Drowning

Chapter Three

In the back seat of the car, Luke is driving me to see Evelyn and I'm more rattled than I want to admit. I haven't seen her in years, and I honestly don't know how she's going to react, especially after our last interaction ended with us never speaking again.

I'm shaking my foot anxiously when I look out the window of the car, and see we are stuck in New York traffic in front of a park. The trees are filled with orange and yellow, no green to be seen. The wind is going at full speed leaving small mountains of leaves on the ground. I see a little blonde girl running towards one of them, jumping, playing with the leaves, throwing them in the air. Soon after I see a woman, probably her mom, running after her, clearly out of breath. The mom comes near the girl to what I think is to tell her she can't do that again, but the little girl starts jumping again and gently pushes her mom over the mountain of leaves, where they both are now laughing and lying there.

With a small smile on my face from the small mother and daughter interaction I just witnessed, memories scour my brain. I remember when I was part of a lovable and caring family believe it or not. There was a time before the accident, that my sister and I were playing at the park, where our family had holiday traditions, us going away to our old cabin in the woods, and having our Sunday cookouts, days where we wouldn't leave the kitchen all day and made the most lavish dishes that Aubrey loved so much. She was the one that made me love cooking, because of my sister and her insistence of having at least one family meal a week, which is why I cook for Mariana Lidia and I, and Mark sometimes when he is not too busy at work.

I'm taken out of my thoughts, by my phone vibrating indicating someone is calling. I usually never have the ringer on, drives me insane.

I pick up the phone to read the caller id: Mariana

"I went to your office to see if you were still here, and Alice told me you left. Are you there yet?" she said rapidly. "You should've let me come with you," she's not even stopping to take a breath. "You know what, come back, we'll figure something else out," She finally takes a breath, and is about to continue talking but I beat her to it.

"Mariana, Calm down, ok, '' The last thing I need is her freaking out and driving me insane."You need to trust me and trust that I know what I'm doing, let me handle it."

"I do trust you, I do"

"Ok, then what's the worry? I'm handling it there is no reason to be freaked out."

"I'm just worried about you,"

"Don't be I'm ok," as I respond, Luke rolls down the window and speaks with a guard at the front of the gated neighborhood. We're here.

"Are you though, you don't sleep. Plus I don't like the idea of you meeting your mom if it reminds you of bad memories," I get she's worried but I can handle myself. This is why I didn't want to tell her about me not sleeping in the first place.

"I can't do this right now, ok, I'm here. I'll call you when I'm out." I say, cutting out the line, as the car comes to a stop in front of the house. Looking at it through my window it feels bizarre being here.

Suddenly I feel my phone vibrating in my hand, a text.

Mariana: Ok, fine. But the discussion is not over.

I couldn't get a friend that was less stubborn, I swear. I close my phone and drop it in my purse still looking through the window.

"Ma'am," Luke acknowledged me as he opens my door, I didn't even notice when he got out.

"Thank you Luke, I don't think I'll take long." I say stepping out and looking at him.

I look forward and see my childhood home, but it doesn't look the same. It seems smaller, the grass looks longer, the paint worn out and strangely there are no kids running around, there always used to be kids. Now it seems different, less intimidating. Before I left for Spain this house seemed so big and haunting, enrapturing the memories we had in it, the good and bad. Now it just looks like a normal Victorian home among the others in the neighborhood.