(Edited - 11/28/2016)
Chapter 25
~
"Here's your tea, dear," Ms. Sauer set a teacup of the steaming hot beverage in front of me. "Have it with some schokokuss. I just made them today." She set a saucer of the dessert of sweet foamy egg-white goodness coated in chocolate beside the tea.
Ever since I got released from the hospital a week ago, I've been having afternoon teas with Ms. Sauer after school. Since she was the only one who knew about what happened, she was literally the only one I can run to. I didn't want to tell my parents, my relatives, not even my friends.
The fact that I had an actual mental breakdown over a boy was too embarrassing to tell anyone.
Until now, I still can't remember what happened during the actual event of the breakdown, and honestly, the fact that I ended up in the hospital and was knocked out for three days made me not even want to remember. However, the doctor still wanted me to talk about it to reduce the chances of it happening again, so that leads us to the daily afternoon tea with Ms. Sauer.
Also, her being the pâtissier of the cafe that made the best cakes in town meant that there will always be good sweets to accompany our tea. Black forest cake? Cheesecake? Heavenly. She even made a few German sweets like biscuits with names that are hard to pronounce, schokokuss, and berliner, a type of jelly doughnuts — and I do love my jellies. Those last two sweets are basically the only ones I could pronounce without screwing up my tongue.
With all the German sweets Ms. Sauer has been offering to me, I'd say she's lonely too. Back in Germany, she used to be married to a business man who helped her set up a cafe, but he cheated on her, which caused her to move here to America with her son and live with her cousins. She opened her own cafe, made it a booming business in this little town, and raised her kid well — good education, great moral standings & upbringing, and everything else a kid needs for a bright future.
But he got married and had his own family as well. She says that he and his family are living in that fancy neighborhood at the edge of the town. She visits there every holidays and birthdays. I think she even mentioned once that her granddaughter was at the exact age as me and goes to the same school as me. I have yet to meet her though.
Funny how I've known so much about a person who I've been avoiding for about two years in a span of a week.
Same with Alex, my brain whispered. All it took was three months.
~~~
After a long chat, it was nightfall, and I had to go back to my flat, which I always dread once my afternoon tea with Ms. Sauer would come to a close. Ever since I woke up at the hospital, I couldn't stand being alone in this large, empty flat. It felt like that was a muffled buzz in the back in my head, and it was worse when I go to sleep
Everything was amplified. The noises. The sounds. The weird flashes of what may seem like memories. When I fall into slumber, it feels like I don't know anything anymore. I'm just an empty shell of a person trying — more like forced — to focus on several scenes of memories on fast forward at once.
On good days, it would be just a single nightmare. But I guess you can't even call that good.
Tonight I had the usual stuff my brain gave me. The distorted flashes of memories in my head playing all at once. I woke up in cold sweat and forced myself to calm down. I turned to my side and glanced at my alarm clock, realising that I've only been asleep for a couple of hours.
Groaning in frustration, I got out of bed and grabbed a book. There was no point in going back to bed now. Might as well stay up all night then...
~~~
"Whoa, Anna," Sara said, "rough night?" She walked alongside me as we headed to the lockers in the school building.
"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled, clutching to the straps of my book bag.
"You know, you've never really told us what happened to you and how you ended up in the hospital," Sara said, looking at me with genuine concern.
"What about Anna and the hospital?" Belle asked as she stepped inside Sara and mine's conversation bubble.
By this time, I thought Belle would've already known what got me into the hospital, knowing her father works there. But I guess doctors have their oath not to tell others about patients' conditions. I guess that oath stretches to their family members too...
"She looks sicker everyday," Sara noted. "Panda eyes, pale complexion, gloomy aura. Are you sure you're okay?"
Belle took a good look on my face. "I think you should go see the nurse," she said.
"Guys, guys! I'm fine," I smiled broadly, even though it hurt my head to do the simplest actions like smiling. "You're both worrying too much. The hospital thing was just anemia. I'm fine. Everything's fine. Let's just get to class." I turned on my heel to make my way to the classroom.
Then I blacked out.
~~~
"I'm fine," I drawled out as the school nurse placed a damp towel on my forehead. "Honestly, it's probably just because I stayed up all night reading."
"Mhm, sure," Sara rolled her eyes. "That explains the pale face..."
"The mood swings..." Belle followed.
"The throwing up..."
"The insomnia..."
"You being so reserved lately..."
"I get it," I sighed. "I've been sickly lately, okay? It's nothing serious though. I told you, I'm just a bit anemic lately."
Belle and the school nurse narrowed their eyes on me. Just by Belle's narrowing gaze, I was already cowering behind my blanket on the school infirmary's cot.
"My papa is a doctor," she said, a bit of French accent slipping through her tongue from clearly being tired to deal with my bullcrap. "I know what anemia does to a person."
"And I'm a nurse," the school nurse added. "You think I don't know if you're really sick?" she babbled on about the science of anemia and blood cells, while I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I didn't come here for a biology lesson.
Hey, at least I was getting my sass back.
"And you two, get back to class!" the school nurse snapped. "This lady here needs to rest!"
Sara and Belle scrambled out of the infirmary and rushed to their classes. Once the infirmary was quiet again, the school nurse shut the curtains around my cot, told me to get some rest, and left to do some work on her desk.
After hearing the scraping sound of her chair dragging on the floor, I was finally alone in this little cubicle. So I curled myself into a ball and clutched at my head where a wildfire was spreading inside, causing me pure pain. However, in the midst of all that pain, I finally made my choice. A choice that I have been deciding for a while.
I needed to go home.
~~~
Tada! Aww, it feels so good to finish this book. It's been quite a journey. ヾ(＠＾▽＾＠)ﾉ
BUT DON'T WORRY! There will be an epilogue... and a sequel (Obviously... Didja really think I'll leave Anna suffering?). （ミ￣ー￣ミ）
Well, since school is almost starting, the sequel might take a while to be published, and updating will slow down too. Maybe a chapter every two weeks instead of weekly? (◕︵◕)
Also, expect new characters, plot twists, MORE DRAMA (since most of you guys love that shit)... and MAYBE A NEW (OLD) ROMANCE for Anna? Who knows... At least, you'll know what to expect in It Started With a Memory. *tries to hold in excitement* ヽ(゜∇゜)ノ
Epilogue to be posted on September 4, 2016.
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