DON'T NEED TO MISS ME ANYMORE
MELODY
Today was a memorable day. The reunion after 5 years since graduating high school. There would be tension but also emotion. I hadn’t seen my classmates in so long. I knew nothing about any of them. Always wondered what had become of Rachel McCarthy, the most beautiful girl in our class and maybe even in the school. And Tom Barker, who studied hard to overcome his condition. And my best friend, Kiara Miller.
“Rachel McCarthy?” the teacher asked.
“Here!” Rach answered with her wide smile across her perfect face.
“Kiara Miller?” the teacher continued.
“Here, Miss Jones,” said my friend, making her presence felt.
My turn.
“Melody Turner.”
“Here, Miss!”
Now that was every single day, and it was the nice and simple part of math class. Because math? Well, it wasn’t our strong point. But that felt so long ago…
My mother was always sad and wore very dark clothes. I didn’t understand why. The house was full of photos of me. From when I was a baby, my first holy communion, my first day of kindergarten, my first day of elementary school. But there were none from the day I graduated high school. And what was even stranger, we didn’t have any mirrors. I didn’t understand that either, but it didn’t matter. I got used to it.
“Mom, I am going to be late for my 5 year reunion!” I yelled from the top of the stairs. “I hope my breakfast is ready.”
But when I went downstairs, I noticed that breakfast wasn’t ready and my mother wasn’t in the kitchen either. That wasn’t really a problem; I could make it myself. I was 22, old enough to make myself something to eat. Maybe my mother was tired and still asleep.
While I was carefully making myself an omelet and bacon, I accidentally knocked over a bowl, which fell on the floor. It made quite a loud noise, as metal on tile was quite loud. I had made a mess! Then I saw my mother at the top of the stairs looking at me.
“I’m sorry I woke you up, Mom,” I said with sincere regret.
My mother looked around and smiled slightly, but bitterly. She went upstairs saying nothing. “I’ll try to be more careful next time, Mom, okay?”
I ate quietly and carefully put the dishes in the sink. I really didn’t want to wake my mother again. She seemed exhausted. Was she sick? Probably not. She would have told me.
***
It was almost time. I went in to take a hot shower and got really scared when my mother walked into the bathroom. She often came into the bathroom when I was here and always caught me off guard.
“Hey, Mom, what are you doing here?”
My mother looked around, as if she had done it a thousand times before.
“Sweetheart, you forgot to bring a towel again,” she said with a smile and placed a towel next to the shower.
“Thanks, mom” I said, and my mother got out.
She has been acting really strangely lately.
I didn’t take it into account, as usual. Mom could take care of herself. Now comes the hardest part. Choosing the outfit. But I chose something that made me feel good. A pair of dark blue pants, a pink top and a jacket over it. The meeting was at the pier, and it was quite chilly. I found it strange that my colleagues had chosen that place to meet, but if that was what they wanted, who was I to argue?
I left half an hour early to give myself plenty of time. But it took me no more than 15 minutes. The place was as sinister as could be. The fog had lifted, and I could barely see anything in front of me. I was beginning to wonder if this was the meeting place. The message on my phone showed gate 2, which was the exact hall in front of me. So I was standing right in front of it.
The place seemed deserted, though. I moved forward and tried to remain calm. The wind was blowing gently.
“Hello? Is anyone here?” I asked, but I could hear only my echo.
Out of nowhere, a black cat appeared and started rubbing against my feet.
“What is it, little kitten? Are you lost?” Or am I? I asked myself. I didn’t know what it was, but something scared the hell out of the kitten when she looked up at me and ran away.
I stayed in the area for about half an hour, desperately searching for my classmates. But I couldn’t find anyone. I left disappointed.How could they do this to me? How could I not have seen this coming? I was so happy to see them. I came to terms with it and headed home. It was a little past midnight. The wind had started to blow harder, but the pain in my heart was greater.
On the way home, I saw a wonderful couple walking with a little boy. That’s how Jake and I were supposed to be. I was so in love with him. He promised me we would get married after graduation. He disappeared without a trace, and I never heard from him again.
He left me heartbroken.
My thoughts then flew back to the reunion that was supposed to take place today. Maybe they canceled, but why didn’t they let me know? They could have called me or left me a message. I would have understood.
It didn’t matter now; I was already in front of my house. The fog trailed me all the way back, and the moon was huge and bright. There was a sinister atmosphere, as if the souls of the departed were wandering freely on earth. The thought shook me because I was easily frightened, so I quickly entered the house.
Mom was in the kitchen having a glass of water.
“Wow, Mom, you scared me. Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Oh, hon, I miss you so much…” she said as she was looking out the window to the full moon.
“You don’t need to miss me anymore, Mom; I am home now. I don’t know how and why, but the reunion didn’t take place, so I had to return…” I told her, a little disappointed and sad.
“Don’t be upset about the place where you went, my dear,” Mom told me. “I am always here for you.”
“I am not upset, Mom. It’s just…I don’t know…I wasn’t going to just sit there at the pier. And I know you are always here for me.” I told her and turned to face her.
She averted her eyes and went upstairs.
“Good night, my little girl. ”
“Good night, Mom. And I am not a little girl anymore. ”
