It's crazy, really. Completely and totally insane how one person can shake your whole reality. My entire existence up until now feels like a lie. A giant fib my parents made up to keep "good" and "humble". But I don't want to be that kid anymore. No...
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This is the promise land. This small, empty room. The discolored carpet, the dingy box spring and bed, the scuffed up walls. It's perfect and it's mine, so long as I keep my identity hidden.
I exhale slowly, breathing out the musty smell of the room. Whoever lived here before must have been an avid smoker, because the scent of stale cigarettes is strong in my nostrils and I don't think I can ever fully rid myself of it no matter how hard I try.
I sigh and lower myself onto the naked bed shoved up against the wall. This is not at all the situation I imagined myself in two years ago, but I'm thankful for what I have. For what God has provided. These past two years away from home and everyone I love have been trying and tiring. Never staying anywhere for too long, praying continuously for food and shelter. Being homeless, hitch hiking across the United States, living entirely off of God's Grace and strangers kindness. It's been a surreal adventure. And I made it. I survived. And I'm so, so close to her. I can feel it.
What will she say when she sees me? Will she remember me? I'm not the kid I was when she knew me. I'm taller, hairier, and more toned. All of this coming from honest laboring work on the farm. But when she looks into my eyes, will she know? Will she see me and automatically remember everything, just the way I did? Because I can't tell her anything. If I do, I'll be on the streets again. The act of me finding Brent's ad online was straight from God. I'm not a fool. I will not throw away his morbid kindness and I will not let him support me longer than he has to. I'll get a job, work hard, and get closer to her. We'll fall in love all over again. Brent won't stand in my way. He can't. Amelia and I are soul mates, our souls created for one another by God himself. Brent is just a stepping stone. And I'm thankful for him. And how God is using him. Yes, this is all God. Everything has lead to this moment. This time. This... Perfect forever.
"Brent, you will not believe the day I just had!" The door swings open with a loud thud. I jerk my head around the corner to peer out of my room and stare wide eyed at the girl fighting for her keys. She doesn't notice me right away, so I carefully inch closer. "No! Stop! Stop that nonsense!" She pleads. I smile, amused. For whatever reason, she still doesn't sense my presence, and maybe that's thanks to the way the apartment is set up. It kind of makes it easy for me to spy on her. My room faces the front door, but is hidden between the kitchen and living room. Brent's room is staggered behind mine. "Please, please, please!" She breathes quickly. Her hair is a wild mess as she yanks at the lock and kicks at the base, shaking her head in pure frustration. I slide into the kitchen, next to the refrigerator. Her gaze is fixed on the heavy metal door. "Fine! You can have them!" She screams. She gives the keys a final tug with an angry grunt, and I can feel her anxiety rising. "See if I care!" She continues, placing her hands square on her hips. "Because- because I don't! Eat the keys. They're probably taste salty anyway." She gives the lock a final tug before slamming the door behind her. She doesn't look at me, doesn't even really scan the room. She just tangles her fingers in her dusty reddish brown hair and sighs. "Silly hungry stupid door." She grumbles under her breath. "Eating keys and making my day that much more fabulous." She stops herself, looks up, and straightens her back. I smile brightly. So this is her. This is Amelia in all her candid glory. I fall back into the fridge and coolly cross my arms over my chest, admiring her. "Brent!" She shouts louder. "Where are you!" She takes a couple of steps forward, then stops. "I need to talk to you about my day! Give me your attention! I will fight you in Mortal Kombat and win if I have to!" She starts up again "So help me-" she freezes, finally noticing me, and her face crumbles in embarrassment. "Uh, please tell me you didn't hear any of that." She laughs to herself from across the room. "I like to talk, maybe a little too much." She bites the corner of her lip and quickly makes her way to me, extending her hand. "I'm sorry. I'm Amy. And you are-?"
