You Always Remember...

AN: Well, I delivered two chapters in two days. I’m feeling pretty happy with myself right now. Granted, I should have been sleeping or studying for my exam in…oh…10 hours, but I had to write this first. So due to exams then, there might not be the third chapter for a few days. Thank you to everyone foe the reviews and keep them coming!




Chapter Two



There wasn’t a lock on the box, so it was easy enough to open. Looking inside, a wave of nostalgia washed over me and I had to fight the tears from streaming down my face and freezing to my cheeks. As soon as the box was open and I saw what was in it, I remembered the very day that we put this together. We had been watching a movie the previous day, unable to go outside to work on the tree house because it had been raining too hard. In the movie, a group of friends were huddled around an old box that they had dug up, and it turned out that it had been a time capsule. That had given is the idea of making one of our own.

That led to our sitting in the tree house the next day, choosing photographs of ourselves, our favorite songs, the action figures that we shared, and writing letters to our future selves. The last had been my idea, wondering whether I would aspire to what I hoped then I would be.

I closed the box then. Partially because I didn’t want to risk losing anything to the elements. And partially because I wanted to be sitting down in a warm room with a cup of tea when I went over everything. I also wanted a box of tissues near.

“Come on.” I said to Oliver, nudging his side with my right elbow, “Let’s go inside before we both freeze out here.”

“Think that you can face everyone now?” Asked Oliver as we started to walk back towards the house, still lit up and slightly visible through the dense trees. He knew me too well sometimes.

He knew me too well sometimes. “Yeah,” I answered, “I think I am. If not, I’m hiding in your room until everyone leaves.”

Oliver gave a small chuckle, and then stopped himself as if he just realized what he had been doing. It was too soon to do anything like laugh yet. I shifted the cigar box to one arm and wrapped the other around Oliver’s waist. Right then, I could read him, and knew that he needed it. He reciprocated the action and draped his arm over my shoulders.

We walked like that all the way to the house and only separated once we were safely inside and had to take off our winter jackets and shoes, adding to the growing pile of each by the door. I could tell by the shear amount of outerwear that was gathered there that there were still a lot of people in the house.

Smells of hot food finally caught up to my senses and my stomach then growled. Food would have to wait though. I needed to pour through the contents of the box before I did anything else. I grabbed Oliver’s hand and gave it a squeeze and let it fall again. I then headed to the closest bathroom, which was conveniently located close to the door and I wouldn’t have to pass anyone else before reaching it.

Reaching my final destination, I slipped through the open door and eased it close behind me. Putting the seat of the toilet down so that I could sit on it, I placed the box once again on my knees and opened it. With the better fluorescent lighting of the bathroom, I was able to see everything with clarity. I took the top layer of papers off and placed them on the lid to look at later. There, hidden under the old pieces of written on paper, lay Matt’s favorite He-Man action figure. The over muscled piece of plastic had seen better days, that’s for sure. There was also the Care Bear key chain that I had bought with the first of my own money ever. At the very bottom lay an old tape that held our favorite country song from one summer where we were obviously out of our minds listening to country and everything.

I then turned my attention to the papers that I had first pulled out. I quickly flipped through them all, realizing that everything that had been written in pencil was faded to the point of being illegible to read. Sandwiched between two of those said pictures was a photo of us from when we were, I would say from our looks, about ten. Our arms were around each other’s shoulders and we were both grinning like idiots into the camera. Matt was missing one of his front teeth. I remembered that Oliver had accidentally knocked it out while we were playing baseball a week or so before the picture was taken.

I was still pouring through everything when a newer looking, whiter, piece of paper. It was folded over several times, the writing obscured because of it. I carefully unfolded the paper, feeling anxious and apprehensive about reading its contents. I almost collapsed when I saw what was written.

Esma, it read, in Matt’s handwriting. He used the nickname for me that he had used forever. If you are reading this, you opened the capsule before you were supposed to. I’m sure that it was for a good reason; of course the only one that I can think of is my being dead.
Anyways, you’re probably wondering why I added this in after so many years. Well, to tell the truth, it is in case that something does happen to me before the appointed time of our opening this together. If nothing happens, you will never read this because I would have taken it out before anything happens.
I know, I know, I’ll get to the point. I’m writing this to tell you just how much I love you Esma. Never doubt that.

I couldn’t read any more after that, the pain in my heart just became too great. I folded the letter back up and placed it on top of everything else in the box. It had continued on for another two pages but I just couldn’t read it right then.

So I stood up, checked my reflection in the mirror and winced at my blood-shot eyes and the bags under them. I turned on the cold water and splashed some on my face in an attempt to calm myself down. Just as I was opening the door, Oliver was poised to knock on it.

“Everything ok?” He asked after letting his hand drop to his side.

“Yeah. I just wish that I would wake up from this awful nightmare.” I answered. I could feel a drop of water falling from my hairline as I did so, so I went to swipe at it with the back of my hand.

“I know how you feel. It’s about to get worse too. Your parents and mine want to see you in the family room.”

I sighed. “Can you tell them that I’ll be there in a minute? I just want to put this with my purse.”

“Sure thing.” And with that Oliver retreated towards where everyone was waiting.


oOo

Upon entering the family room not minutes later, the first thing I noticed was my mother holding a plate of steaming food out to me.

“Here, eat. You haven’t had anything all day.” She said as she handed it to me when I sat down beside her.

The second thing that I noticed was that many people had left while I had been in the bathroom. Now all that were left were my parents, Matt’s family and some close friends. However, as I continued to eat and half listen to the conversations going on around me, more people said their good byes and soon it was only my folks, Matt’s and his grandmother, who was snoring in a chair in the corner with her mouth hanging wide open. My guess was that she had had too much to drink that afternoon.

I was beginning to wonder why the parents had wanted to see me, but I shouldn’t have worried because as soon as I swallowed the last bite of lasagna, my father started to talk to me.

“Now Merry, you know that we all love you very much. And we love how you are so independent, but we think that you should come home for a while. You should be with family right now.”

I was about to interrupt him when my mother did it for me.

“Now Reggie, don’t just start in like that. Honey, what your father is trying to say is that we’re worried about you going back to the apartment after everything that has happened recently. We all know that you are taking Matt’s passing very hard and we don’t think that you should be alone right now.”

Once again I was going to say something but I wasn’t fast enough. Matt’s mother beat me to it.

“Especially since the apartment holds so many memories of Matt. But if you insist on staying in the city, maybe you should look for another place. A smaller one where you won’t always have that strong feeling that matt is still there.”

“Now, Gladys, I thought we all decided on this an hour ago. We shouldn’t force Merry to move anywhere right now. The added stress would just be too much to handle at this particular time. I say she gets another roommate, that’s just what I think.” Mr. Mackenzie, Phil, had jumped in even before I thought of it.

Then they started to talk as if I wasn’t even there anymore. It eventually got to the point where it was hard to distinguish one voice from another.

“Isn’t Mary Alice’s youngest wanting to move into the city soon? Maybe she could share with Merry?”

“No, that girl is too wild. Don’t you remember what happened this past year at the high school?”

“Was that her? Oh never mind then.”

“Who else is there that’s moving who could room with Merry?”

“Well…the only other person that I can think of if Oliver. He just got offered that job last month and has been looking for a place.”

“Oliver? As in your Oliver?”

“That would be perfect! Don’t you think Reggie?”

“I suppose. Him being there would offer a sort of protection as well for my baby girl against predators.”

“So it’s decided then. Oliver will move in next weekend. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

What?