CHAPTER EIGHT: MEMORIES - PART I
We pulled into the driveway of the house, the relief of being in the safety of home washing over me. I turned off the ignition and stepped out of the truck. I heard Roxanne do the same. We began to head over to the front door. I looked to see that the wolf looking a little better than she did earlier.
For the rest of the drive, none of us said anything. To be honest, I was happy for the silence. I felt like it gave Roxanne time to fully take in everything I said and gather herself, along with her thoughts. Sometimes, a little peace and quiet is all you need to get a hold of yourself.
We approached the front door and I tested the doorknob. The door was unlocked. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. Usually, my mother was the kind to lock the door whenever she left or one of us had gone. For her to leave it unlocked was something.
I opened the door and we stepped inside. I took off my shoes and I stretched to get my blood flowing. Roxanne stepped inside behind me and closed the door. I looked to see her holding the bags that held the games we played during game night. I looked away.
"Mom, we're here!" I called out. After a moment, my mother stepped out of the dining room and entered the living room. A smile formed on her face as soon as she saw us.
"Welcome home," she said happily. "How was game night and having tea at Peter and Bella's house?"
"It was great," I said with a smile. "They all really enjoyed the games you bought. We even played games like 'Truth or Dare'. Let me tell you, we did some very funny dares.
"As for Peter and Bella's house, we were talking about things from the past and whatnot. Just the usual talk between good friends."
My mother nodded at that. She knew what I meant as she sometimes went over to Peter and Bella's house to hang out. It's safe to say that we were close friends with the Brown family in a matter of 5 months. It was a blessing in disguise, to be honest.
"So, any plans for today, mother?" I asked curiously. On the times when I was off, my mother would always have something planned for all of us to do as a family. It was something she loved doing.
"Just the usual stuff, Mihael," my mother replied. "However, while you and Roxy were at Peter's house, I got a reservation for a table at Robin's Fine Dinery for tomorrow at 6 PM."
My eyes widened at that. Robin's Fine Dinery was one of the finest diners in Utah and was owned by a man named Robin Fester. The man himself was an old friend of my mother and we would sometimes go there to get a bite to eat. The last time we saw him was 2 months before my sister went missing.
The fact we were going to have dinner there as a family brought me back to the good old days, bringing a smile to my face. I wondered how he had been doing since we last went there. It would be nice to see an old face for the first time in over 10 years.
"What's Robin's Fine Dinery?" we heard Roxanne. We looked to see her looking at us with curiosity on her face.
I smiled as I turned to face her properly.
"It's a family diner and one of the finest in Utah," I began. "It is owned by Robin Fester, a friend of my mother. My family and I used to go there from time-to-time to have some quality family time and all. The last time we went was 2 months prior to my sister's disappearance."
I did my best to keep the smile on my face, despite the pain I felt upon remembering my sister's disappearance. Even after Roxanne and I started dating, I still haven't been able to move on from my sister's disappearance and my father's suicide. However, our lovely relationship has helped null the pain significantly.
"And sometime after Mihael moved out, I started going back there whenever I could," my mother added. I turned to her. "He asks about you sometimes, wondering how you've been. I tell you how you've been and all. I even told him about your relationship with Roxy. He is very happy for you two."
Surprise washed over me. I had no clue that she had been doing all of that, along with her telling him about my relationship with Roxanne. I should feel upset with her, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. I was secretly happy that he was happy for the both of us and not against us.
Although I should feel very worried about the things that could go wrong when we go out tomorrow, I'm trying to be positive. One of my biggest flaws was that I was a pessimist. I always saw the negative things in life. However, ever since getting together with Roxanne, I tried to be more positive and think outside of my box rather than stay stuck in it.
"That… sounds nice," I said slowly. "At least we won't have a big problem when we get there."
I felt metallic arms wrap themselves around me.
"At least we don't have to worry about Robin being all against us and all," Roxanne said. "Who knows? It might go wonderfully without anyone being there to ruin it for us."
I smiled at that. Roxanne has been my beacon of light for the past 5 months. I didn't want to think about what would happen if that beacon went out entirely or was out of my life. I couldn't see myself without her.
Plus, I had to agree with her. Whenever we did go out together, we would have people walk over to us and start a problem. It was just ridiculous for people to continue acting this way, especially when they knew that Roxanne was never going to leave me nor was I going to leave her. It might happen in their dreams but not in the real world.
"Now that you both are here, why don't we get some stuff done around the house?" my mother suggested. I mentally rolled my eyes at that, but I chuckled.
"Might as well get it over with," I said.
I finished the last of the dishes, putting them in the strainer. I smiled in pride as I turned off the water and dried my hands with paper towels. I looked around to see a nice, clean kitchen. All ready for the next day, the setting Sun giving it the impression the kitchen was going to sleep.
For the rest of the day, we spent it spending time together as a family and helping around the house. It was nice as it brought back the good days, even though I did my best to not remember the pain of losing my sister and father. However, I could only hope I would finally move on and not be riddled with pain anymore.
I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where Roxanne and my mother were sitting at the couch watching 'The Big Bang Theory', one of Roxanne's favorite shows. I smiled at the sight. It was nice to see them bonding like that.
"Enjoying the show, girls?" I asked. They turned their attention to me.
"Of course," my mother replied.
"It's 'The Big Bang Theory', silly," Roxanne added. "Who wouldn't want to watch this?"
I mentally chuckled at that. It was true that the show had a huge fanbase, but that didn't mean it didn't have its fair share of haters. Every show, no matter how great or awful it was, had people who loved it and those who despised it with every fiber of their being. People had different tastes when it came to certain shows and movies. Respecting their opinions matters.
"I see what you mean," I said.
"Why don't you join us, Mihael?" Roxanne suggested. "It would be nice to spend some quality time together."
I smiled at that. As much as I would love to, I couldn't. I had been up for over 36 hours and I needed to get some sleep. Honestly, I was exhausted and ready to pass out. I hated having to say no, but I had to put my health into consideration.
"I love the idea, but I think I'm going to hit the hay," I said. "I've been up since yesterday morning and I need some sleep as I'm going to work tomorrow. I will make it up to you tomorrow."
Roxanne smiled warmly in understanding, despite the disappointment that shined in her eyes. She knew what my job was like and being up for so long would do things to you. Although she didn't sleep, she knew how much I needed it.
"I understand, Mihael," Roxanne said. "Sleep tight."
I smiled at that and began heading to my bedroom. I walked up the stairs and headed down the hallway. I reached my bedroom door and stepped inside. Closing the door behind me, I stripped down to my undergarments and walked to the corner of my room to place my dirty clothes. I walked over to my bed and hopped onto it. I rested the blanket over me, leaving my right arm out.
As I stared at the ceiling, I wondered if I was ever going to remember anything at all. Though I might regret it someday, it was better than not knowing. For all we knew, I might know something very important. I wished I never lost my memory of that night and the days before.
I sighed before I closed my eyes, my consciousness slipping very quickly.
"Sis, why can't you just tell me what it is that you have in mind right now?" I asked, irritated.
"Because I can't," she said mischievously. I groaned. "Once we get there, you might get an idea."
"Yeah, we'll see about that," I said sarcastically. She giggled, but I rolled my eyes at the action.
We both pushed through a series of large red metal doors. Lisa let go of my hand, giving me the chance to straighten my posture. I put my hands behind my back and pushed back, which was quickly followed by loud cracks. I sighed before straightening my posture. I checked where we were.
My eyes went wide as I instantly recognized the room we were in; Rockstar Row.
I'd never thought that Rockstar Row would be the place that Lisa had in mind to go to. She knew that I wasn't a fan of the place due to how the room was lit up. It had this eerily-like atmosphere to it that always put me on edge, especially with how quiet it can get when there was no one else around.
"Lisa, why are we here?" I asked, slightly unnerved.
"Because what I have in mind has something to do with this room," she replied with a smile.
"Like what?" I asked. Lisa wiggled her right hand's index finger, the smile turning into a smirk in the process.
"I can't tell you," she replied in a singing-like tone. I groaned while she giggled at me. "Just follow me, Mihael. You'll find out very soon."
"Fine," I said and began to follow Lisa to wherever she had in mind.
I analyzed the room as we walked. It was cool-looking, I couldn't deny that, but I didn't like the lighting at all. Rockstar Row was one of those places in the Pizzaplex that I rarely visited, mainly because of how the room always gave me the creeps. I knew there wasn't anything particularly scary about the room, but when you have a room with lighting like that, it always rubs on you in many different ways.
"Mihael, where are you going?" I heard Lisa call out. I stopped in my tracks and noticed that I was at the other end of Rockstar Row. I looked to see Lisa standing in the entryway leading into one of the rooms.
I looked at the neon sign that hung above the window. It read 'Roxanne Wolf'. I felt my heart skip a beat at that. Did Roxanne Wolf have anything to do with what Lisa had in mind? I hoped that wasn't the case, but if she wasn't standing in the entryway to her room, I would've believed that.
"Come on!" she called out. "We're wasting time!"
I stared at her for a moment before I quickly jogged over to her. I stopped beside her, my heart threatening to explode from the anxiety I was feeling.
"Lisa, what are we doing here?" I asked anxiously and stupidly. She giggled in response.
"This is what I had in mind," she replied. "I want to introduce you to her."
I felt like running away. The last thing I wanted right now was to come face-to-face with Roxanne Wolf, the animatronic who was given such a revealing get-up. If she wasn't designed to be wearing that damn outfit, I would be feeling much differently about meeting her right now.
To be honest, embarrassing myself at one of the attractions Lisa always tried to get me to have fun at didn't seem like a bad idea at the moment. I would prefer that if it meant not having to meet Roxanne Wolf as much as possible.
"Can you tell me why you want to do that?" I asked. Once again, she smirked, waving her right hand's index finger back side-to-side from before.
"I can't tell you that," she said mischievously once again. "Now, let's head inside. I checked to see if she was in there before I noticed you were at the far end of the room."
"Is she in there?" I asked. I was hoping she wasn't in the room. A smile formed on her face in response.
'Why is this happening to me?' I thought to myself as I groaned in the process. Lisa laughed in response.
"Don't be like that, Mihael," she said cheerfully. "Come on, let's head inside."
I sighed before we walked over to the large metal door that led into the room. The door slid open, revealing a little bit of what was on the other side. We looked at each for a moment before we stepped into the room. I analyzed the room carefully.
The room was purple with a large star in the ceiling radiating green light. It had race-themed objects on both the walls and floor; four wrenches in different sizes hanging above the entrance door along with different-sized tires, and a race cart by the large glass window. A purple couch was pressed up against the wall on the other side of the room with a large neon sign that spelled 'Roxanne Wolf' above it with a huge cutout of Roxanne's head to the right. There was a vanity desk fitted with makeup and a star-shaped mirror that radiated purple light.
My eyes widened at the sight, the urge to run away filling my very being. It wasn't the vanity desk itself that made me feel that way. It was rather what was standing in front of the vanity desk, staring into her reflection.
Right there was the animatronic wolf herself. She had long silvery hair that reached down the entirety of her back with a bright green streak with a fluffy tail in the same silvery color. She had purple lipstick, yellow eyes, the claws on her hands being lime green while the claws on her feet were purple, and spiked bracelets on her wrists with one acting as a choker around her neck. Both of her ears were pierced, and she was wearing a red crop top T-shirt with black star shapes that exposed her stomach, a spiked belt, red short shorts, and red shoulder pauldrons.
If my life was an anime right now, I would undoubtedly be suffering from the world's biggest nose bleed of all time, one that would put all others to shame. I knew that I was doing this for Lisa, but one of these days, I was going to get Lisa back for all of this. Mark my very words.
"Hi, Roxy!" Lisa exclaimed excitedly. Roxanne's ears twitched a little bit before she looked away from the mirror, turning her attention onto me and Lisa. The urge to run away became stronger than ever before.
'Dear God,' I thought to myself, small beads of sweat forming on my forehead. 'This is a nightmare.'
A small smirk formed on her face as she fully turned away from the mirror, her left hand on her hip. Her tail began wagging a little, a clear sign that she was happy to see us in her room.
"I was wondering when you two would come in to see me," Roxanne said. She turned her attention to Lisa, a fake disappointed look forming on her face. "Especially you, Lisa. How could you keep me waiting for this long?"
Lisa chuckled. "Sorry, Roxy. My dad wanted to make sure my brother and I knew the guidelines of staying safe."
Roxanne smirked. "Well, make sure to get here faster. You know I don't like waiting."
Lisa nodded. I looked back at Roxanne and Lisa a few times, trying to digest what I was seeing. It was like they knew each other for a while like they were friends or something. This was all very odd and strange to me.
"That, and I was trying to get Mihael here as quickly as possible, despite him constantly asking me to tell him what I had in mind or why I brought him," Lisa added as she pointed to me.
Roxanne turned her attention to me. Her smirk turned into a small smile as her tail wagged a tiny bit faster. It was like she was very happy that I was here for some strange reason. Why would she? I'd never met her, though I'd heard of her, seen all kinds of merchandise that they sell of her, etc. Yet, I couldn't help but get the feeling that there was something more to that.
She walked over to me with her hand still on her hip. The way she moved was very smooth. It wasn't like how animatronic mascots in other establishments moved. If whoever made her, along with the other mascots, planned to make her move smoothly as if she was a human, they did a very good jump on that.
The wolf mascot stopped about a foot away, towering over me by at least 7 inches.
"Hello, Mihael," she said simply.
"Um… hi," I said, rubbing the back of my neck with my left hand. "It's nice to meet you in person for the first time, I guess."
"Yeah, it's nice to finally see you here, Mihael," she said. "I've been watching you for a while now, and I have to say, you're very intriguing to me."
I arched an eyebrow at that. What did she mean that she had been watching me for a while now? That I was very intriguing to her? It didn't make a whole lot of sense. There wasn't really anything very intriguing about me. I was just an average kid who goes to school trying to live a normal life. Nothing too crazy about that.
Roxanne smirked, probably in response to the expression that was on my face.
"I believe that you have a lot of questions in mind, Mihael," she said. "But we can talk about them later." She gestured to the couch at the far end of the room. "Why don't we sit down and chat for a little bit? I mean, who wouldn't want to chat with me? I'm the best in the Pizzaplex, after all."
A strong wave of dislike formed in my chest. Every fiber of my being was telling me to say 'no'. If there was one thing I didn't like, aside from the bullying and people disrespecting my sister, it's when people act, talk, or claim themselves to be the best at anything or in any particular place. That was something that would make me want to spit in their face because no one was the best at anything or anywhere.
'You're not being cool by proclaiming yourself the best thing in the whole damn Pizzaplex,' I thought to myself, slightly annoyed.
"So, what do you say?" Roxanne pressed. I sighed.
"Sure, whatever you say, Roxanne," I said, trying my best to keep the dislike from manifesting in my tone. The smirk turned into a small smile as Roxanne walked over to the couch and sat down.
She looked at Lisa and I, gesturing for us to sit down next to her on the couch. Lisa walked over to her without hesitation. I stood where I was for a moment, trying to keep the dislike from forming on my face before I slowly walked over to the others. Lisa sat down next to Roxanne's right while I sat down next to her left.
"So, Mihael, tell me a bit about yourself," Roxanne said with that smirk on her face. I didn't know if her smirking was the norm for her, but I didn't like it. It had an arrogant look to it.
"There's really not a lot about me," I said blankly. "I'm just an ordinary guy who is in his last year of high school, loves to read, and plays on the computer. Nothing more."
The smirk still remained on her face. Usually, at that part, people would laugh at me for that, calling me boring and such. So far, she hasn't done that yet. It was only a matter of time before Roxanne did just that.
"That's it?" she scoffed, though the smirk remained. "Only a loser would say something as boring as that. I know there's more to you than that, Mihael. Come on, tell me more."
I felt my right eye twitching at that. I thought about it being only a matter of time before she said something like that to me too soon. God, why did she have to be that way? There was a nicer way of saying things.
'You don't have to be an asshole about it,' I thought to myself bitterly.
"Well," I began, my voice tight, "I'm one of the smartest kids at my school with the highest grades in my classes. I'm not sure what I want to be when I graduate, but I do plan on going to college at some point in time to get a degree. I'm physically stronger than 60% of the kids at my school, making up for that with the things my father has taught me and my sister."
I stopped, waiting to see how Roxanne would respond to that. That damn smirk still remained on her face, though there was a slight hint of interest in her eyes.
"Anything else?" she pressed, sounding interested. I thought about it for a moment but came up with nothing. Again, I wasn't really interesting so I didn't know why Roxanne was so keen on wanting to know more about me.
'What are you trying to do?' I thought to myself in annoyance. 'You want to write a biography of my life or something? I'm not a damn celebrity.'
"That's it," I said simply with a shrug. "Like I said, I'm just an ordinary guy. Nothing more."
While the smirk remained, there was a slight hint of annoyance in her eyes.
"There's no way you can be that lame," she scoffed. "Come on, tell me something exciting about yourself. I know there's more than what you're letting on. Don't be a loser about it."
I felt the dislike within me grow into something more. I despised being called such names. 'Loser' was one of many that the bullies at the school called me. Though I was used to hearing it from a lot of people, it was a totally different story to hear it from a mascot that was designed to entertain kids.
'You have no idea how much I want to slap you right now, Roxanne,' I thought to myself, my anger boiling.
"I'm not being a loser about it," I said, my voice even tighter. "I don't know what else you want me to tell you, Roxanne. I'm not some kind of greatest living being in the world."
"Well, have you won any awards in the past?" she asked curiously. "Come on, someone as fit as you must have won something."
I thought about that carefully. There was only one time that I won in anything. It was years ago when I was in the 7th grade. It was one of my greatest achievements, only having won due to my strong dedication to prove myself.
"Well, there was this one time I won first place running 3 laps on a track," I said. That seemed to have gotten her attention. Her eyes sparkled with joy, though the smirk remained. Oooh, I wished she would wipe that smirk off her face. It was driving me extremely crazy.
"Track? As in racing?" she asked quickly. From the looks of it, racing was something she loved. Made sense considering she was the mascot of an indoor racing attraction.
I shrugged. "More or less."
"That's awesome!" Roxanne said, almost squealing. "Can you tell me how you did it? Tell me all about it!"
Her reaction caught me slightly by surprise. I knew that her theme was racing due to her attraction being around race cars, but I had no idea that she was this much of a huge fan of it. At the same time, it really shouldn't have surprised me. Of course, out of all the topics that Roxanne would be more interested in, it would be about racing.
I mentally sighed, knowing I was about to put an end to her damn excitement. If she was thinking that I drove a race car, that was not the case at all. I wasn't a big fan of race car driving. Mainly because of how dangerous of a sport it was. All it would take was one wrong move and you would be putting yourself out of your misery within seconds. Plus, while the idea sounded cool, and yet at the same time, it sounded reckless.
A sound cut me off, preventing me from what I was going to say. I knew that sound all too well. It was a ringtone that Lisa had on her phone, playing part of a song called 'Follow Me' by Uncle Kracker.
Lisa pulled out her phone, no doubt knowing who it was that was calling her. She pressed the green phone icon and held the phone to her ear.
"Hello," she said. "Hey, Dad!" A pause. "Really? Aww, I wanted to stay a little longer." Another pause. "I know. I'll let him know it is time to go." Another pause. This time, her eyes went a little wide. "Okay, we're on our way."
Lisa hung up the call, putting the phone back in her pocket. She hopped off the couch, quickly turning her head to face me. That expression on her face told me everything I needed to know.
"Time to go, huh?" I asked though I knew the answer.
"Yeah, Dad reminded me that we have to meet him and Mom at the small cafe in the Lobby in 10 minutes!" she said quickly. "So, come on! Let's get going!"
That got my attention. I knew that my father wanted my sister and I to meet them at Faz-Pad at a certain time, but I didn't think it would be something like that. It looked like my father was taking this much more seriously than I thought.
"Sorry, Roxanne, time for us to go," I said rudely, hopping off of the couch without looking at the wolf mascot even once.
"Come on, Mihael!" she said urgently. "Let's go!"
I looked back at Roxanne, who was looking at me with a smirk on her face, though there seemed to be tiny traces of disappointment present in her eyes.
"It was nice chatting with you, Mihael," she said confidently.
"Yeah… it was nice chatting with you too, Roxanne Wolf," I said slowly, trying to keep the disdain from manifesting in my tone. I felt Lisa grab my left hand and found myself being dragged out of the room.
"Looking forward to seeing you again, Rockstar," I heard Roxanne call out as Lisa and I exited the room, heading in the direction of the Lobby.
"So, what do you think?" I heard my sister ask suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I looked at her. "Huh?"
"What do you think of Roxy?" she asked with a smile on her face. I didn't have to look away to know that there were eyes boring into me.
"You met Roxy, Mihael?" my father asked, sounding interested.
"Yeah, I did," I said apathetically. "Lisa dragged me to Rockstar Row to meet her, though she could've told me from the start."
"It would've spoiled the surprise," Lisa replied. I stared at her for a moment.
"And what a surprise it was," I said in the same apathetic tone. I watched the smile on Lisa's face weaken slightly, though it still shone brightly.
"So?" she pressed. I stared at her for a moment once again before I shrugged my shoulders. "Can you tell me in words?"
I sighed, not feeling in the mood to talk anymore. However, I knew Lisa wouldn't let it go until I told her. It was for the best to just let her know how I personally felt about her. It would make things much easier for all of us.
"I'm going to be blunt with you, Lisa," I began. "I find it both intriguing and strange to me as to why you wanted me to meet her. I find it a little strange you kept it a secret from me, but since I don't tell you anything, I can't help but find it fitting and very ironic. I want to know why you did it, but I prefer to not know at the moment.
"As for how I feel about Roxanne; I don't think me and her will get along if we tried to bond. I don't like her attitude. Her pride rubs me the wrong way. It's like Roxanne wants everyone to know she is the best at everything she does when in reality, she's not. One of these days, it will rub someone the wrong way, and well… we all know how well that will go."
I sighed and looked at my sister, who was staring at me with a wide-eyed expression on her face. It looked as though Lisa was trying to grasp at what I said. I waited patiently for her to snap out of her trance. I had no idea how my parents were taking my very blunt response, but at the moment, I didn't care.
Lisa blinked a few times as a somewhat disappointed look formed on her face.
"So, are you saying that you don't like her?" she asked, her tone fitting the expression on her face.
"To put it simply, I don't like her," I replied. Lisa looked down at the floor in disappointment.
"It's a shame you don't like her, Mihael," I heard her whisper, though there was something off about how she said it. Like she had an expectation for it, but it didn't come true.
"And why do you think it's a shame?" I asked, curious as to why it was.
Lisa hesitated for a moment, no doubt thinking about what she wanted to say carefully. I waited patiently for her response to my question.
"I was hoping you two would become friends," she replied softly. "I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up."
I stared at her for a moment. I guess that kind of explained her behavior considering that I didn't have any friends. Whether she did it out of pity or just wanted to do something about it out of the goodness of her heart was beyond me. However, to say that her efforts weren't appreciated would be a lie.
I smiled mentally at what she tried to do for me. While having an animatronic mascot as my first friend would be weird to me, if that would come to fruition, Roxanne Wolf being my friend would still be a big deal for me. The only reason why I didn't was obvious, even to someone like Lisa.
"I'm sorry it didn't go the way you hoped, Lisa, but it's just the way it is," I said softly. "The chances of me and her being friends is only something that can happen in dreams, not in real life. Reality is harsh."
"I know…" she whispered and looked out the window. I did the same.
JANUARY 17 2039
I gasped loudly as I sat up in bed, taking in deep breaths as if I had just run a marathon. I felt shaky as I tried to compose myself. As I did, I thought about what just happened. That… dream… that all didn't feel like a dream. It felt all too real… like a memory that had just broken free.
I grasped the sides of my head with my hands as it came flooding back to me. I remembered that moment. I remembered the day it even happened. It was on the first day of my 3-day suspension after I beat up Kenny. When I dropped her off at the school, we had a brief fight, which brought in the need to make it up to her.
When she got back, I pushed it until she agreed to talk with our father. He agreed that he would remove the guidelines for now and let us do what we wanted for an hour. When we got to the Pizzaplex, she led me to Rockstar Row to meet Roxanne Wolf. I remembered the feelings I felt for her. The annoyance, the need to slap her, all of it.
'Why now?' I thought to myself.
Knocking on my bedroom door snapped me out of my thoughts. I did my best to remain calm as I stared at the door.
"Come in," I called out. The door opened and Roxanne entered the room.
"Hey, Mihael," she said with a warm smile. "I came to wake you, but it seems I didn't need to. How did you sleep?"
I thought about it for a moment. A part of me wanted to tell her what just happened and what I remembered while another part of me told me not to do it and wait for another time. As much as I wanted to tell her I remembered something from the past, I didn't want to be late for work. Plus, I didn't want it to be something that would become a bother for me the whole day.
I looked at her with a smile.
"I slept well," I said softly. "I feel like a new man and ready to tackle the day. I will be down there in a moment once I get ready."
Roxanne looked at me for a moment before nodding, leaving me alone with my thoughts. It took everything I had to not burst right there as the weight of it all hit me like a freight train. I swore that when the time came, I would tell Roxanne everything. She had every right to know.