Chapter 11
"Who was it? What did he do?"
"It was Mr. Martin. He.he want me to."
"I understand." Michael told her. "You don't have to say."
"He took me back to his house. When I tried to run, he beat my legs so bad I couldn't walk."
"But you did finally get back." Michael knew. "How?"
"Anne came for me."
"She knew where you were?"
"Yes, I told her."
"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you put and address on the letter? Why didn't you let me know you were hurt?"
"He wouldn't let me. He burned the first letter I wrote. I was told that I could only write you the truth.that I was happy and doing well. I managed to write Anne with the real truth, only because Mr. Martin didn't believe she was real."
"I don't understand. If Anne came for you, why did she just leave you, all alone.in the snow?"
"She didn't leave me alone. Greg was here. She left me with him. Anne would have stayed if she could.but trust me Michael, she had to get back to her family."
"When I found you, you couldn't walk.How on earth did you get down to the creek?"
"I told you I couldn't stay in the house without you.I crawled away.Greg was gone a long time you know."
"I'm so glad you came back to me.so happy you were alright."
"And after I was well, we were finally able to start our life together."
"Yes. You never did finish telling me how you asked me to marry you."
"I thought you said you remembered."
"I do. But I want to hear you tell it."
"Alright.It was our first real P-day. June16, 2003."
"You sure you want to do this?"
"Of course I'm sure. We decided to climb Pike's peak every year. And that's just what I aim to do."
"It won't be too hard?"
"I love that mountain. And now I will always remember what it brought me.my life with you. You can't remember the bad.only good." Melissa smiled. "Don't you agree?"
"Yes I do."
Then we hiked up." Melissa interrupted.
"I thought I was telling the story." Michael teased.
"You were.Go on."
"And then we hiked up." Michael continued. "And when we got to the top, I asked you to marry me."
The air on top of the mountain was thin. But the couple barely noticed their shortened breathing. The world around them was more magnificent then they remembered. Above them the clouds billowed in tremendous puffs. Below, the hills were adorned with grass and trees. "It's so beautiful up here." Melissa sighed.
Michael agreed. "Yes it is."
"I'm glad we decided to do this."
"Melissa there's something I wanted to ask you." Michael began. "And I thought that up here, on our mountain, would be the perfect spot."
"What is it Michael?"
Michael got down on one knee, simultaneously pulling a small box from his pocket. "Melissa from the day I met you, I have known that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You are part of my soul. Without you I feel lost." Michael paused only momentarily before he asked his question. He lifted the box and flipped open the lid. "Will you marry me?"
There was no hesitation from Melissa. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Oh yes!"
"And we spent the next few months preparing for the wedding." Melissa remembered.
"And then you disappeared again." Michael recalled, pain echoed in his voice. "I thought you had run away again."
"I don't know what happened." Melissa said. "One minute I'm walking through the woods.the next I'm waking up in the hospital."
"It took weeks to find you. Being out in the weather had it's tole on you, not to mention your injuries. The doctors said those alone could have killed you."
"But I recovered."
"Yes you did."
"Michael, I do have one question."
"Yes?"
"I was in the hospital for weeks and no one came to visit. If you were so worried, where were you? Where were you when I was about to die, when the doctors wanted to take me off all the machines because there was no one to claim me. Where were you when I finally woke up and didn't know who I was?"
"I was here at the house, waiting for you to come back."
"You didn't even try to look for me?"
"Why? Last time I drove myself mad looking and hoping that you had just run out for milk or something. Then you came home and wouldn't tell me where you had been. This second disappearance was identical. Why should I have thought to come looking for you?"
"I don't know. Weren't you worried about me?"
"I was terrified. That you were hurt or even dead. But what could I do. As far as I knew, you were back with your so-called family in Missouri. If that's even where you were in the first place."
"You still could have made an attempt to find me."
"I looked for three days. But you didn't turn up."
"Did you think of calling the police?"
"A dozen times. But I got your letter."
"I never sent a letter."
"Well someone did."
"What did it say?" Melissa wondered.
"You were going away and wouldn't be coming back."
"And you believed it?"
"What was I supposed to believe?"
"That I was hurt!"
"Why would I think that?" Michael asked
"I was hurt last time."
"Yes and you wouldn't tell me why. As far as I knew, you had fallen down."
"You don't get bruises like that from falling."
"Maybe not. But that was the only explanation I had, so I was forced to believe it."
"Had you known about Mr. Martin before, what would you have done?"
"I would have come looking for you." Michael assured.
"I thought so."
"When I saw your picture on the news."
"My picture?"
"I hadn't been looking for you.but the doctors were looking for your family. Originally they had just posted new reports around Boston, but they saw Pike's Peak in the background of that picture in your wallet so they started looking around here for someone who knew you."
"And you saw it and came for me."
"That's right."
"Michael do you have any idea how I ended up in Boston?"
"No. I've been hoping you would know. But it seems that bump on your head made you forget. The doctors told me that sometimes recent memories never return."
"I've been thinking."
"Yes?"
"I was walking around here.and don't remember anything else. But I was found in the woods of Massachusetts. Maybe it's those trees I'm remembering and not the ones here."
"I suppose that's possible."
"But I still don't know how I got there. It's not like it's nearby."
"You think you were kidnapped again?"
"That's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with."
"Then that's what we'll believe." Michael said.
"I know I didn't want to leave you."
"I know."
"Tomorrow is our wedding."
"Yes it is..You nervous?"
"Not at all." She assured.
"Good."
"I can't wait to be your wife."
"And I can't wait to be your husband."
"It was Mr. Martin. He.he want me to."
"I understand." Michael told her. "You don't have to say."
"He took me back to his house. When I tried to run, he beat my legs so bad I couldn't walk."
"But you did finally get back." Michael knew. "How?"
"Anne came for me."
"She knew where you were?"
"Yes, I told her."
"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you put and address on the letter? Why didn't you let me know you were hurt?"
"He wouldn't let me. He burned the first letter I wrote. I was told that I could only write you the truth.that I was happy and doing well. I managed to write Anne with the real truth, only because Mr. Martin didn't believe she was real."
"I don't understand. If Anne came for you, why did she just leave you, all alone.in the snow?"
"She didn't leave me alone. Greg was here. She left me with him. Anne would have stayed if she could.but trust me Michael, she had to get back to her family."
"When I found you, you couldn't walk.How on earth did you get down to the creek?"
"I told you I couldn't stay in the house without you.I crawled away.Greg was gone a long time you know."
"I'm so glad you came back to me.so happy you were alright."
"And after I was well, we were finally able to start our life together."
"Yes. You never did finish telling me how you asked me to marry you."
"I thought you said you remembered."
"I do. But I want to hear you tell it."
"Alright.It was our first real P-day. June16, 2003."
"You sure you want to do this?"
"Of course I'm sure. We decided to climb Pike's peak every year. And that's just what I aim to do."
"It won't be too hard?"
"I love that mountain. And now I will always remember what it brought me.my life with you. You can't remember the bad.only good." Melissa smiled. "Don't you agree?"
"Yes I do."
Then we hiked up." Melissa interrupted.
"I thought I was telling the story." Michael teased.
"You were.Go on."
"And then we hiked up." Michael continued. "And when we got to the top, I asked you to marry me."
The air on top of the mountain was thin. But the couple barely noticed their shortened breathing. The world around them was more magnificent then they remembered. Above them the clouds billowed in tremendous puffs. Below, the hills were adorned with grass and trees. "It's so beautiful up here." Melissa sighed.
Michael agreed. "Yes it is."
"I'm glad we decided to do this."
"Melissa there's something I wanted to ask you." Michael began. "And I thought that up here, on our mountain, would be the perfect spot."
"What is it Michael?"
Michael got down on one knee, simultaneously pulling a small box from his pocket. "Melissa from the day I met you, I have known that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You are part of my soul. Without you I feel lost." Michael paused only momentarily before he asked his question. He lifted the box and flipped open the lid. "Will you marry me?"
There was no hesitation from Melissa. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Oh yes!"
"And we spent the next few months preparing for the wedding." Melissa remembered.
"And then you disappeared again." Michael recalled, pain echoed in his voice. "I thought you had run away again."
"I don't know what happened." Melissa said. "One minute I'm walking through the woods.the next I'm waking up in the hospital."
"It took weeks to find you. Being out in the weather had it's tole on you, not to mention your injuries. The doctors said those alone could have killed you."
"But I recovered."
"Yes you did."
"Michael, I do have one question."
"Yes?"
"I was in the hospital for weeks and no one came to visit. If you were so worried, where were you? Where were you when I was about to die, when the doctors wanted to take me off all the machines because there was no one to claim me. Where were you when I finally woke up and didn't know who I was?"
"I was here at the house, waiting for you to come back."
"You didn't even try to look for me?"
"Why? Last time I drove myself mad looking and hoping that you had just run out for milk or something. Then you came home and wouldn't tell me where you had been. This second disappearance was identical. Why should I have thought to come looking for you?"
"I don't know. Weren't you worried about me?"
"I was terrified. That you were hurt or even dead. But what could I do. As far as I knew, you were back with your so-called family in Missouri. If that's even where you were in the first place."
"You still could have made an attempt to find me."
"I looked for three days. But you didn't turn up."
"Did you think of calling the police?"
"A dozen times. But I got your letter."
"I never sent a letter."
"Well someone did."
"What did it say?" Melissa wondered.
"You were going away and wouldn't be coming back."
"And you believed it?"
"What was I supposed to believe?"
"That I was hurt!"
"Why would I think that?" Michael asked
"I was hurt last time."
"Yes and you wouldn't tell me why. As far as I knew, you had fallen down."
"You don't get bruises like that from falling."
"Maybe not. But that was the only explanation I had, so I was forced to believe it."
"Had you known about Mr. Martin before, what would you have done?"
"I would have come looking for you." Michael assured.
"I thought so."
"When I saw your picture on the news."
"My picture?"
"I hadn't been looking for you.but the doctors were looking for your family. Originally they had just posted new reports around Boston, but they saw Pike's Peak in the background of that picture in your wallet so they started looking around here for someone who knew you."
"And you saw it and came for me."
"That's right."
"Michael do you have any idea how I ended up in Boston?"
"No. I've been hoping you would know. But it seems that bump on your head made you forget. The doctors told me that sometimes recent memories never return."
"I've been thinking."
"Yes?"
"I was walking around here.and don't remember anything else. But I was found in the woods of Massachusetts. Maybe it's those trees I'm remembering and not the ones here."
"I suppose that's possible."
"But I still don't know how I got there. It's not like it's nearby."
"You think you were kidnapped again?"
"That's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with."
"Then that's what we'll believe." Michael said.
"I know I didn't want to leave you."
"I know."
"Tomorrow is our wedding."
"Yes it is..You nervous?"
"Not at all." She assured.
"Good."
"I can't wait to be your wife."
"And I can't wait to be your husband."
