I looked at Joe with wide eyes.
"Joe?" I asked in disbelief.
"Shelby?" he asked back. He had bandages wrapped around his entire body and his face was flushed pale.
The rest of his family followed closely behind me.
"Joe!" Denise yelled, running to her son and hugging him tightly.
He pushed her away and looked at her with confused eyes.
"Who are you?" he asked, clearly confused by the situation.
"I'm your mother." She stated.
"No you're not."
Had he lost his memory?
"Who are all of these people?" he asked, referring to the rest of his family.
"Your family." I said.
"The only person in the room that I know is you, Shelby." He said, in a tone that was telling everyone else that they were not wanted here.
"But Joe, how could you forget your own family?" Kevin asked.
"My family? I have a family?" He asked.
"Yes Joe, and you have for the past eighteen years." Nick said angrily, glaring at me the entire time.
"Well, I don't remember it, so it's not true." Joe said, crossing his arms childishly.
"Yes it Joe! Don't do this!" I gasped.
Was he serious? Did he not remember anyone? Was this all some sort of sick joke? Well, I wasn't about to play along and I was going to make sure that he knew that.
"Joe, this isn't funny. If you're playing some sort of sick joke on us then I'll be fuming and I'll never speak to you again!" I exclaimed, crying once more.
"What joke?" He asked clueless. Wait, he wasn't playing. This wasn't all some sort of sick joke. So, this was real.
I darted out of the room and down the long hall again. De já vu.
I wiped the tears from my eyes as I ran, to keep my vision clear. I ran out of the hospital and caught the next taxi that crossed in front of me.
"24th avenue please." I said, handing him whatever I had in my pocket, which was $10.00.
He drove me to the residence and I darted out of the vehicle. I ran upstairs to the pale green room and ripped open the closet doors. I threw everything into the suitcases and shut them. I grabbed my guitar and packed everything else in the room in a flash. I darted down the stairs and ran down the white sidewalk. The clouds were beginning to role in and the sky was getting darker. I finally got to my destination
It was the yellow house I had lived in for so many years, of course, until I was kicked out. The door was a pale yellow and the wood on the house was still unpeeled, due to my mother's obsession over it. The front porch still had plants on its rails and hanging from the roof' although, they were dried up from the lack of water. The cool air sent chills up my spine and I took a few steps closer to the house. It urged me to get closer, to enter my nightmare that would haunt me forever. It was now or never. I took a few steps towards the house, and an even stronger gush of wind hit me this time. I was a little startled at first, but go over it.
I reached the tiny porch and stared at one flower in the corner. It was my mother's favorite- the strange white orchid with pink accents, if there ever was such a thing. She was casually looking thorough the isles of the home gardening section at the market when she had come across this "rare phenomenon", as she used to call it. It was no more; just a shriveled up weed. I turned the knob of the front door, surprised to find it open. But then, I recalled that my genius of a brother would always leave it open, even though mom always told him to close it before we would leave the house. But of course, he would simply "forget".
I pushed open the door and a cool draft released from the house. It blew my hair slightly. I forced myself to step into the complex. I looked at the Victorian and antique furniture that gave it the old feeling, as if when you stepped foot in this building, you were stepping back in time. I laid my things down on the ground. I took a step toward the kitchen, but decided against it, due to the fact that it would bring back to many painful memories. But then again, the house itself was ripping me apart internally. I walked into the living room and instead of a happy feeling that should've washed over me, remorse and regret did. I looked at the violet couched that had dark mahogany frames and legs. I looked at the antique television set with decorative antennas popping out of the top of it. I looked at the side tables, modeled like those in the palace of Queen Victoria. All of a sudden, it just happened, I broke down.
I ran around the empty room, crying and flipping down the pictures that rested on each table. I flipped down the Easter, Christmas, Birthday, and family pictures. As for the pictures hanging on the walls, I brought them down and laid them flat on the floor.
After my small tantrum, I ran upstairs, tearing thorough there as well. I ran past everything and straight to my room. But, when I opened my white door, I discovered a room that didn't look as if it belonged to me. Everything was boxed up, and moved off to the side. My bed was no longer in the room and my walls were not the happy ocean color they were once. All of my posters had been taken from the walls and placed in another box off in the corner. My room had been turned into mom's new sewing room. She had wanted one for so long, but we never had the room. My vanity housed the thread, measuring tape, pins, needles, and fabrics. Designs were taped all over my mirror. An antique sewing machine was displayed in the far corner of the room on a deep brown wood Victorian table. My full length mirror mad been replaced with one that looked like one of those from the Titanic movie.
I ran from there, taking the few boxes with me and piling them onto a small vintage hotel cart that we had. I ran down the street and to the nearest bus station. I piled with all of my things onto a bus headed for the airport, including the hotel cart. I caught the nearest plane to Texas and insisted that I take everything with me. The staff agreed and I boarded the plane, hitting a few passengers here and there. I settled in my seat at the back of the plane and placed my two smaller bags under the seat in front of me. It smelled of urine and expired milk, but I didn't complain, glad that I was leaving; I was leaving behind the past that would cause me fear and pain in the future- my house me deceased family, the Jonas', my friends, and most importantly, my currently forgetful boyfriend who was probably arguing with Nick over whether they were brothers or not. How long would it be until found out, again, that I was pregnant with his brother's baby?
I ignored this and rested my head on the seat and looked ahead, preparing myself for the new life that would lay ahead of me.
Sorry for the long wait but I was stuck. Thanks for all of the helo of one reader! You know who you are and I apologize but I forgot your screen name! Thanks! Love you all! This was the final chapter of this story but I will begin the next story by Wednesday, so watch out for it!