"Genevieve?" A woman's voice asked me, "Is it really you, Genevieve?"
I looked up and saw a face I had never thought I would ever see again. Seeing her made me feel...uncomfortable. I couldn't quite place my finger on the feeling. It was as if this woman represented a time in my life that I wished I could just forget, but sadly here she was, opening up an old wound of my greatest fears.
"That cut on your face sure did heal up nicely, Genevieve. It left a nasty scar but I think it makes you look tough."
She sat down on the bench next to me, making it clear he had me admiring my blemish from afar. I tightened my grip around my purse as the memories flashed back in my mind. I hadn't thought about that day for what seemed like forever. I was only a young girl then, twenty-two to be exact. Twenty-two and still unaware of the horror in the world.
I smiled, "I haven't seen you in forever, Coral."
"Yeah, well after the...accident, I decided to leave the city for a couple of years or so."
A couple of years, I scoffed, more like twenty.
"Well, I'm glad to see you back. How you been?"
"Probably not much better than you...," She paused briefly in between her sentences as if to give a moment of silence for both of our sanity's, "Well, I best be going. Maybe we should get coffee sometime, to catch up." Coral inquired curiously.
"That sounds lovely, have a good day sweetie." I knew I would never see Coral again. I didn't want to catch up with her. I watched as her navy skirt blew in the wind, knowing this would be the last time I ever laid eyes on her.
The memories of the incident couldn't seem to escape my mind anymore. Pictures flashed through my mind, like a kaleidoscope of memories. Before I knew it, my lips were pressed to a cigarette and there I was, finally admitting my truth.
************
The year was 1997. That morning I had woken up with a headache so I decided to get more rest than usual. This of course, causing me to be late throughout my day and bumping my usual daily activities for about an hour or so.
I should've known doing this was a mistake that I would only pay for throughout my day but of course I was tired, and I didn't care.
At last, I rose from my bed. I decided to wear my turquoise sweater that day. Mainly due to the fact that whenever I wore it, I felt beautiful and confident within myself. The way it contrasted with my caramel skin brought out my dark brown eyes. It was just one of those days where I needed an extra boost of confidence.
Before I knew it, there I was about to aboard the subway. Of course, it wasn't the one I usually took so the people I encountered weren't familiar. This wasn't an issue for me though, due to the fact that I am a very social person and I seem to make acquaintances easily. Before I knew it, I was chatting up a woman who held a small child in her arms. A cute little thing that he was, too.
After the woman and her child got off, there I was sitting all by my lonesome. The bus wasn't crowded, it held about twelve other people and I. Before I knew it my eyes get heavier making it more difficult to keep them open. That's when I knew, it probably would've been better for me to just of called out of work that day...
My eyes jolted awake by the sound of yelling. I quickly ran my hands through my hair hoping to fix whatever mess I had made of it. That's when I saw him.
