Chapter 2: bearer of bad news
What exactly did Jimmy see? He saw a different car in his driveway. He also saw that the front door was changed, there were new windows, and there was an awning over the porch. The second Jimmy saw all of those changes, he knew this couldn't be the house he was looking for; however, he looked at the address, and, sure enough, it was his parents' house. Jimmy skeptically walked onto the porch and rang the doorbell. He heard some rustling inside. A minute later, a woman, somewhere between 80 and 90 years old, answered the door.
"Hello there, sunny, what can I do for you?" asked the woman of elderly descent.
"Hi, my name is Jimmy Neutron and I was wondering what happened to the people who lived here."
The old lady's face went pale. She looked at Jimmy for a minute.
"Please, come on in Jimmy. I have something to show you."
Jimmy, after thinking for a moment, went inside the house. The lady closed the door and led Jimmy to her living room. He sat down on her couch while the lady went to get something. She returned a few minutes later with a tape.
"Jimmy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your parents, Hugh and Judy Neutron, died 3 years ago. They left you this tape. Do you want me to put it on for you?"
Jimmy nodded, tears swelling in his eyes. The lady put the tape in her VCR and left the room. Jimmy cried as the tape started. The tape showed his father in the living room, red eyed and crying.
"Jimmy, if you are watching this, then your mother and I have passed away. Your mother and I have cancer. The doctors say we got it from some kind of radiation."
Could it be from nuclear radiation?
"The doctors say that they don't have a cure for it and that it is only a matter of time before we die. I'm sorry that we kick you out and I'm sorry that it has come to this."
No, I'm sorry that it has come to this. If it wasn't for me taking that damn job, you wouldn't have been exposed to that radiation, and you'd still be alive.
"Remember son, that no matter how angry we are at you, that we will always love you, no matter what."
Jimmy nodded to himself as the tape went to static. Jimmy turned the TV off, removed the tape, and shut off the VCR. At that time, the old lady returned.
"Jimmy, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay; I'm fine. I have one question though; who are you?"
"Me? I'm a friend, or should I say, was a friend of your parents, before their premature death. My name's Amanda."
Amanda extended her hand out to Jimmy, who shook it. After the handshake, Amanda sat beside Jimmy.
"So, Amanda, how long have you known my parents?"
"20 years today."
"So can you tell me more about what happened to them?"
"Absolutely. About 2 years before their passing, they were diagnosed with cancer. At first the doctors were baffled as to what the cause was. Then, as the symptoms grew worse, the realized that the cancer was caused by some kind of radiation."
"They couldn't narrow it down?"
"No, unfortunately, they couldn't. Damn shame too. If they could have figured it out, they might still be alive."
Jimmy nodded in agreement. He was lightly crying now.
"I think I knew what kind of radiation it was. I think it was nuclear radiation." said Jimmy.
"Why do you say that?"
'Because, around that time, I had gotten a job as a nuclear physicist. It was a good paying job that was too good to pass up. Anyways, maybe somehow, they had gotten exposed to the radiation.
"It could be possible."
"Do you know where they're buried at?"
"Yes I do. Let me write down the location."
Amanda grabbed a pen and some paper and wrote down the location. She also wrote down her phone number, which had changed since Jimmy lived there.
"Here is the location and my phone number, incase you ever need to call."
Jimmy thanked her and headed to the graveyard where his parents were buried. He arrived there 10 minutes later. As he walked up to the graves, it started to rain.
Just my luck. Oh well, it matches the mood I'm in.
Jimmy looked at the graves and then at the tombstones. On his fathers tombstone it said, "Loving father, son, friend, grandson, and husband". On his mother tombstone it said, "Loving mother, daughter, granddaughter, friend and wife."
"Mom, dad, I'm sorry for being such a jerk and an asshole. I don't deserve loving parents such as you. If it weren't for me, you'd still be alive. Mom, dad, I will make you proud. I will fix my relationships with Cindy, Libby, Carl, and Sheen. Dammit, I won't let your deaths be in vain. I refuse!"
Jimmy, with renewed spirit and passion, races off to fix his relationships with his friends.
Mom, dad, I let you down once. I won't let you down again, I guara-damn-tee it!