Story Projects

"I Once Knew You" End

Rosemary devises a plan to lure our parents into a playground we're in, but try to bring mom first. I watch Rosemary's thumbs tap against our phones, sending messages at a speed of a texting champion. I'm a bit entertained by the clicking of her nails smacking against the phones. The noise suddenly stops, and my heart jumps, thinking one of our parents is here. No one's here. I sigh to calm my nerves, then check to see why she stopped.

"Are we good? Are they coming?" I say.

"Yeah. Mom is closer, so we should see her soon."

"Good," I reply in a quiet voice. The anticipation is making me belchy.

"Are you okay?"

"Nervous."

"I'll do the talking. That should settle down your worry."

She locks both of our phones, then sets them down in front of her. I lay on her shoulder to ease my upset stomach. She leans into me to lock our bodies in a comfortable position. In our silence and stillness, I can feel my anxiety near its end. However, I'm curious to know how sis is doing. Today must be the most stressful moment of her life. I can't imagine what's going through her mind.

"Are you nervous too, Rosemary?" I say.

"Mhmm," she replies, holding my right hand from the top. Her palm is moist and warm. When I rest my left hand on top of hers, I hear a car drive over the gravel parking lot.

"Is that mom? I don't recognize the car."

"That's her. She just got it yesterday." Rosemary tightens her grip, making my heart spike momentarily. She squints in a stare at mom. The pressure on my hand doesn't ease off, so I wiggle to make her ease up.

"Sorry, Sabi."

"It's okay... Are you ready?"

"Don't let go of my hand. I'll need your support to get through this moment." Her miniature smile and teary eyes are contagious. I can't help myself but smile wider than her.

"I got your back."

Rosemary leads us out of the playhouse and over to mom. The engine of the car turns off, and everything inside of me explodes with fear. I lag behind her, yet she continues on like she's unfazed. Damn, I wish I had her confidence. Every step we take, the more I feel like throwing up.

Mom opens her door and peaks her head out. She has a smile on her face but disappears in a blink of an eye. She's frozen with half her body out of the car with her mouth open. Rosemary and I stand about six feet from the driver's door. Mom looks at us with her eyes. Her head is still forward.

"Mom," Rosemary whispers. Her voice sounds like she's crying, but I don't see any tears.

"R...R... Rosemary," mom says.

"Just why?"

"Why... what?" Rosemary's grip around my hands tightens to the point it hurts.

"Why were we kept away for so many years?!" Mom flinches from Rosemary's yelling. Mom's eyes dart between us, then stops on me.

"Come on, Sabi. L.. let's go to your father's house." I step closer to Rosemary shaking my head no.

"Answer her mom," I say.

"I can't."

"Liar!" Rosemary responds with a low roaring echo. Dust kicks up into the air, and some pebbles hit mom's car.

Rosemary and I turn to each other with astonishment. A black pickup truck enters the parking lot moments after. Our dad steps out but leaves his engine running.

"Harry?" Mom says.

"Natalia? What are you doing here?" He says.

"Answer me, mom!" Rosemary yells again in the same deep reverb. Mom looks scared as hell. She's shaking and shielding her body with the door. "Mom!" Rosemary's voice sends more debris into mom's car.

"Alright," mom says with a shaky voice, shielding her face. She takes small steps over to us with her hands raised in front of her chest. "I'm so sorry. I had to do it. You two were going to kill us!"

"Honey!" Dad shouts in a muffled manner.

"You two aren't normal girls. Girls, you're abnormally strong. You've broken our bones before with a simple slap!" Mom breaks down crying. I don't know what to think about what I'm seeing, so I look at Rosemary, hoping she'll say something. She's giving her a deep snarling frown.

"Hey, why are you looking so mad?" I say.

"Mom had no right to devastate our lives like that! Sabraela lost her memories of me! I almost lost mine! You two are evil!"

"Damnit, Rosemary. You two brought me to my breaking point. You're father thought things would get better, but they didn't," mom says, moving away from the door. "I had to split you two."

"Was divorce a part of your plan?" I ask. She takes a quick glance at dad, stuttering to come up with an excuse to answer me. "You're cruel!" I bawl out, crying in Rosemary's shoulder. She lets go of my hand to comfort me with a tight hug. "Dad, why did you let this go on?"

"I've tried to bring you together. You got to believe me. Your mother threatened me about moving you to another state," he says on his knees. He starts crying for the first time in front of me. "Sabi, I'm so sorry you lost your memory, but I couldn't let mom take your sister away from us." I can't stand seeing him cry. My heart can't take it.

"Daddy," I say, running over to him. I tackle him on his back. We skid across the gravel, but he maintains his hold on me. "Oh no! Dad, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I've taken worst hits from you two." I help him up to his feet with one hand. He looks at Rosemary, so I look also. She's clutching her fists and taking short breaths. Suddenly, an old memory appears in my mind as if it's being played on an old box VHS recording. The image is static and blurry, yet the low-quality audio is somewhat straightforward. I can hear my high-pitched child voice call out Rosemary's nickname I gave her in repetition.

"Roseymae," I say. She quickly turns around and gasps in extreme awe.

"Sabi, you remember," Rosemary says, letting her tears flow. I open my arms out to her, and she comes running into me. We cry like little children.

"I miss you!"

"I miss you too, lil sis!"