Living on a Time Limit

Chapter 5 ~ Memories

After what felt like forever, we stopped at a park.

I had a feeling that something had happened here, but I couldn't remember what.

"Remember this park?" Ayelet turned to me, panting slightly from running.

"Yeah, it was...it was the one that we used to go on walks in with our families."

"Right-o, my dear cousin. Now, come on."

We walked into the park, past the larger-than-life metal gates that looked as if they were supposed to be guarding a castle, and I couldn't help but think what would happen if the gate suddenly fell on us.

The area was relatively empty besides a few restless walkers, as it was almost 1 in the morning and a lot of people would be asleep by now or finishing up New Year parties.

Before long, we reached the center of the park. My favorite part about it is the fountain with the sculpture of a tree in the middle of it, commemorating a huge project done here for nature preservation. The fountain did make me think that this place really was magical when I was younger, adding onto the gates.

Ayelet sat down on one of the benches near one of the sides of the fountain, and I did the same.

"So..." she started. "...I guess I promised you that I'd tell you what I was doing back at the diner."

"Yeah...?" I was getting more and more excited by the minute.

"Okay, well...I told the waitress that I thought she was cute and I gave her my number," my cousin blurted out.

My jaw dropped. I could have died right then and there and I would have been okay with it. (That's a big exaggeration, but you know what I mean.)

"Why didn't you tell me about this before!?" I wrapped my arms around Ayelet and laughed. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Aw, thank you." She hugged me back, and I could tell that she was also happy with me accepting her. "And I guess that I just didn't really know myself before now, and I was scared about what you'd think."

"Well, I love you for who you are and always will."

"I love you too, Akuji."

We sat there like that for a few more minutes, but then I almost dozed off and we agreed that we should head back and clock out for the day.

We decided to take a new path back to the entrance, which I do remember us playing around in as kids because it had a small playground.

As we were walking and talking, I stopped.

I took in the scenery and suddenly remembered the thing that had happened here.

My mom had gotten a heart attack while we were walking here a few years ago.

And I was standing in the same exact spot where it happened.

I was overcome by a wave of anxiety and dizziness and almost collapsed.

I couldn't see or think straight. "Why's everything spinning..?"

"Akuji?" Ayelet came over to me, concerned.

I didn't want to relive this.

Not here.

Not now.

I could tell that Ayelet was starting to panic too. "I-I'm gonna call 911, okay?"

"Please, n-no..." I managed to get out. I didn't want to be in the same situation that I was in all those years ago, with all those tears rolling down my cheeks in the back of that cramped ambulance with my father and sister, my mother suffering on the hospital bed. "Can we- can we just leave? Please?" I said, blubbering and clinging onto Ayelet as best as I could.

"Okay...okay, let's just leave." She kept a calm and composed demeanor, but she still had panic in her eyes.

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and walked me along as gently yet as quickly as she could.

Eventually, I blacked out, and woke up in my apartment the next day.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

~ 618 Words ~