Just Rose

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Parks and the Kresses had known each other all along, but neither- except Julie, Krista, and Lisa, apparently- knew that I knew the other family. The idea was strange.

“I think Max and Joshua are in the family room. We were going to go pick you guys up in about a half hour,” Veronica informed us.

We turned a familiar corner and caught sight of Max and Josh on the couch. “Hey, guys,” Veronica said, jumping in between them.

“Get off, V,” Josh moaned.

Veronica laughed but obliged. “So, we have something to tell you,” she said, sitting on the other side of the sectional and gesturing for me to sit next to her. Kiana sat next to Max. “Rose- that’s what you’ve been going by, right?” I nodded. “Her name isn’t Rose,” Veronica said. “It’s Elisabeth.”

“We know,” Max said. “She- Sarah, actually- told us a few months ago.”

“Right. But did you know that before she lived with you guys, she lived in Texas, and before she lived in Texas, she lived in California, with us? In this house?”

Josh fidgeted. “She did?” Max asked, surprised. “Seriously?”

“It was kind of planned for Julie to find her,” Veronica said. “At least, that’s my understanding. And before she lived with us, she lived with her aunt, Sharon, in an apartment in the city. She only lived in Texas for a few months.”

“Incredible,” Max said, his eyes wide. “I’m guessing Krista and Lisa were planning this with Julie for awhile?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Veronica said. “It’s amazing. And apparently Elisabeth lost her memory.”

“We knew that,” Josh said, still not looking anywhere but his hands.

“She had no idea she was walking up the steps of her old home until Lisa and Krista opened the door,” Veronica said.

She turned to me. “I swear, we were going to surprise you slowly. Or, I think we were. I was going to go with Julie and James to pick you up. Except I thought it was going to be only Sarah and Kiana, and some girl named Rose. I was going to be just as surprised as you, actually. But obviously you were actually more surprised, since you forgot all of us existed. Which I’m trying not to take personally.”

She laughed. “But apparently they were planning on breaking it to you slowly. I think. I mean, I would assume so… I’m still just so surprised you’re sitting here next to me!” she exclaimed.

I smiled, my mind elsewhere. Veronica had said that Max and Josh didn’t know I knew the Kresses. But as the minutes passed- and more than 60 of them had since the time I stood on the Kresses steps- has it really only been an hour?- things were becoming clearer and clearer. And one thing I remembered was hating Josh in Texas. Why did I hate him? If I’d honestly never been to Texas before… when did I go to Texas?”

“Veronica, when did I go to Texas?” I asked.

She paused in her conversation with Max, who she was still attempting to explain everything to. “What? I think it was around the middle of May,” she said before turning back to him.

May. I’d only been in Texas about three months, then. “Josh, why didn’t we like each other in Texas?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. We didn’t blend well, I guess.”

But the first time I saw you, I recognized you. On the porch. It was my first morning in the town- Mountain View- and I took clothes to his house. How did I recognize you?