It wasn't that late, seven in the evening. He knew he was way too drunk to drive, but hell. His best friend had left and he wasn't able to tell the most important person of his life that he loved her, so why be careful? When it was over then it was over. There would some nice brown-nosed articles in the newspapers explaining the huge loss they all would suffer after his death and two hours later life would go on. Neil's disappearance was the best example that really nobody cared whether one was dead or alive, not even your parents.
Suddenly he got the feeling that he wanted to treat Angela with something special. No, better something she wouldn't expect from him. Didn't she like these disgusting chocolate bars in combination with milk? 'Oh yeah, she does and this sweet milksop on her lip and then I would have a reason to go to her.' He stopped the car at the next shop and went in, searching for the shelves with candies.
"Hey Neil, do you more like salami or fungi?" A female voice called through the shop. The name struck him like lightning. Immediately he looked around, but he wasn't there.
"Uh, both." There it was. This cheeky voice, no this couldn't only be an accident. He was here somewhere, but…there he saw him. He really was there. But instead of going to him he turned to the shelves and took Angela's chocolate bars. 'What shell I do now? Shell I go over and just say hallo? No, he had his reasons not to give anyone, not to give me a damn fucking call', he began to swear. No this condition wasn't good for a first hallo after years.
"Cormorant!"
"Hey, after weeks of parenteral nutrition you would do the same." Shock. 'Oh my God, Neil!?' He turned around again and saw him in full person, propping himself on crutches. His left knee was wrapped into a splint, raging from the thigh to calf, his left wrist also supported by a splint and on the whole left arm he could see the scars which were left by a healed but heavy skin abrasion. 'Ouch. This must have hurt awfully'. He got remembered of his last abrasion.
"Show-off." She said teasingly. These two looked quite familiar to each other. Maybe he had found a girl and because of her he stayed here in nowhere.
"You're only huffy because now you still have to share a room with Mrs. I-know-all-although-I'm-hundred-percent-brainless."
"Uh, sometimes you can be so unfair." She gently put an arm around him and then gave him a kiss onto his mouth. 'No wonder why he had forgotten his family, with this girl.' It felt good in somehow, to see him laughing. It felt good to see that he was alive and maybe in best hands.
"I know." Both began to laugh and went to the cash desk. Fast he went to the multi deck cabinet, grabbed a bottle of milk and followed them. Cuddled up to each other, they waited to pay their stuff. He was directly behind Neil, but he was too busy with his girl, as if he would have been able to be aware of anything else. Should he say hallo? 'No, this would be a little bit indiscreet. But fucking hell, what are a couple of minutes in comparison to a year.' But maybe the boy had his reasons why he hadn't called one of them.
"Mr.?" The cashier asked him. Drowned in his thoughts he hadn't recognized that the two teenagers were gone. He quickly paid his stuff and rushed out of the shop. They hadn't been far.
"Neil!" He called. Now he wasn't thinking about what he did. His emotions in somehow had taken control. He had seen a long missed friend again and he wanted to talk to him. He wanted to know why he had left, why he hadn't gave them a call, what had happened to him. He wanted to win his friend back again. No matter where he lived. He only wanted this friend back. He wanted to know why he had pushed off instead of coming to him, asking for help.
"Neil!" He called out again and ran after them. The stopped and turned around. Now he could see into his face. He was pale. But there was something missing. And it wasn't difficult to guess what it was, what was missing. The sad look in his eyes had been vanished. He looked satisfied and happy. He never had thought that this boy could look that way.
"Neil, hey what are you doing here?" He asked him. It was strange. Neil looked at him, confused.
"Sorry, do we know each other?" This question, these few words broke down all hopes. What was that? This boy couldn't have forgotten…' Maybe he just doesn't want to remember because of what has happened or what ever.' He had to recall this boy's memory.
"I guess we should. It's me Kurt Mendell this playboy scientist only thinking with…you know what."
Neil looked at him confused. Neil was heavily thinking he could see it.
"Kurt Mendell? Dr. Kurt Mendell…The dancing gene…or something like that." Neil began to stammer. Was this a way of aspersion? It was! What in hell's name got into this boy? He…they had gone through the end of the world and now Neil decided no to know him? What a cheap and lousy measure was this? He flew into rage. Maybe he should stop being friendly.
"Okay, what the fuck had Chucky done that you've pissed off like a coward and now pretend not to know me?"
"What?…I mean…Sir how do you know about this?" He asked him stunned. No. This wasn't true. If Neil wasn't a straight A actor, he would say that Neil really had no idea who was standing in front of him. But he seemed to know his father. Why had he forgotten him, but not his father? There were much more reasons for him to forget the man who had forced him to leave his friends.
"C'mon Neil, we should go." The girl grabbed his arm and started to pull him away.
"No. Wait! You know Chuck Taggart?" Kurt went on, reluctant to let this boy go.
"My father, unfortunately." Neil answered with bitterness. 'Alright he knows his father and his feelings for him. That's a start.'
"And you know your Mum Paige and your brother Marc…"
"Yes, but I have no idea what you want from me." Now he sounded irritated.
"Why in fucking hell did you leave?"
"With all respect Sir, but I don't think that my family affairs are your business." Then he turned away and went off. He stood there, listening to the girl, talking about a bad mix-up. She didn't know that this was no mix-up. Neil didn't know that this was none. He felt as if someone had slapped his face, no as if Neil by himself had slapped his face. He got into his car and drove back to the hotel, straight to Angela.
Now he stared at the golden 404. He slammed at the door.
"Angela! Are you there?" He screamed. The visitors of the room next to hers came out, looking for what was going on.
"Angela! Please, I've seen him!"
"Kurt, one moment please." She opened the door clothed in a hotel's bath robe, wet hair. She must have taken a shower.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked him irritated.
"Some chocolate?" He asked her, showing her the choco bars and Milk to calm her down.
"What?" She didn't get the point.
"Darling, let me in and I explain you everything." She made space for him, to slide into her suite. She took the bottle of milk, picked a glass, poured the milk and took a huge sip of it. She looked so sweet full of fury and then with this milksop. Maybe he should lay her down first? 'No, stop that!' She took a chocolate bar and bit off.
"Okay Kurt, what's your problem?" With this question his whole agitation about what had happened came back.
"I've seen him."
"Him? Who's him?" She asked. After one glass milk and a chocolate bar she was the calmest and understanding person on earth.
"Neil. I've seen Neil." She looked at him and began to laugh.
"You definitely had some drinks more than it would have been good for you."
"Angela, this hasn't been a hallucination. I talked to him." He needed to make her believe.
"Okay, well, what did he say?"
"That…" What did he say at all? Nothing really or? He only had tried to make clear to him that they didn't know each other.
"Kurt, I'm listening."
"He hadn't said something in particularly he…"
"Kurt you'd better go to bed and get sober again." She didn't believe him.
"Angela I was on my way to a shop, to get you this stuff and there I've seen him. You can go there and asked the cashier." From one to the other moment her glance changed and she sat down on the couch, rubbing her forehead with her hand. She focused him for a while. He tried only by his appearance to make her believe. She must feel that he told the truth.
"You really met him?"
"Yes Angela I did." She let out a sigh.
"Oh my God and what…I mean…" She began to stammer. She was stunned. She was thinking he saw how her furrowing her brows.
"He…he…he didn't remember me. I can't tell you why, but he looked at me, as if I was a complete stranger. He really got me frightened." He sat down next her. The tension had left his body and he wasn't able to remain standing.
"What? Has he lost his memories?" She asked worried, turning her head towards him, looking into his eyes. Her eyes began to comfort him, telling him that he had done everything right, although she had no idea what had happened exactly.
"No…I don't think so. He can remember his family, Chuck and Paige and Marc and that he…" It felt hard to speak these words, words which were so hurtful although they weren't meant for him.
"…that he hates his family?" She took the part for him.
"Yes." She had come closed to him, stroking his arm, soon taking him into an embrace. She had figured what the boy had meant to him. In real, both had cared more for the boy as they had admitted. Only the two knew what he meant to both of them and both carried inwardly the feeling, as if they were the only persons suffering under his loss. This idyll was broken, when Angela began hammering his arm, not bad, but he would get a nice bruise.
"Who in hell are you to drive around Vancouver after three Whisky?"
"Five." He only responded. She began to beat harder.
"You could have been involved in an accident and then I would have been alone…here. Isn't it enough that we have lost Neil? Do I have to lose you as well?" He had no idea what the out burst was supposed to mean. She broke into tears and he put his arms around her, tough that she knew that she was safe. She hid her face on his chest and cried. Only cried and cried.
"I didn't think about it at that time."
"What were you thinking?" She asked when she was sober again and know cuddled into Kurt's arms. She didn't believe his last sentence.
"Lonely, empty. I mean who cares when you die? Nobody cares. They say some sloppy words about how sorry they are that you're dead and later they go on as if nothing has happened. Look at Neil…"
"He's not dead, that's for sure." She intervened.
"Right, but nevertheless, who cares? His friends don't care. They go on with school and their parties with drugs and alcohol. Nobody of them ever had started an attempt to search for him." It felt good to talk with her about this. He felt relieved and her warm body on his chest, the smell of her hair made him forget all the rage and fury which were related to this topic. They only talked, let the words float.
"And his parents, who really should care, are now on a nice little vacation somewhere in Mexico."
"While they have fun, Neil has to care for a bad knee."
"What?"
"He must have been involved in a bad accident. He still seemed to suffer under some effects from injuries."
"No, that's not true. Poor boy."
"But I guess he's happy with his life. He had lost this sad expression in his eyes and he has a new girl. They really looked happy."
"At least one thing, which sounds good to me. Do we search for him?"
"I don't know. Let us sleep a night about this idea." He got up. He wanted to go.
"Kurt, would you mind to stay?" She asked in a quite and calm voice.
"If you want me to, I can sleep on the couch."
"Or by my side."