truly feel for you. If you forgive me and take this 287th stuff toy, I promise to tell you that i love you everyday ‘til I die. I Love you so much Jorie… More than you know…
Then, tears came down profusely from her face. Jorie didn’t knew that Levy loved her because he was shy to tell it to her. But he loved her until his last minute. And the 287 stuffed toys represent hiw great his love for her is…###