Short Stories

The Ending For One, The Beginning For Another

As I started towards the door of Hospital Room 12. I shivered at the memory of the glass of my yellow Volkswagen beetle shattering.  Glass shards rained over me as I looked beside me at my girlfriend Maya. Maya, who I was told could no longer remember me. I grabbed the cold metal handle of the door and opened it slowly.

         I stared at the medical bed where Maya sat, her honey brown hair falling out of the braid she had before the crash. Her forest green eyes searched the room for something she recognised, but could find nothing.  Her eyes caught mine but her mind refused to let any old memories of me flood back into it.

"Maya?" I whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Who's Maya?" she asked with confusion in her eyes.

"You are Maya," I answered "and I am Naomi," I walked closer so I could sit on the side of the bed.

"Why am I here?" Maya asked.

I looked down at my bruised and bandaged hands, not wanting to make any eye contact.

"It was my fault," I kept my head down. "It's my fault we're in this stupid hospital, you don't remember anything and Nick is in a coma!"

A tear pooled to the front of my crystal blue eyes and slowly fell down my face. I looked up at Maya. A pained expression came across my face as I looked at my poor friend. She couldn't remember anything, my brother was in a coma, and look at me! I'm perfectly fine, only some cuts and bruises.

"I have to go," I stood up from Maya's bed and walked out the door, not looking back.

        My mom stood outside of the car waiting for me. I got in the passenger's seat and shut the door. As we drove away from the hospital I imagined Maya.  All these people would be coming to see how she was doing and she wouldn't know who any of them were, me included. I turned to look at my mom who was concentrated on the road.

"Why did this have to happen to me? Why do I have to be the one to remember?"

My mom's eyes stayed glued to the road. "What do you mean? I'd say you're the lucky one."

        We pulled into the driveway of our house in silence. I looked over to the opposite side and saw my torn up yellow beetle sitting there, glass shattered, the side dented in towards the passenger's side where Maya was sitting during the accident.

" I forgot to tell you..." my Mom said.

"You forgot to tell me what?" I said cautiously.

At that very moment, I looked into the rear view mirror of my mom's car and saw Maya's mom's black car pulling over to the side of our house.

"You invited Maya for dinner?!" I said in shock,

"And I told Maya she could stay over for the night if she wanted," My Mom replied happily.

        Maya sat beside me at the dinner table. No one said anything until Maya piped up and asked what it was we were eating.

"It's lasagna, your favourite," My mom answered slowly.

"So how have you been since the accident?" My dad asked curiously.

Maya and I looked up at each other knowing that a tiny lie wouldn't hurt anybody.

"Good." Maya replied.

I looked back down at what was left of my food and then looked at my mom who was staring at Maya.

"I'm gonna go change," I said abruptly as I pushed my chair back and stood up.

"I'll come with you," Maya followed as she ran up the stairs to my room and shutting the door softly behind her.