I looked into the mirror and smiled. Roswell had turned out better than I though it would. It was like after nine years I finally had a home, a home I could remember. If only I could forget the past. No time for that now. I took one more quick look in the mirror and hurried out the door of my mother's apartment, smack into the next door neighbor.
"Sorry," I mumbled squatting down to pick up my keys. The man just mumbled a quick, "that's ok," and walked into his apartment. I watched as he opened the door to his apartment and he glanced in my direction. I turned away and hurried down the stairs, out the door and into the car.
I switched on the radio and tapped the rhythm, trying to get rid of the eerie feeling our neighbor gave me. It was like déjà vu or something. I shook my head, tossing it from side to side slowly and then quickly. 'It's just your imagination,' I thought.
I pulled in front of my mother's store and hopped out. I was late, and it was only my first day, what an impression. I looked through the glass doors at Mom busily rummaging through boxes of alien crap of all types. Why didn't she just give it up? Well she did look cute among all the blow up dolls and plastic coffee stirrers. At least it was good business.
Liz had asked me to work at the Crashdown with her but when I saw my mother's face as she asked me to work here I knew I couldn't let her down. I finally had a mother, I didn't want to blow it. So here I was, ready to start a new job.
"I'm here," I said as I breezed in, causing my mom to look up from the box she was digging in and spill a bunch of pencils all over the store. I scrambled to help her pick them up.
"You're late," she said as we grabbed for the still rolling pencils. Her voice was stern but there was a smile in her eyes.
"Sorry, won't happen again boss," I said and she laughed. "I would have been here sooner but I ran into our neighbor on the way out."
"Oh, you met Michael?" she said.
"Well if you call practically tripping over him and then running out the door meeting, than yes." All the pencils had found their way back in the box and mom walked back to the storage room. I followed. "So what am I supposed to be doing?"
"You make deliveries. So what did you think of Michael?"
"What was I supposed to think, I didn't even see him," I laughed. "Now about this job, so I just deliver the stuff for you?"
"Yeah. You didn't see him? Well that explains why you didn't come in here lovestruck. He's one cute kid, nice too."
"Mooomm," I whined. She just wouldn't let up on the subject. "I'm sure I'll meet him someday. He does live in the same building." I started helping her stack boxes in the back when the bell on the door chimed.
"Get it please," my mom said, still buried in boxes.
"Um…ok," I said not sure what to do. But I guess I had had enough jobs to know what to do. I went to the counter and an older man was standing there holding a cowboy hat. He looked familiar. Everyone looked familiar, and that was beginning to annoy me.
"Good day," he said to me.
"Hello, how can I help you?" My eyes darted to the back where my mom's assistant was sitting, well it looked like she was sleeping. No wonder my mom wanted me here.
"Is Mx. De Luca here?" he questioned, casually looking towards the back room.
"Hold on a second please," I said politely as I moved into the storage room. "Mom, there's a man outside. He asked for you."
"Must be the sheriff," she mumbled. The sheriff, that's who it was. Valenti. It was amazing how the memory worked. It could sleep for nine years, when you most wanted it to be awake, and then the smallest thing would remind it of everything, when you could care lass about them.
If only the memories of the last nine years could fall asleep. I wish they could be erased. I wish I didn't see my father's face every time I closed my eyes. I wish I couldn't hear his voice every time I was engulfed in silence. I wish I didn't have to feel his hand on me every time someone else touched me. I wish…It was no use.
I looked up and both my mom and Valenti were totally engrossed in each other, it was like they were in their own little world. Had my mom found someone, had she found happiness, love? Good for her. I inched myself towards the back of the store and busied myself with organizing some of the shelves. My mother may be a great lady, but she was not organized. I guess I wasn't either, but it was something to do. Although I don't think my mother would have noticed me if I were standing right between her and the sheriff. They were cute, to tell you the truth.
The sheriff left and my mom started humming. "Elaine, could you take inventory for me?" My mother's assistant sat up straight in her chair and bolted to the storage room.
"So what's with you and the sheriff?" I teased.
"Oh nothing," she replied, turning her back on me.
"Come on. You going out?"
"Well sorta," she said, avoiding the subject. "He's got a cute son, you know?"
"Yeah and if you two get married he'd be my stepbrother."
"We're no where near marriage."
"Niether am I," I laughed.
"I was just thinking…" she mused.
"And I was just saying no. Besides how many boys are you going to try to set me up with? First it's that Michael kid, then it's um…"
"Kyle," she filled in.
"Yeah, Kyle. Let's take 'em one at a time. Who should go first?" I questioned giving her a little punch on the arm. Neither of them would go first if I had my way. Nope, no more boys for me. Yeah right.
"Sorry," I mumbled squatting down to pick up my keys. The man just mumbled a quick, "that's ok," and walked into his apartment. I watched as he opened the door to his apartment and he glanced in my direction. I turned away and hurried down the stairs, out the door and into the car.
I switched on the radio and tapped the rhythm, trying to get rid of the eerie feeling our neighbor gave me. It was like déjà vu or something. I shook my head, tossing it from side to side slowly and then quickly. 'It's just your imagination,' I thought.
I pulled in front of my mother's store and hopped out. I was late, and it was only my first day, what an impression. I looked through the glass doors at Mom busily rummaging through boxes of alien crap of all types. Why didn't she just give it up? Well she did look cute among all the blow up dolls and plastic coffee stirrers. At least it was good business.
Liz had asked me to work at the Crashdown with her but when I saw my mother's face as she asked me to work here I knew I couldn't let her down. I finally had a mother, I didn't want to blow it. So here I was, ready to start a new job.
"I'm here," I said as I breezed in, causing my mom to look up from the box she was digging in and spill a bunch of pencils all over the store. I scrambled to help her pick them up.
"You're late," she said as we grabbed for the still rolling pencils. Her voice was stern but there was a smile in her eyes.
"Sorry, won't happen again boss," I said and she laughed. "I would have been here sooner but I ran into our neighbor on the way out."
"Oh, you met Michael?" she said.
"Well if you call practically tripping over him and then running out the door meeting, than yes." All the pencils had found their way back in the box and mom walked back to the storage room. I followed. "So what am I supposed to be doing?"
"You make deliveries. So what did you think of Michael?"
"What was I supposed to think, I didn't even see him," I laughed. "Now about this job, so I just deliver the stuff for you?"
"Yeah. You didn't see him? Well that explains why you didn't come in here lovestruck. He's one cute kid, nice too."
"Mooomm," I whined. She just wouldn't let up on the subject. "I'm sure I'll meet him someday. He does live in the same building." I started helping her stack boxes in the back when the bell on the door chimed.
"Get it please," my mom said, still buried in boxes.
"Um…ok," I said not sure what to do. But I guess I had had enough jobs to know what to do. I went to the counter and an older man was standing there holding a cowboy hat. He looked familiar. Everyone looked familiar, and that was beginning to annoy me.
"Good day," he said to me.
"Hello, how can I help you?" My eyes darted to the back where my mom's assistant was sitting, well it looked like she was sleeping. No wonder my mom wanted me here.
"Is Mx. De Luca here?" he questioned, casually looking towards the back room.
"Hold on a second please," I said politely as I moved into the storage room. "Mom, there's a man outside. He asked for you."
"Must be the sheriff," she mumbled. The sheriff, that's who it was. Valenti. It was amazing how the memory worked. It could sleep for nine years, when you most wanted it to be awake, and then the smallest thing would remind it of everything, when you could care lass about them.
If only the memories of the last nine years could fall asleep. I wish they could be erased. I wish I didn't see my father's face every time I closed my eyes. I wish I couldn't hear his voice every time I was engulfed in silence. I wish I didn't have to feel his hand on me every time someone else touched me. I wish…It was no use.
I looked up and both my mom and Valenti were totally engrossed in each other, it was like they were in their own little world. Had my mom found someone, had she found happiness, love? Good for her. I inched myself towards the back of the store and busied myself with organizing some of the shelves. My mother may be a great lady, but she was not organized. I guess I wasn't either, but it was something to do. Although I don't think my mother would have noticed me if I were standing right between her and the sheriff. They were cute, to tell you the truth.
The sheriff left and my mom started humming. "Elaine, could you take inventory for me?" My mother's assistant sat up straight in her chair and bolted to the storage room.
"So what's with you and the sheriff?" I teased.
"Oh nothing," she replied, turning her back on me.
"Come on. You going out?"
"Well sorta," she said, avoiding the subject. "He's got a cute son, you know?"
"Yeah and if you two get married he'd be my stepbrother."
"We're no where near marriage."
"Niether am I," I laughed.
"I was just thinking…" she mused.
"And I was just saying no. Besides how many boys are you going to try to set me up with? First it's that Michael kid, then it's um…"
"Kyle," she filled in.
"Yeah, Kyle. Let's take 'em one at a time. Who should go first?" I questioned giving her a little punch on the arm. Neither of them would go first if I had my way. Nope, no more boys for me. Yeah right.