Remember Summer

Remember Summer - Chapter 4

Noah stood frozen there, shocked by what happened. 'I was so sure that she also loves me. Why did she reject me? And why is she crying? What went wrong?'

When he finally came to his senses, he went after her but she was nowhere to be found at the party, even her parents and brother were not there. His friends saw him and told him that they saw Marin running to her parents, crying. They advised him to give her some space and time for now. He obeyed them and didn't bother Marin for that night. But when the morning came and Noah went to their house to talk to her, all he saw was an empty house. The door was locked and their car was gone.

'Maybe, they just went to buy something,' he told himself, not believing that her family went away for good. There was no reason for them to go away.

So Noah waited for them. The day turned into night, but there was still no sign of her and her family. He waited still, never moving an inch from their porch. His parents and friends became so concerned that they forced him to go home, they went from threatening him (that they would knock him out unconscious just to bring him home) to promising him that they would help him look for Marin's family. Finally their persuasion succeeded and he went home. But even with the help of his family and friends, they could not find Marin and her family. They stayed there in their town for almost two months but no one knew their original address. It was like they deliberately withheld any information about where they came from. All they told them was they were from the city, but from what city, they did not tell. Even the owner of the house they lived in during the summer, didn't have enough information on Marin's family.

A few days later, summer vacation ended and his classes in the university has started but everyday, before and after his classes, Noah would go to the Delaney's beach house just to check if they came back. But no, the house remained silent and empty. Lifeless.

Eventually, Noah learned to accept that the summer was over and so was them.

Three years after, Noah was already working in the city when he received a call from his parents who preferred to stay in their hometown.

"Noah, a letter arrived earlier. It was for you," his parents carefully told him.

"Letter? You can open it and tell me the content," he said over the phone.

"I don't think we should read this."

"Why not?" He asked, curious now about the letter.

"The letter, it was from the Delaney family. Do you remember them?"

He went silent after hearing the surname of the sender. Delaney family? As in Marin Delaney? Of course, he remembered them, her.

"Noah, are you still there?" His father asked, concerned about his son's reaction,

He cleared his throat and answered his father. "Umm... Yes, still here. Umm..."

"Do you still want us to read it to you?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "I mean, no, you don't have to read it. I can go back there after work. It will take me four hours but I'll be there tonight. I need to... I need..." He heart was beating wildly. He didn't know what to say.

"Yes, I understand, son. We will wait for you."

He got to his parents' house in a record time. After he arrived, his parents gave him the letter and left him alone. His hands were shaking while reading it. It was full of apologies from Marin's parents but nothing about her. At the end of the letter, they told him that if he has questions, he can visit their house. Outside the envelope, Noah hesitantly looked for their address and sighed heavily with relief when he finally saw that it was written there.