CHAPTER 10: The Strangers that Haunt Me
"Jaime? Jaime?" Caitie screamed. Where was he? Caitie ran every where looking for Jaime. She
saw him in the distance, in a patch of trees in a forest. She ran to him. She could barely make out the
details of his features. He was hidden in the leaves. But she could see him move around.
The sky grew dark around her, and it started to rain. The air was cold and the air was still.
He kept moving, forward, and forward. "Jaime?" She called quietly and confusedly. "Jaime, sweety?
Come here. It's mom."
He led her deeper and deeper into the nightmarish forest. She followed and saw him run into a old
abandoned house, that looked more like a shack.
"Jaime?" She called as she entered the house. She walked into what must've been the living room.
There was a fire lit in the fire place, and a rocking chair in front of it. The back of the chair was facing
her, and it was moving back and forth.
"Jaime?" She called as she slowly stepped closer to the chair. She was standing right behind it, and a
fear flowed through her entire body sending chills up her spine.
The chair slowly started to turn. She kneeled down so her face would be level with her sons when he
was facing her. More and more the chair turned. But it wasn't Jaime's face that Caitie's met with. Her
eyes made contact with a large, dark, black, beady pair. She scanned the rest of the face in front of
her own to see that it belonged to Billy.
Caitie screamed as his eyes squinted and his hands quickly and tightly grabbed her shoulders.
Once again, Caitie shot up in her bed, breathing at a quick and hard pace. When she realized where
she was, she looked over at Jaime's bed, and found him fast asleep. She let out a deep sigh.
Later that day Caitie and Jaime went out to go shopping for food. They decided they wanted to find
an apartment in California. They would leave that day, but they needed a few things from the store.
The store was very crowded, so Caitie grabbed a basket instead of a cart. After about half an hour
she had everything she needed, but the check out lines were long. She spied a pretty decent line a
couple lanes down, but noticed a couple other people who had spotted it as well.
So, in desperation, she dashed for the line as did the other 3 people who were trying to get to it. She
dashed around the people surrounding her, and made her way closer to the line.
She wasn't watching the other 3 running. The 2 with shopping carts stopped realizing they couldn''t
push their carts around the people fast enough, but the 1 with a basket kept running. When they were
each about 5 feet away from the line, they tried to stop, but instead they slid. They slid forward until
smack! The slammed right into each other. Each falling down to the ground, their baskets of
groceries being tossed up into the air and crashing down on top of the both of them.
People crowded around them and pointed and stared. Caitie slowly got up, holding her hand on her
head and looked around embarrassed. The man she had crashed into, sat up moaning and then
glared at Caitie. But Caitie glared back. And forgetting the people around them, they both stould up
and began yelling at each other.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?" He yelled.
"Me? hello! You ran into me!"
"No way! You knocked me down!"
"Auh, I don't think so."
Soon, a worker ran up to them both and told them they needed to settle down, pay for their things
and leave. They nodded there heads and glared back at each other.
As they picked up the items, the man studied Caitie's face, and couldn't help but feel he'd seen
her some where before.
"Um, excuse me, but have we met?" He asked.
Caitie looked at him in disbelief. "Oh my gosh. I don't believe you. You just got me kicked out of the
store, and now you're hitting on me? What's your problem?"
The man grew angry, and he could feel his face go red. He finished loading his groceries and stould
up in the line. The crowd had lessened. Caitie finished and waited behind him. He thought of some
witty comment and turned around. "You know" But he stopped. He had gotten a good look at his
face and finally recognized the woman. "Caitie?"
Caitie's eyes grew wide and she studied the mans face. He did look familiar, but how did he know
her name? She jumped back when the name Billy crossed her mind, but one more look told her it
was only her paranoia.
Realizing it really was Caitie, he gave her a half smile. She wanted to ask him what he was smiling
about, but something about it mesmerized her. She knew that smile. She knew she knew that smile!
"Jaime?"
His smile grew bigger, and her face grew one of her own.
"Oh my gosh, Jaime?" Her voice squeaked. They stould there not knowing what to do. The moment
was awkward because of the absence of each other in their lives, and part of each of them told them
to just stand there, that they were still not talking. But another part told them each to jump into each
other's arms and just hold each other until they made up all the lost time.
Caitie couldn't help it. She had missed him way to much, and she had dreamed of this moment for so
long, she wasn't going to let it waste. So as tears filled her eyes she ran into his arms and wrapped
hers around him.
He put his arms up as if he was ready to hug her, but couldn't quite do it. Feeling her there was such
a blessing to him. Sometimes he regretted leaving her and never keeping contact. He had never
stopped loving her. But he had been resentful towards her all the same. But for an instant he forgot
all that, and finally enclosed her in his arms.
"Umm, excuse me. Please, you need to hurry." The check out lady called.
They both gave her a quick look, and started unloading their groceries.
"So." Caitie began.
"So." Jaime responded.
They both smiled. Neither of them new what to say.
Finally Caitie had to say what she felt. "Jaime. It's really good to see you. I've really missed you."
She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He stould quietly for a minute than responded. "I've really
missed you too."
He was about to say something else when he noticed a little boy run up to Caitie and hold a box up
to her. She turned her attention to the small boy.
"Mama. I found Oreos." He threw the box of cookies in with the other groceries. Caitie smiled at him
and lifted him up.
Honey I want you meet a friend of mine. But when she turned around Jaime was gone. "Who
mama?" Jaime asked.
Caitie wasn't going to let him disappear again. The check out lady had already bagged her groceries.
Caitie through a 20 down. "Keep the change." She grabbed the 2 bags and ran out of the store.
She saw him loading his bags into his car and she ran up to him, almost dropping her own. "Please.
Please don't do this." She begged him. She set Jaime down, and he turned to her.
"Look Caitie. I'm suddenly remembering why I stopped talking to you. It just hurts to much."
"It's been years. Why would it still hurt? You don't still?" She stared at him and he looked down.
"Oh." She said looking down as well. Than she looked back up and smiled.
"No Caitie. No I don't, so please don't think that. I'm over you. The pain, it just stuck with me."
Caitie's smile turned down. "I'm so sorry Jaime."
"Mommy, what's he talking about?" Little Jaime asked.
"Nothing baby. Hey I want you to meet someone." She looked to Jaime. "This is an old friend of
mine. His name is Jaime." Little Jaime looked at the man.
"You mean like mine?"
"Yeah baby. Just like yours. Infact, this is who you were named after."
Jaime Waite smiled. "You?"
"Yeah." Caitie answered with a smile. "Yeah I did." She looked back to her son and smiled.
Jaime Waite shook the young boys hand. "Well." He said.
"Well what?" The boy asked.
"Well, I think it's pretty cool you have my name." He looked up at Caitie with a smile that told her
he'd forgiven her. "Pretty cool."
"Jaime? Jaime?" Caitie screamed. Where was he? Caitie ran every where looking for Jaime. She
saw him in the distance, in a patch of trees in a forest. She ran to him. She could barely make out the
details of his features. He was hidden in the leaves. But she could see him move around.
The sky grew dark around her, and it started to rain. The air was cold and the air was still.
He kept moving, forward, and forward. "Jaime?" She called quietly and confusedly. "Jaime, sweety?
Come here. It's mom."
He led her deeper and deeper into the nightmarish forest. She followed and saw him run into a old
abandoned house, that looked more like a shack.
"Jaime?" She called as she entered the house. She walked into what must've been the living room.
There was a fire lit in the fire place, and a rocking chair in front of it. The back of the chair was facing
her, and it was moving back and forth.
"Jaime?" She called as she slowly stepped closer to the chair. She was standing right behind it, and a
fear flowed through her entire body sending chills up her spine.
The chair slowly started to turn. She kneeled down so her face would be level with her sons when he
was facing her. More and more the chair turned. But it wasn't Jaime's face that Caitie's met with. Her
eyes made contact with a large, dark, black, beady pair. She scanned the rest of the face in front of
her own to see that it belonged to Billy.
Caitie screamed as his eyes squinted and his hands quickly and tightly grabbed her shoulders.
Once again, Caitie shot up in her bed, breathing at a quick and hard pace. When she realized where
she was, she looked over at Jaime's bed, and found him fast asleep. She let out a deep sigh.
Later that day Caitie and Jaime went out to go shopping for food. They decided they wanted to find
an apartment in California. They would leave that day, but they needed a few things from the store.
The store was very crowded, so Caitie grabbed a basket instead of a cart. After about half an hour
she had everything she needed, but the check out lines were long. She spied a pretty decent line a
couple lanes down, but noticed a couple other people who had spotted it as well.
So, in desperation, she dashed for the line as did the other 3 people who were trying to get to it. She
dashed around the people surrounding her, and made her way closer to the line.
She wasn't watching the other 3 running. The 2 with shopping carts stopped realizing they couldn''t
push their carts around the people fast enough, but the 1 with a basket kept running. When they were
each about 5 feet away from the line, they tried to stop, but instead they slid. They slid forward until
smack! The slammed right into each other. Each falling down to the ground, their baskets of
groceries being tossed up into the air and crashing down on top of the both of them.
People crowded around them and pointed and stared. Caitie slowly got up, holding her hand on her
head and looked around embarrassed. The man she had crashed into, sat up moaning and then
glared at Caitie. But Caitie glared back. And forgetting the people around them, they both stould up
and began yelling at each other.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?" He yelled.
"Me? hello! You ran into me!"
"No way! You knocked me down!"
"Auh, I don't think so."
Soon, a worker ran up to them both and told them they needed to settle down, pay for their things
and leave. They nodded there heads and glared back at each other.
As they picked up the items, the man studied Caitie's face, and couldn't help but feel he'd seen
her some where before.
"Um, excuse me, but have we met?" He asked.
Caitie looked at him in disbelief. "Oh my gosh. I don't believe you. You just got me kicked out of the
store, and now you're hitting on me? What's your problem?"
The man grew angry, and he could feel his face go red. He finished loading his groceries and stould
up in the line. The crowd had lessened. Caitie finished and waited behind him. He thought of some
witty comment and turned around. "You know" But he stopped. He had gotten a good look at his
face and finally recognized the woman. "Caitie?"
Caitie's eyes grew wide and she studied the mans face. He did look familiar, but how did he know
her name? She jumped back when the name Billy crossed her mind, but one more look told her it
was only her paranoia.
Realizing it really was Caitie, he gave her a half smile. She wanted to ask him what he was smiling
about, but something about it mesmerized her. She knew that smile. She knew she knew that smile!
"Jaime?"
His smile grew bigger, and her face grew one of her own.
"Oh my gosh, Jaime?" Her voice squeaked. They stould there not knowing what to do. The moment
was awkward because of the absence of each other in their lives, and part of each of them told them
to just stand there, that they were still not talking. But another part told them each to jump into each
other's arms and just hold each other until they made up all the lost time.
Caitie couldn't help it. She had missed him way to much, and she had dreamed of this moment for so
long, she wasn't going to let it waste. So as tears filled her eyes she ran into his arms and wrapped
hers around him.
He put his arms up as if he was ready to hug her, but couldn't quite do it. Feeling her there was such
a blessing to him. Sometimes he regretted leaving her and never keeping contact. He had never
stopped loving her. But he had been resentful towards her all the same. But for an instant he forgot
all that, and finally enclosed her in his arms.
"Umm, excuse me. Please, you need to hurry." The check out lady called.
They both gave her a quick look, and started unloading their groceries.
"So." Caitie began.
"So." Jaime responded.
They both smiled. Neither of them new what to say.
Finally Caitie had to say what she felt. "Jaime. It's really good to see you. I've really missed you."
She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He stould quietly for a minute than responded. "I've really
missed you too."
He was about to say something else when he noticed a little boy run up to Caitie and hold a box up
to her. She turned her attention to the small boy.
"Mama. I found Oreos." He threw the box of cookies in with the other groceries. Caitie smiled at him
and lifted him up.
Honey I want you meet a friend of mine. But when she turned around Jaime was gone. "Who
mama?" Jaime asked.
Caitie wasn't going to let him disappear again. The check out lady had already bagged her groceries.
Caitie through a 20 down. "Keep the change." She grabbed the 2 bags and ran out of the store.
She saw him loading his bags into his car and she ran up to him, almost dropping her own. "Please.
Please don't do this." She begged him. She set Jaime down, and he turned to her.
"Look Caitie. I'm suddenly remembering why I stopped talking to you. It just hurts to much."
"It's been years. Why would it still hurt? You don't still?" She stared at him and he looked down.
"Oh." She said looking down as well. Than she looked back up and smiled.
"No Caitie. No I don't, so please don't think that. I'm over you. The pain, it just stuck with me."
Caitie's smile turned down. "I'm so sorry Jaime."
"Mommy, what's he talking about?" Little Jaime asked.
"Nothing baby. Hey I want you to meet someone." She looked to Jaime. "This is an old friend of
mine. His name is Jaime." Little Jaime looked at the man.
"You mean like mine?"
"Yeah baby. Just like yours. Infact, this is who you were named after."
Jaime Waite smiled. "You?"
"Yeah." Caitie answered with a smile. "Yeah I did." She looked back to her son and smiled.
Jaime Waite shook the young boys hand. "Well." He said.
"Well what?" The boy asked.
"Well, I think it's pretty cool you have my name." He looked up at Caitie with a smile that told her
he'd forgiven her. "Pretty cool."