Remembering Us

Close: the end of a event or a period of time or activity

Eli

I switched my iPod to the perishers and began packing my stuff for college. It was less than a month away and I hadn't even begun to prepare myself for it. I debated between what posters I was going to bring, but really my mind was on the text I got from Cara this morning. She said, Who is Matthew? And why do I have his blanket in my closet? I have never heard of him before, but I also didn't know Cara until recently. Maybe he was an ex boyfriend?

"Someone's here for you Eli," my mom knocked on the door. "They're waiting out on the porch."

I paused in the packing of my stuff to thank her and turn down my music. I threw on a shirt and walked downstairs wondering who it could be. She didn't say Max or Cara, and they would have come right up anyways.

Out on my porch was the last person I expected to see. "Caleb?"

"Let's take a walk," Caleb didn't look at me, just spun on his heel and continued to walk away.

"Listen buddy, I have a lot of stuff to do so this better be important," I said following after him.

He stopped dead and turned around. He took a deep breath. "How much do you know about Cara?"

"I suppose as much as anyone else, maybe as much as you do." I squared my jaw, waiting for him to argue.

He shook his head, " Eli, I know you're trying to help her remember. I'm not an idiot. I know that you guys are close, but I also know that theres alot that you don't know about. Trust me, after what she went through, and you of all people.." Caleb looked away. when he looked back up his eyes were glassy. " This is her second chance. She has the opportunity to move on, and she fucking deserves to Eli. She deserves to be happy. Just let it be."

The unanswered questions were piling up in my brain.As caleb got into his car and drove away one stood out above the rest.

Who really was Caroline Richards?

I walked back home and up to my room and did the one cliche thing I knew could turn up answers; I googled her.

Pictures of her side by side with her mother and father, charity meetings, basically nothing useful. I narrowed down whatever happened to her to the end of freshman year to senior year. I remember hearing that her family had moved away for a temporary job, and that lasted almost a year, Something happened in that period of time, something terrible, and it changed her forever. What was it?

I came downstairs hours later, my head buzzing with what I just learned. I found my mom in the kitchen and grabbed the counter to stop my shaking hands. " Mom? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure honey, just let me finish this celery and we can talk." Mom chopped the rest of the celery and put it away. She sat across the counter from me and smiled," Alright, shoot."

"You know that thing we never talk about? I kind of need to talk about it." I looked down from her shocked eyes to the hands, my hands on the counter and closed my eyes. " There's something I need to know."

"Eli, how about we wait til your father gets home I'm sure he'd love to talk after dinner--"

"No mom. I need to know. The little boy, the baby that I didn't save... What was his name?"

"This isn't really such a good idea--"

"Mom!" I opened my eyes and slapped the counter with both palms. " What was his name? I deserve to know!"

"Matthew! His name was matthew!" My mom sobbed and buried her face in her hands.

I let go of the counter, and stumbled away from the kitchen and out to the back yard.