Redemption

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO : MEMORIES SOMETIMES TURN INTO REALITY

  The next day, Luna was in the attic running through her  old stuff. Linda and Danny were busy watching movies. The attic was basically filled with cardboard boxes. Wearing her headphones and listening to music, she opened the boxes one by one.

The first box she opened was filled with her books and school materials from Junior high. Even her yearbook was there. She smiled as she flipped through the pages of her yearbook. The second box she opened was filled with Danny's stuff. His books, his hip hop music CDs, some clothes and expired perfumes and aftershave.

Then she opened the next box. The box was placed near the window, covered with dust and cobwebs. She used a rag to clean the surface of the box and opened it. Her jaw dropped. She picked up a T-shirt and smelled it. It smelled like him. She went further into the box and found a photo album of her parents wedding pictures and pictures of her and Danny growing up. Finally, she saw a picture. A picture of her and him. She remembered this day very well. The memories were clear and it hurt. It hurt to know that the man she took this picture with, smiling and hugging her left them. Insulted them. She didn't even know how the memory popped up, because she never remembered it.

Then she saw a videocamera, she tried to switch it on and surprisingly, it did.

After all this years? Mum still kept this stuff. This memories of him.

The ran through the videos and her eyes welled up with tears, her nose red and nose runny, and her cheeks red. She sniffed her nose and stood up. She was trying to remove the dust from her clothes, she carried the videocamera and tucked it into her pocket, when she heard a knock at the front door.

Knock, knock, knock!

The knocking continued. She sighed tiredly and exasperated out of the attic, closing it behind her. She passed by Danny's room and still found them watching movies from Danny's laptop, headphones on. She smiled, faintly and went away without informing them of the knock on the door.

It must be Cata! She's always making a fuss about this prom thing. Can't she understand no one's willing to be my dance on that day! Ugh!

"Cata, I swear I told you, am going —" she opened the door and her face dropped. It was him. That man!

He looked much older and wrinkled. Though Luna was sure he hadn't entered sixty, but still he looked useless. And he was hanging a small bag on his shoulder.

"It seems someone's not so happy today, is it?" The man said as he smiled. Luna said nothing in return and tears grew in her eyes again. "Aren't you gonna welcome your old man back home?"

She still didn't say anything. She opened her mouth multiple times to talk but nothing came out. She finally found her voice.

Her eyes red and teary, it went wider "what are you doing here?" She boomed.

"What are you talking about kid, am back home. I told you I would be back didn't I? Why don't you just invite me in? Where's your mum?" He barked back.

"I asked, what are you doing here?" She repeated. He leaned closer and tried to touch her cheek. Luna inched backward. "What do you want from me? From us? After you left us all those years, you come back and decided like nothing's ever happened?"

"Lulu, we've finished the movie, why didn't you bring the  smoothie upstairs?" Linda asked, as she was walking down the stairs. Still, Luna said nothing to reply. "Why did you leave the front door open eh?" She went on and moved closer to the door "who's at the door?"  As she saw the figure standing at the door, she gasped and immediately leaned on the wall. She started to sob. Danny too joined them at the front door.

"Linda! Linda! My love, I missed you" The man said as he entered into the house without permission. He moved closer to Linda, but Danny came in the way.

His face was solemn and tight. He looked at him with rage and anger. "Don't you dare move closer. Don't you dare come close to her.... How dare you huh?"

The man smiled cynically. "Danny, my boy. You've grownup. You take after me"

Linda stands up and drags him by the collar. "Why did you come, why did you come back? Did you come back to make fun of me? Did you? Let me tell you something, those pasted ten years you left, we've felt much more at ease. I counted every second, every minute, every hour, every damn fucked up day you  left, praying you would come back" she loosened her hold on him and tucked her hair at the back of her ear.

He went on and sat down on couch, his head was held low in between his legs as he spoke. "Am sorry. Am sorry. Am sorry " he ruffled with his hair like a psycho, "am so sorry. Each time I remember that day, I regret it. I slap myself. Because I'm a loser. A big one. I lost my family and my  senses on the same day. I became a walking dead. Am so sorry."

Linda and the kids stood watching him talk, they said nothing. He continued, "I know you might never forgive me, but what I ask for is a place in your heart. I miss you guys so much..."

Danny moved closer to him, "Did you know how we coped all those years, we were bullied because of you. You weren't there when mum feel ill because of all those part-time jobs and extra shifts she to take to support us. You weren't there, when Luna had problems with her homework, you weren't there during my graduation from high school, and now you want a place in my heart, our hearts?"

"I have lungs cancer." He announced, "when I left you guys, my life became miserable. I lost all my money and savings to gambling, and I used the little earnings I got to buy cigarettes and drinks. Then i met a man, he promised me a job and i accepted gratefully, i didn't know he was part of a cartel. They used me and i got cut. In the end i served jail time for two years. Just a month ago, I went to the doc and he diagnosed me with lungs cancer. I swear, if I had the power to go back in time, I'll surely never leave you guys. I'm crumbling. Am so sorry.

Just after he finished speaking, they heard a knock. Everyone faced the door, each alarmed aimlessly. The knocking continued.

" Ugh! Am so tired right now. My head's spinning " Luna mumbled and sighed deeply.

"I'll go get" Danny said dryly. Linda nodded in agreement and he opened the door. It was Wednesday and Madison.

"Hey"  Madison said, she noticed his face was sad, " what happened? Why are you looking so gloomy? "

"Yeah" Wednesday agreed.

Danny sighed and gave them an exasperated look, "come in" he made way for them to enter. As they entered, Wednesday's jaw dropped as she saw the man.

"Uncle Drew?" She asked  unsure of the man. His beard was unshaven and full. He looked rough.

Drew stood up and moved closer to Wednesday, "Wednesday, my child" he hugged her into a bear hug and she didn't hug him back, however, she smiled sheepishly, "how is your mum and dad?"

"They are fine" she grimaced.

Linda held her chest, beating up and down rapidly, unusually, "why? Why? Did you —" she fell to the ground and her kids rushed to meet her. Panicking. Drew also joined and so did Madison. Shouting. Panicking. Screaming. Begging for her to wake up. Danny called 911. And within minutes, the house was swarming with paramedics and sympathetic neighbours hovering around.

The paramedics were doing their thing, while the family stood eagerly wishing for her to wake up. Drew stood at one corner of the house, watching, crying silently. Danny stood closer watching what the paramedics trying to revive his  mother, with Madison by his side, giving him multiple reassuring squeezes and looks. Luna and Wednesday holding each others hands.

The paramedics took her to the ambulance, they needed one person to go with them to the hospital. Luna volunteered. As she was walking out the door, she stopped and glared at Drew. "Are you happy now?" She stormed out of the house,  while the others followed the ambulance in their vehicles.