Finding My Normal

Ch 45: Déjà Vu

I'm walking over to Bob's Diner and I stop by the tiny park and playground next door. That strange feeling is back again that I had felt a couple weeks ago. No one is around so I decide to take a seat on an empty swing set and listen to the sounds around me.

There are only two swings on this set; I'm sitting on one and a lonely forgotten hat sits on the other.  It's a cute hat, red with white polka dots and a black bow with trim around the center.  I wonder who left it and if they will come back to get it?  I continue my gaze around the park; the playground equipment surrounding me looks old, but I can tell it's sturdy.

"Sang?" Luke comes up behind me.

"Oh, hi Luke!"

There's no where for him to sit, since the hat is still on the other swing so he grabs the chains for my swing and pulls me back then gives me a small push. We continue on like this until I tell him, "This playground looks so familiar to me."

"Oh yeah? Have you been out here before?"

"I don't think so, but something's off. Like something is missing." I explain as I crane my neck to see him.

Luke gives me a grin, "Maybe you have been out here before, back when the church was here."

That's when it comes back to me. The old abandoned church and playground I passed by while driving in the cop car on my last night of foster care. I try and gulp, but I have a hard time swallowing with the big lump in my throat. "Church?" I squeak out.

"Yup, we bought the place four years ago and turned it into Bob's Diner. We were going to tear down the playground too for insurance purposes, but the city ended up buying it from us and added the greenery and benches to make a small park."

That means I used to live around here. I break out into a small sweat remembering that night. I was scared when Volto broke through the window, but after I found out what my foster parents were up to I was disgusted, but I can't let those memories and fears take over. I'm a new and improved Sang just like the abandoned church. So it's time to get down to business and the actual reason I asked Luke to meet up with me.

"Luke, you put the listening device on Mr. Blackbourne that night right?"

"Yeah, why? Did you get something good? I want to hear!" He exclaims with bright eyes.

"Yeah, I got something alright." I take out my phone and log into the application. I hold it up for Luke to hear. At the moment it's silent, but if my guess is correct the silence will be broken when Luke questions the lack of talking.

"I don't hear anything." He says with his brows furrowed.

"I don't hear anything." The phone repeats. Luke's eye go wide as it dawns on him. I nod my head in confirmation and he starts going through his pockets.

He's wearing cargo pants, so there's a lot of pockets to go through, but he finds nothing. His white shirt, with the buttons undone halfway down, has no pockets so it can't be there. Next, he checks his shoes. Taking the left one off first he turns it upside down and shakes it-- nothing comes out. He does the same to the other. Nothing again. I didn't think it would be inside his shoe, he would have felt it with his foot.

I pick up the shoes and check the soles. I look for any holes or pieces that were cut open to insert the tiny device. No such luck. The only thing left on Luke's body that we haven't checked is the clip in his hair and his underwear. I know it's awkward, but I like to be thorough.

"Should we check your underwear? Does it have pockets?" I ask him quietly.

"I'm not wearing any." He grins at me while my face flushes with embarrassment. Okay...so Luke likes to go commando.