Complete Strangers

Never Got the Chance

Riiiiiiinnnnnggg. The bell to change classes rung through the hallways. Any Thursday like any other. I was still the same pathetic guy that couldn't even speak his mind in a stupid class discussion. I wanted to open my mouth and say something profound, be the guy I was capable of being. A Thursday like all the others, just another invisible guy. All I want is for someone that isn't my friend, preferably a single female, to notice me.

I know it's shallow and sad, but that's what I want at the moment. Maybe tomorrow I'll want something else. Probably not. My baby sister is cute an all, but she can't really provide me with the kind of attention I'm looking for... At least I have that much I suppose. I wonder when I'll meet someone that needs me, the me I am right now. Not anyone I've met yet.

At the end of the day I went home. Thursday is the day before Friday, that's the only reason it means anything to me. Friday's are my favorite, I can go to the park on Fridays. All by myself; just the way I like it, right. At least school would be over in three months or so. That may not seem like much, but eventually no day is too soon to start the count down.

---

The park is nice. Always gonna be my favorite place. I like the swings best, always gonna be the best spot. Just cause. There's nothing better than being able to think clearly. Unless things are too clear, and you start to remember things you'd rather forget. You know, like how your life is totally in shambles after your mom's death. Or how she died giving birth to your sister in a parking lot. Or how she gave birth in a parking lot cause your dad found out that she was pregnant with someone else's kid. Or how she was pregnant because she was raped. Or how she didn't tell anyone because she was ashamed. Or you know, just that really bad grade you got last week. Yeah, let's go with that.

Of course, it's not like I can ignore all those things. Well, there's one thing that I really can't ignore: the man that did this to my mother was still out there somewhere. He was probably ruining someone else's life right now. Not that I can do anything. That fact only hurts more than anything else.

--- 2 years ago

"Uuuuuurrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh ahhhhhhh!!!!!! Jonny! The baby is coming!" My mother's voice strained. I was excited to meet the little rib kicker without an abdominal muscle in between us.

"Dad! Get the car, I'll help mom." I yelled down the front hall of our home. This had never happened near me before, maybe all the practice runs we did helped. My dad however, came crashing through the house. Mom said he did this when I was born too, luckily, her sister was there that time.

"I've got the keys!" Slamming through the door and getting the car ready while I helped mom out. She was in pain, but she was as calm as ever. Mom was good like that, always knew how to fix things that seemed like the end of existence itself. Dad; however, was not the go to guy for emergencies. When I broke my leg once, he just passed out. "Limbs aren't suppose to bend that way" he had said.

Grabbing the bag that we leave by the door just for this event, I got mom into the car. Dad was ready to move, despite the fact that the labor portion of all this could last a while. I sat in the back with mom as the car started. The entire time my mother was grunting, I sure felt bad about all the crud I put her through when I was younger.

Mom had given birth to me without pain meds and had prepared herself to do the same this time around too. How do women do that? Must be magic. All pregnant women have powers of sorcery, that's it. Dad had tried to explain once that women could handle more pain or something like that, but he wasn't able to finish.

Dad could be skittish about things concerning woman; I got my intelligence from him after all.
Vrrrrmmmssshhhhh. The car stopped. What's happening? Dad had been eerily quiet for the duration of the trip. I looked around, we weren't anywhere near the hospital. In fact, we were in a parking lot, an empty one on that note.