Can you Remember? #Wattys2016

Chapter 3: Coming Home

UPDATED:  12/10/18

Four days later, they let me go home. They took off the heavy duty casts and replaced them with those light weight and somewhat flexible ones. Sage, James, and Ann left two days earlier than I did, and I was glad to be rid of them. I hated having the three of them in my room, and they never left me alone. Even though I don't remember anything about them, they still came to visit me which only annoyed me more. They made jokes I didn't understand and acted like we weren't in the same room for almost a whole week. Mostly, I just didn't know why they did that because the me I remember didn't have any friends like them or a boyfriend. People stayed away from the me and my friends like we were the plague. We were ridiculed for being the way were are, and these three are exactly the type of people that would do the same. It only made my question my former friendship to them more.

Once my parents brought me home, I had a surprise welcome home party. They know that I absolutely hate surprises, and you would think they wouldn't pull a stunt like this with me coming out of the hospital. I was already on edge and confused, and this only overwhelmed me. A couple of my cousins, aunts, and uncles were there to see me, including some from out of town that I haven't seen in awhile. They all took turns hugging me and wishing that I get well saying, "Hope your memory comes back!" I was becoming more claustrophobic by the minute as I was not used to having this many people around me at once. No one looked like they were going to let go of me soon, but luckily, my Aunt Heather noticed my discomfort and was able to pry everyone off of me.

Once everyone was off and no longer close to me, I took the chance to leave and went up to my room giving her a silent thanks as I made my escape. I laid down on my own bed and tried to think of what important information I possibly missed that I may have a chance of already knowing about.

"Hey can I come in?" I heard my Aunt Heather ask me from behind my door. I mumbled out a yes, and she opened my door quickly so nobody would see her come in. She shut the door and flopped down on my bed next to me. She wormed her way up next to me and pulled one of my throw pillows in her lap, hugging it to herself.

My Aunt Heather and I are very close. We do lots of activities together like going shopping and taking drives around the town. Aunt Heather is an outcast like I am. She was teased a lot in high school because she liked different things than what the typical girl liked. Like me, she's not a girly girl. That's why we get along so well. Sometimes, I feel bad for her because she hasn't had a date since college even though she's only 26. I've tried to set her up with some guys that I found online or people that some of my friends know, but none of them have worked out. She keeps telling me that it doesn't bother her to be single and that she just can't find the right person yet. I still want to see her happy though. She's one of she only people that I truly do care about with every fiber in my being.

She was born with silver blond hair that is naturally curly even though most people she meets say there's no way that it's natural. Her eyes are a bright piercing blue with specks of gray covering her eyes. She grew her hair out down to the waist and normally keeps it like that. When she gets a haircut, she cuts off two inches and changes her bangs so that they are different every four months. Aunt Heather has a nice hourglass figure and long legs that suit her nicely. Her face is heart shape, and her nose, lips, and ears are small. She has a unique sense of fashion which is where mine generated from: gothic and artsy. A lot of people like her at first glance, but she only dates based on personality. I also attribute her challenge in finding a date to this and because of the guys she dated while in college.

Aunt Heather went to college for six years out of state beginning at the age of 19. For her first two years, she majored in psychology studying mostly dreams. After that, she took a year off and went back for four years majoring this time in artwork. While in college, we kept in touch through phone calls and emails.

From talking, she told me about the three boyfriends she had while she was there. The first one was Alastair that she dated for a year and a half. She didn't describe him much, but she said he was studying the same thing as she was. They broke up because he had to move away, and he didn't like long distance relationships. Her second boyfriend was Carson, and they dated from half-way through her year off and half-way through her first year back. They broke up because she found out that he was cheating on her with three other girls. Needless to say, she was pissed and tends to stray away from guys who give her lots of gifts but aren't in the picture much. Her last boyfriend in college was Zack, and they dated all throughout the rest of her time in college. They actually got engaged, but a house fire happened in his sister's house he was staying at, and he died in the fire. Aunt Heather became devastated. I think that might be why she hasn't been out a lot even though it has been almost two years now since it happened. I could tell they were really in love by the way she describes him. All she can recall are fond memories of him because there are no bad ones. I can only hope to find someone who loves me as much as they did, although I hope for a better outcome than the one she had.

"I can't imagine what it's like for you to lose your memory just all of a sudden," my aunt said twisting around on my bed to face me bringing me back out of my thoughts.

"I know. I just can't help wondering how different my life was before my accident because I do know that I had different friends and a boyfriend," I told my aunt lifting myself into a sitting position. I adjust myself so that my legs are crossed and that I'm facing my aunt.

"Well do you want me to enlighten you dear child?" she asked me mocking the voice of my Aunt Genevieve who is heavily into meditation and enlightenment. She's always encouraging all of us to take a trip with her to temples and such, so my dad's always wiggling us out of those situations. Aunt Heather's face broke out in a huge grin that spread from ear to ear.

"No," I giggled lightly in response. "I want to figure it out on my own. It's better that way; nobody would influence what I think."

"Okay, just be patient. It could take a while for anything at all to come back to you. Well, I'm always here if you need anything," she told me getting off my bed walking towards the door. "I'll let you get some rest, but your mom wanted me to tell you that your teachers are excusing every grade for this nine weeks so you can catch up on what you missed." With that being said, she left my room and went back to the party downstairs before anyone noticed that she was missing.

After she left, I sat there wondering why my teachers would do that. All of my old teachers hated me... And I never cared about my school grades before. I never really paid attention in school, and I tend not to turn in my assignments. Nothing that I've been told so far makes any sense to me. It only makes me more confused about what happened in those months. There's no way my life could change so much in that small amount of time, right?