Chester Bennington - Unusual Neighbor

Back to the origins

It was time.

In the back of my mind, there was this voice that was encouraging me to do it. And as I obliged, I couldn't help but feel anxious about it.

Chester's last encounter was enough to make my emotions seethe, and all I could think about was how he stormed out of my apartment, anger clearly plastered all over his face and how I neglected my family for almost two months. How was I able to do that? I don't know. Was it too much? Probably, but if you met my family you would know how toxic it was becoming.

And all of those emotions were messing me up.

I couldn't handle it anymore. So I packed a small bag, got on my car, and drove back home without thinking twice.

Sometimes I noticed how hard I was gripping the steering wheel. My knuckles were white. And I often had to take a few deep breaths to calm down my racing heart.

One hour later, I saw the mansion I used to live in. So many memories flashed through my mind.

Suddenly, I saw my two little sisters playing hide and seek in the gardens, as I read a book under a tree and kept an eye on them. I heard Rachel scream and before I knew it, Monica was yelling for help. Rachel fell off a tree and broke her right arm.

"It hurts so much!" She cried. "Don't tell mom, please."

"Rachel, your arm is probably broken. You have to go to the hospital." I told her.

"But she's gonna freak out! Then, I'll have to tell her how I fell and she hates when we play like this on the trees! She doesn't have the patience to these kinds of savage games, according to her." She said, tears rolling down her cheek as I took her in my arms. "Sometimes I'm afraid of her."

"Oh, Rachel..." I know how she feels, but she has no reason to feel that way. "You need to have patience and be brave. I bet she's going to be worried about you. Don't worry."

"Yeah, like you don't know how mom is," Monica said, all of her body shaking.

I took a deep breath and looked at them both, stopping my walk.

"Alright, I want you to listen to me, and very carefully. This will help you through your life, and no matter what mom says, you need to remember this: pain makes you stronger; fear makes you braver; and patience makes you wiser. It's ok to feel the pain and to be afraid, but you can be patient and strong, and have courage. Only then you can face anything. Even mom when she's in devil mode." They both laugh, wiping the tears away of their faces as our mother rushed to our side, worried about Rachel.

As I approached the main entrance, Louis, the gateman held his hand in the air, recognizing my car immediately.

"Good to see you again, Ana. The house has never been the same without you."

"Hi, Louis. I'm just for a quick visit, I don't think I'll stick around. Let's see how this will end."

"Good luck," he said, opening the gates for me.

Before leaving Phoenix, I texted my grandmother and my sisters so that they wouldn't be surprised when they saw me there. It was almost sunset, but there was still light outside. I looked at the car clock before turning it down - it was dinner time.

Slowly, I opened the door and exited the car, taking in every piece of that huge mansion. I can't believe it's been two months since I left. It didn't change one bit and a lot changed for me. My life, my dreams, my heart... I realized how two months can change so much without us noticing.

I walked to the main door with the key in my hand but didn't know if I should just walk in, ring the bell, knock the door or just turn around and run away. I decided to knock. Probably the butler would open the door, but I didn't mind. All I wanted was someone to open the door for me. It wouldn't be nice if I walked in on everyone having dinner "Hey there family, how's it going?"