Distant Memories
“Wake up, Damien, it’s time for breakfast.” Mom called to him. Damien, who’s only three, sat in his small bed and rubbed his eyes. His mom picked him up and brought him downstairs. “Wait here for a second, I have to get your high chair.” She said before momentarily putting him down to grab his high chair from wherever it was. Damien, now fully awake, sat outside the kitchen entryway.
He noticed his dad lying on the ground, still and unmoving, but he was awake and aware. Damien wobbly stood up and made his way over to his dad. “Daddy, why are you on the floor?” His dad looked over at him but didn’t respond. He did, however, turn over to face Damien better. Damien decided to lie down on the floor next to him. “Why are you on the floor?” He asked again.
Of course, there’s no answer. His mom returned with his chair and set it at the dining table. She saw him lying on the floor. “Damien, why are you on the floor? It’s cold. You could get sick.” She stated as she walked towards him. “Mommy, why’s daddy on the floor?” He asked her. Her eyebrows furrowed. She looked at the spot on the floor next to him, at his dad. “Damien, what are you talking about? Your dad isn’t on the floor...” She answered.
“He is, but he won’t say anything,” Damien responded. His mom sighed. She walked over to his dad like he wasn’t even there, like he was a hologram. She picked Damien up off the floor and took him into the dining room. Damien was upset but didn’t dwell on it too much when his mother gave him his food. He would occasionally catch a glimpse of his father on the ground, just lying there, saddened.
When his older brother, Sammy, and older sister, Mary, were awake, his mom put many boxes at the front door. “Mommy, why are so many boxes in the car and at the door?” Sammy asked. “Well, this isn’t easy to explain, but your dad decided to walk out on us... Maybe he decided he wasn’t committed enough and left last night.” His mom sighed.
Sammy and Mary were sad, but Damien was confused as their dad was still on the floor. He must’ve heard what his mom said, so he looked up at her and was visibly upset, but of course, he remained silent. Could he not talk?
“Is it because of us? Did we do something to upset him?” Mary asked. “Of course, not, Mary, don’t think like that! We just got into an argument.” His mom answered. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. “Wait, but what are the boxes if he isn’t here?” Mary questioned again. “Well, we’re moving.” Their mom said. “I don’t wanna move, I’ll have to say bye to all my friends then!” Sammy pouted.
“I know, but we can’t stay here.” Their mom replied. “Where are we moving to then? Is it gonna be California or New York?” Mary questioned with excitement in her voice. “Not California, that place is too expensive,” Their mom chuckled. “We’re going to Canada.” “Canada?” Sammy and Mary respond in confusion. Their mom nodded. “It’s the country above us. We’re moving there, it’ll be in Ontario.”
“That’s a weird name,” Sammy stated. “Yeah, but you gotta get used to it, we’ll be living there starting today or tomorrow. The drive is gonna be long.” Their mom explained.
The three continued to discuss what would happen while Damien sat silently in his chair. He didn’t want to leave his dad alone, who’s gonna stay with him when everyone else is busy? Who’s gonna take the time to color with him? Who’s he gonna be next to when he’s upset?
Damien's mom noticed he had finished his breakfast, so she walked over to him and picked him up. “Since you’re finished with your breakfast, I’ll have to get you ready for us to leave. I can help the rest of you when Damien’s done, since he can take the longest.” Damien's mom said.
The rest of that conversation is blurry.
Damien remembers when they were about to leave the house for good.
Mary was helping Damien put his shoes on, and Sammy was already in the car. Once his shoes were on, Mary grabbed her jacket and went outside. Damien was left alone in the house with his mom, who was probably packing the rest of his stuff. He got off the cubby he was sitting on and returned to the living room to see his dad one last time.
Damien lies back on the ground next to his dad, meeting his father’s eyes. “Hi Daddy, Mommy said we’re going to a place called... um.” Damien had a hard time remembering, his mind was all over the place, no wonder he couldn’t remember a lot.
“..Ontario. You’re moving to Ontario.” His dad spoke. That’s the only thing he’s said since he’s been awake. His voice was shaky, like he was either gonna cry or like his throat was hurting. “Yeah, On-tare-rio! Why can’t you come with us? It’s gonna be lonely if you don’t come along..” There’s a moment of silence from him. “It’s probably for the better… she’s very mad at me.” His father explained.
“Why is Mommy mad at you?” Damien asked. “…Wouldn’t get help like she asked.” He replied. “Help for what?” Damien questioned. His dad just shook his head. “Nothing you shouldn’t worry about.” He answered. Damien would ask another question, but his dad just hugged him instead.
The hug was cold to the touch, yet so warm at the same time. It was comforting, almost causing Damien to fall asleep, but this was interrupted by Damien’s mom. “C’mon, Damien, it’s time to go.” She sighed before crouching down to pick him up. “I don’t wanna leave, daddy will be by himself!” Damien retaliated. His mom has a worried expression on her face. She looks at the floor before looking back at Damien.
“Damien, there’s nothing there...” She sighed. She even put her hand on the ground, which would’ve touched his dad’s knee if her hand hadn’t gone through it. Damien was confused, not understanding. Damien didn’t want to leave; he wanted to stay, even if it meant lying on the cold ground for a long time, he wouldn’t mind. Before his mom walked away with him in his arms, his dad said one last thing to him.
「ダミアン、大好き。」 Was all his father said, before he left his home for good.
Damien wakes up because of his alarm clock. He groans with annoyance before muting it to go back to sleep. The alarm clock somehow knew this and went off again. He mutes once more before sitting up. “Alright, alright, jeez.” He mumbles as he gets out of bed.
Whenever Damien has that dream, his day is instantly ruined, and he becomes irritated, but he has to brush that off as best as he can. He goes over to his closet and picks out something to wear. He doesn’t want to be too well-dressed because it’ll all go to waste when he’s at school.
Once dressed, he exits his room, closing the door behind him. As always, Mary’s downstairs first, making him second, and Sammy is always last. For a guy who gets up super early every morning, he makes them almost late for the bus every morning; it’s impressive.
“Morning, Damien!” Mary greets him. “Good morning!” Damien replies. He goes into the kitchen and grabs his lunch, he always makes sure to pack extra snacks. They’re never for him to enjoy, but it’ll give him some mercy. Since he knows they’ll be waiting for a while, he sits on the couch in the living room to watch TV.
“Hey, Mary, do you know where Mom is? Or did she already go to work?” Damien asks. “Oh, she went to work already.” She responds from the dining room. He has no more questions for her. Mary likes to stick to her morning schedule, including reading magazines while she eats breakfast—AKA what she’s doing now.
After a couple of minutes of waiting, Sammy finally comes downstairs. “What took you so long?” Mary asks, putting her dishes in the sink. “I was looking for something in my room, I couldn’t find it, so I just left it,” Sammy answers. “Now, let’s go before we miss the bus!” “Thanks for thinking about us, let’s hurry!” Damien adds. “Right, sorry!” Sammy replies.
The three leave their house and luckily make it to the bus stop in time. On the bus, Mary sits next to her friends as usual, Sammy sits next to his friends, and Damien has the misfortune of sitting next to Ernest...
“At least you’ve managed to keep track of who to sit next to this time. Reminding you now and then gets annoying.” He states as Damien sits down. “Sorry, I guess..” Damien responds, trying to hide the displeasure in his voice. “Anyways, you got the snacks? There’s no need for you to give them to the others; they don’t feel like seeing you this morning.” Ernest explains.
“Yeah, here.” He hands over the brown bag to Ernest, who opens it to ensure Damien’s not lying. “Great, maybe you’re not so useless after all.” Ernest attempts to compliment him. “Wow, I feel so appreciated...” Damien rolls his eyes. “Don’t get smart with me, jackass.” Ernest scoffs. Damien stays quiet for the rest of the bus ride to school. He would’ve moved seats after giving Ernest the stuff, but there are no more seats on the bus or any that people willingly let him sit in.
Once off the bus, he immediately heads to his locker. It’s better to go here than any other place, knowing people will be looking for him. The moment he opens his locker to put his unnecessary stuff inside, there’s an annoying voice standing next to him. “Well, aren’t you early today. Did you miss us that badly?” Someone says. Damien sighs before looking at him. “I just wanted to put my stuff away first, Lloyd, that’s all,” Damien explains.
“Boo, you’re no fun,” Keith adds. “Anyway, I guess you’ll be lucky today or whatever. We have shit to do today, and we’ve made the decision that you’ll only be spared today. This doesn’t mean you’ll be free after school, so brace yourself for that.” Lloyd explains. “Thanks for the heads up...?” Damien responds in confusion. Keith and Lloyd are now both confused, but the two leave instead of causing a further fuss. “What the fuck was that about?” Damien questions silently.
When he gets to class, of course, his desk is vandalized and fucked up as usual. Not like nothing is ever done about it, the teacher is a bitch and doesn’t care, she thinks he writes the horrible stuff on his desk himself. He sits down, waiting for at least the usual people to walk up to his desk, but surprisingly, they don’t. Ernest must’ve been serious, but we can’t assume he was telling the truth.
The classroom starts filling up with the other students while Damien reads whatever book he has in his bag this time. Someone taps on his desk, causing Damien to look up. It’s Elroy. “Hey, Damien! Did you hear what everyone’s been talking about?” He asks. “What’s everyone been talking about?” Damien questions. “There’s gonna be a whole bunch of new students here, and there’s gonna be four in our class!” He explains.
“That’s cool, do you plan on showing them around with your friends?” Damien replies. There’s a moment of awkward silence. “Well, actually, here’s the thing..” Damien groans in annoyance. “You told them I’d show them around for you guys before it was lunchtime?” Damien assumes. “Yeah.” Elroy answers. “Of course you did, it’s fine,” Damien states. “Really? Thanks, Damien!” Elroy exclaims. He walks away from Damien’s desk to Janis’s instead.
She then focuses her attention on Damien and adds to the previous conversation. “Hi, Damien, you sure look exhausted today!” She says. “Didn’t sleep well,” Damien responds, trying to shut down the conversation. “Sucks to be you. By the way, I have a favor to ask!” She states. “What is it?” Damien asks.
“You’ve probably heard about those new students coming to our school, and our class is lucky, so we’ll get four of them. When the teacher asks who’ll volunteer to give them a tour, can you do it, please? Everyone else has something important to do and we’re still planning...” Janis demands. “Not like I have any other choice, so okay.” Damien sighs.
“Don’t get snarky, but thanks anyway,” Janis waves before walking away. Before he can get back to his book, the teacher enters the classroom. “Alright, class, take your seats.” Ms. Taylor says. Everyone listens, and she clears her throat before speaking up once more.
“As you all might’ve heard, the school decided to have a program allowing more students late into the school year. With that, our class is gaining four new students.” She explains. “Alright, you guys can come in.”
The door opens, and four students walk in. Two of the four students look identical; are they twins? “Feel free to introduce yourselves! So, you can say your names, where you’re originally from, and any hobbies you have.” The teacher adds on.
“Okay. Um, my name is Suzuharu and I’m from Japan. A hobby of mine is journaling.” He says, his voice is cold yet gentle. “Hi, my name is Sumire and I’m from Japan too! A hobby of mine is roller skating!” She introduces. Her voice is high-pitched but calm at the same time.
“Hello, my name is Valère. I’m from France, and a hobby of mine is chess.” His voice is flamboyant. The last person to introduce themselves is a boy with dark hair. He seems sophisticated, but not at the same time. “My name is Benjamin and I’m from Denmark. I don’t have anything I enjoy too much to consider a hobby.” He states. His voice is just cold.
“Nice to meet you all, I’m sure everyone will adore you. Now, please take your seats, I’ll be right back to grab something from the office.” The teacher says as she walks over to the classroom door before leaving.
Instantly, they’re swarmed by everyone in the classroom, well, everyone except Damien. He wants to keep his distance.
“Oh my gosh, hi, my name is Marjorie! I must say, I love your outfit, Sumire, where’d you get your shoes?” She bombards her with questions. “Oh, thank you, I love your outfit, too! I got my shoes from the mall in town, sorry, I forgot the store's name.” She answers.
“You’re oddly quiet for someone who has an energetic sister...” Calvin states to Suzuharu. “Yeah, I get that a lot. We’re quite different despite being twins.” He replies.
Valère, he’s already being swarmed by the girls in Damien’s class. He can’t keep up with all the questions, poor kid. Students surround Benjamin to swarm him with questions, but he gives short answers, which keeps them curious instead of sending them away.
When the teacher comes back, the class is already settled down. “Alright, there’s not much to do today since the printer isn’t working, so we’ll be doing icebreakers so everyone can get to know one another better!” Ms. Taylor explains. Some students become annoyed by this new information, while some are happy. “One more thing, we’ll need someone to show the new students around. Would anyone like to volunteer?”
All the side conversations come to a halt, and everyone is quiet. “Err, how about you, Janis? You seem to know this school pretty well!” The teacher puts her on the spot. “Oh, uh, I have homework for another class I wanted to get done, so I can’t... Sorry!” She explains in a hurry.
“Right, then, anyone else?” Ms. Taylor asks again. “I’ll do it,” Damien answers as he stands up from his desk. “Thanks a bunch, Damien! Here’s the tour pass.” She exclaims as she grabs the slip from her desk drawer. With that, the five students leave the classroom. Damien decides to take his things with him just in case they might return to class late.
