- CHAPTER 24 - "Back to the old town"
Some years had passed. Exactly, 6 years. Retroville almost forgot about Jimmy. Some of the people did. But some other, like friends and family didn't. That night, it was raining. And also lightning. In the house of the Neutron's, a much older Hugh was watching TV, as usual. The movie on the TV was 'The stranger on the door'. It was all calm. Except for some shaking on the knees of the poor Hugh. The movie was scaring him. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door of the house. Hugh jump from his couch and screamed.
"W-who is it?" Hugh asked, stuttering from the fear.
There was no reply.
"I-I'm not getting the d-door until you tell me who you are!" Hugh shouted to the door, still stuttering.
There was no reply at all. But it was another knock at the door. Hugh was scared. He was on the middle of the movie. He was imagining that he was living the movie, because of the same strange knock at the door. Without doubt, he grabbed an old bat from his son's baseball team and slowly placed his hand at the door knob. But the door opened violently and sent Hugh some feet away and to the floor. A figure was standing there, while the lightning was hiting many times the house. A strange, only dressed with a coat, approached and closed the door, violently again.
"W-Who the hell are you?" Hugh asked, scared and shaking.
But there was no reply.
"I-I'm warning you! I got a b-bat and I'm not a-a-afraid of using it!" Hugh threatened to the stranger, grabbing quicly the bat.
The stranger finally took off the coat and just one look made Hugh's eyes open wide.
"Dad! It's me, Jimmy".
"J-J-Jimbo?!" Hugh said.
He couldn't believe his eyes as tears were flowing from his face and a huge smile ear-to-ear made him almost laugh from joy. Both father and son gave a huge hug.
"I missed you so much son. I'm very sorry!" Hugh said, crying and making the hug more stronger than ever.
"I did too, dad. And it was all my fault, don't worry. I'm here" Jimmy said.
Hugh broke the hug.
"Nothing was the same without you, son. When you left, all the people started to miss you" Hugh said.
"They did?" Jimmy said.
"Yes. And when your mother and I--" Hugh started to say, but Jimmy interrupted.
"Mom! Hey, where's she?" Jimmy asked, looking around.
Hugh only sighed. Jimmy looked at his father's eyes. There was sadness on that eyes.
"Is she ok?" Jimmy asked, concerned.
"After you left, your mother wasn't the same anymore. She went more sad than ever. And then, it happened. She went sick" Hugh said, as he sighed.
"And then what happened?" Jimmy asked, more corcerned than ever.
"She... she died, Jim-Jam" Hugh said. He lowered his head. He sobbed.
Jimmy's eyes opened in shock. He sat slowly in the couch to absorb those words from his father. And then, he started to cry without control. Hugh sat as well and placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do" Hugh said, as a tear went down from his eye.
"No, I'm the one who's sorry! I didn't communicate with you guys for years!" Jimmy said. "When did this happen?" he asked, still crying.
"Like 4 years ago" Hugh said.
"Oh... I see..." Jimmy said, as he sobbed.
"Hey, but you're here. That's a good thing!" Hugh said, as he cleaned up a tear from Jimmy's eye. "It's great to see you again, son".
"Yeah, thanks..." Jimmy said, cracking a smile.
"Let's talk, Jimbo. Tell me, where did you go? what did you do?" Hugh asked, excited.