Chapter Eight
Remembering
I yawned, stretching. Had all of it been some weird dream? Or had it really happened? I looked at my finger; stitches. From the bagel knife. So, yes it had happened. Well, was my mother here? Would she believe it or think it was a dream? What would my friends believe? What would life be like?
I lay in bed, thinking, wondering. There were, once more, too many questions. What was fact and what was fiction, though? Well, none of it was fiction, really. If the bagel knife incident had really happened, then the rest of it must have, too.
I glanced at the clock, wondering if it was late enough to call one of my friends. 11:23. Yes, it was late enough. I picked up the phone, dialing Nikki Williams' phone number.
"Hello?" came her mother's voice on the other line.
"Oh, hi. Is Nikki there?"
"Oh, yes she is, Leah. Just a moment."
There was a pause and two clicks on the other end, and then I heard Nikki's voice.
"Leah?"
"Yeah."
"I had the weirdest dream."
"It wasn't a dream."
I heard a 'thunk!' on the other end.
"Sorry, Leah, I dropped the phone. What was that?"
"It wasn't a dream."
There was a long pause.
"Oh."
"Yeah, I have the bagel knife stitches."
"So it wasn't a dream."
"No."
"Oh."
Pause.
"Nikki?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss Frodo already."
"Oh."
"I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Bye!"
There was a click, and she hung up. I hung up the receiver and lay back on my bed, tears beginning to roll down my cheeks.
*** Two Years Later ***
I tossed my mascara back in the bag. I had, after quite some time, gotten over the loss of my pleasant life in Middle-Earth, and was living my life as normally as possible, savoring each day like it was my last, because I was taking my own advice for once. I felt a hand on my shoulder, seeming familiar but new at the same time. I whirled around, my heart racing, wondering if it was...
It was my mother. I breathed out a breath I did not know I had been holding.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. Tonight was a school dance, and, although I'd sworn off ever having a romance again, Eddie had asked me out, as friends, and I hadn't been able to say no to that, as long as it stayed friendly.
"Alright. Well, I'll be ready to take you in a little bit. I just have to hop in the shower, and then we can go."
*** After the dance ***
I threw my purse on my desk. Boy, what a night it had been. I had danced and danced and danced until my feet hurt.
"Goodnight!" my mom called.
"G'night." I called back. I suddenly had the feeling like someone was watching me, but I brushed it off. I quickly undressed and got into a plain black dress I used as a nightgown. I slipped into bed and reached out to turn off the light. Something stopped me, though; a feeling of over whelming love, of barely contained passion. I closed my eyes as I felt a hand reach out, touch my cheek lightly as though making sure I was real. I turned my head and opened my eyes, hoping I was right in my guess but telling myself I wasn't.
There he sat, blue eyes peeking out from curly masses of dark brown hair. My jaw dropped, but I quickly shut it, smiling. Then laughing. Then both of us were laughing, were hugging, were crying and laughing through our tears. I collapsed on the bed, him leaning over me, my head and shoulders cradled in his arms.
"Wh-" I began to ask. He put a finger to my lips.
"Shhh. don't say a word."
"Hypocrite."
"You gonna punish me?" he asked, leaning down until our lips were but an inch apart.
"You bet," I said, pulling his head down into a kiss.
I yawned, stretching. Had all of it been some weird dream? Or had it really happened? I looked at my finger; stitches. From the bagel knife. So, yes it had happened. Well, was my mother here? Would she believe it or think it was a dream? What would my friends believe? What would life be like?
I lay in bed, thinking, wondering. There were, once more, too many questions. What was fact and what was fiction, though? Well, none of it was fiction, really. If the bagel knife incident had really happened, then the rest of it must have, too.
I glanced at the clock, wondering if it was late enough to call one of my friends. 11:23. Yes, it was late enough. I picked up the phone, dialing Nikki Williams' phone number.
"Hello?" came her mother's voice on the other line.
"Oh, hi. Is Nikki there?"
"Oh, yes she is, Leah. Just a moment."
There was a pause and two clicks on the other end, and then I heard Nikki's voice.
"Leah?"
"Yeah."
"I had the weirdest dream."
"It wasn't a dream."
I heard a 'thunk!' on the other end.
"Sorry, Leah, I dropped the phone. What was that?"
"It wasn't a dream."
There was a long pause.
"Oh."
"Yeah, I have the bagel knife stitches."
"So it wasn't a dream."
"No."
"Oh."
Pause.
"Nikki?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss Frodo already."
"Oh."
"I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Bye!"
There was a click, and she hung up. I hung up the receiver and lay back on my bed, tears beginning to roll down my cheeks.
*** Two Years Later ***
I tossed my mascara back in the bag. I had, after quite some time, gotten over the loss of my pleasant life in Middle-Earth, and was living my life as normally as possible, savoring each day like it was my last, because I was taking my own advice for once. I felt a hand on my shoulder, seeming familiar but new at the same time. I whirled around, my heart racing, wondering if it was...
It was my mother. I breathed out a breath I did not know I had been holding.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. Tonight was a school dance, and, although I'd sworn off ever having a romance again, Eddie had asked me out, as friends, and I hadn't been able to say no to that, as long as it stayed friendly.
"Alright. Well, I'll be ready to take you in a little bit. I just have to hop in the shower, and then we can go."
*** After the dance ***
I threw my purse on my desk. Boy, what a night it had been. I had danced and danced and danced until my feet hurt.
"Goodnight!" my mom called.
"G'night." I called back. I suddenly had the feeling like someone was watching me, but I brushed it off. I quickly undressed and got into a plain black dress I used as a nightgown. I slipped into bed and reached out to turn off the light. Something stopped me, though; a feeling of over whelming love, of barely contained passion. I closed my eyes as I felt a hand reach out, touch my cheek lightly as though making sure I was real. I turned my head and opened my eyes, hoping I was right in my guess but telling myself I wasn't.
There he sat, blue eyes peeking out from curly masses of dark brown hair. My jaw dropped, but I quickly shut it, smiling. Then laughing. Then both of us were laughing, were hugging, were crying and laughing through our tears. I collapsed on the bed, him leaning over me, my head and shoulders cradled in his arms.
"Wh-" I began to ask. He put a finger to my lips.
"Shhh. don't say a word."
"Hypocrite."
"You gonna punish me?" he asked, leaning down until our lips were but an inch apart.
"You bet," I said, pulling his head down into a kiss.