Medical Emergency

Home Sweet Home

"I can't wait to see my mom and Mia! It's been way too long." I squeal, sitting in the front of the bus. I see familiar places as they wiz by me. The old concert hall, fair grounds, drinking spots, everything. It's all here. We pull into the venue, Upstate Concert Hall, formally known as Northern Lights. Everyone around here still calls it that. Packed in a long, old strip mall building. "Alright, show is tomorrow and Saturday night. We play third before Champs. We can bring everything in, set up in one of the downstairs rooms and then hit the hotel." Jordan says. "Well, we aren't going to the hotel..." I say, they all stop what their doing and look at me. "So Von, Liz, and Veno are going to stay at Liz's moms, Venti, Dallas, and Jordan can stay at my sisters apartment, and Collin, you're coming with me, to my moms." They all exchange glances. "Oh come on, it avoids paying for yet another hotel room with crappy food or take out. Plus, my mom is making us all a big Sunday dinner. So you guys can't go home until Monday." They nod, not even trying to fight it. "Settled! We'll see Em's old stomping ground." Von slings his arm around me. "Works for me Dave," I joke. The guys finish setting up their equipment downstairs and we all get in the van. "I'll drive since I actually know where I'm going." I take them the long way home, showing them the places I used to go around here. There's not much to do really, a mall or two, lots of food shops. 

"This is Liz's, see you guys tomorrow!!" The guys get out and head into their assigned housing for the weekend. I drop the others off at Mia's, showing them inside. Mia's roommate went to her mom's for the weekend so we could use their apartment, I promised her tickets to both shows. "Alright, so my mom is pretty cool but just so you know, she may whip out the old photo album, but don't listen to ANYTHING she tells you..." I laugh, Collin chuckles. "I make no promises." 

We pull down the long driveway. A huge brick house, three stories. This wasn't my childhood home, but it's an actual home, a place I feel safe. My step-dad and siblings live here. My two step-sisters and step-brother. My step-dad is more of a dad than mine ever was. He took me in when I was little and dating my mom. He came to every game, every concert, paid for things I needed, helped my mom out. He took Mia and I in as his own, and I am forever grateful for him. 

"EM!" My mom runs out the door, her apron on and hair tied up behind her. For living in such a beautiful, upscale home she's still her quirky, weird self. "Is this..." She points to Collin, a huge smile across her face. "Yes mom.." She runs to Collin and hugs him tight. "Oh gosh, it's so good to meet you! I've heard loads about it. Come in, come in! Dinner's almost done!" She walks inside. "Your mom's British?" He laughs. "No, my step-dad is. I think she picked up the accent from him. It kinda rubbed off on her. My step siblings have kind of lost it since going to school and all, but he made sure to keep it around. Says it's his "signature" appeal. Makes him more interesting I guess." I laugh, I walk inside and he follows. "Hey you! How are you my dear?" He hugs me tight. "Collin, this is my Dad, Ethan Elgotta." He shakes my dad's hand. I've been calling him dad for most of my life. "Nice to meet ya lad. Welcome to the home front." He walks back to the kitchen, helping my mom. I watch as they giggle over chopping onions. That's what I want. That's the happiness I need. 

"Come on, I'll show you around." We walk through the house. My dad's office room where he does work at home sometimes. The huge living space with TV and fireplace. "This is one of my favorite rooms.." I open the double doors, a massive library. Shelves, floor to ceiling of books. A swing ladder on a train to get the books up higher. "Wow..." He looks over them, entranced. "Ethan had a lot of these when they moved in. They lived in a small apartment while he was finishing up his law degree. Then they built this place, with a library big enough to fill our ever-wondering minds. I'm so grateful for it." I look through the books, freshly dusted but almost untouched in their beauty. "Come on, there's much more to see." I go up the stairs in the back of the library, swirling iron the whole way up. "This is my mom's painting room. She loved the paint, I guess that's where I get that little tidbit of artistic nature." I joke. The room overlooks the mountains and forest behind the house. I walk down the hall to a large hallway, multiple bedrooms. A staircase at the end, leading to the top floor. Surrounded on one side of windows, the highest point in the house, my old room. "Is this, your room?" He looks at me, walking inside. "Yup." I can see it. The wall of records, half finished when I left here. The mountains of books still piled in corners, old papers and scribbles on margins. My record player, I left it here since Liz and I bought a new one. Dusty but still my favorite thing in this room. I shuffle through the old vinyls, pulling out one and playing it. The soulful sounds of third eye blind, our favorite song of course. "I loved watching the sunsets through these windows, the night sky. Away from the busy city so the lights don't obscure the view. Neighbors too far apart to obstruct any of it, just open fields of green. The way the trees swayed in the wind, or the loud booms of thunder. God this was my sanctuary." I sit on my old bed, still the same way I left it, although the pillows have been fluffed and sheets washed. A chalk board wall behind my bed, written little quotes from books or ones I'd randomly think about while half asleep. I look over it, watching the memories flood back. One from him, Andrew. "Forever mine." I erase it with my sleeve. I was never yours, or you mine.