To Long For

Ch. 11 Memories of Forgotten Past

Jack and Irma spotted a secluded medium-size room consisting of three small bookshelves, a rectangular maple table with four chairs, pictures of the yetis and of North's earlier times, and a small-medium antique chandelier.

Irma sat in a chair while Jack sat in front of her on the table.

He just liked sitting on tables for no apparent reason.

"So, how does this work," Irma asked, indicating her gold, circular memory box?

She looked at the picture of her distant adolescent self. She had the same color eyes and hair, her face shown of shyness. She saw Jack's earlier; his picture had a mischievous look to it.

"All you have to do is touch where all those diamond shapes are," he answered, showing her the location.

"At least they made this simple," she said with a small laugh.

He pigeon laughed.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"There is a memory that I need to share with you that involves from when I was a kid."

Jack looked at her, curiously, "What is it?"

Irma swallowed before she continued. "When I was fourteen, people I thought were my friends, made fun of me for something I said when one of them asked a certain question."

"What was the question," Jack asked softly?

She bit her bottom lip, then sucked her lips in.

But as she was about to answer, there was a knock at the door startling them both.

"Who is it," Jack asked?

"It is I." It was North on the other side of the door.

"What's up," Jack asked?

"I am glad I caught you in time before your memory travels."

Jack sat his memory box down on the table, then walked to the door and opened it, "What's wrong?"

"I need inform you that I am having two yeti guards posted at door just as precaution. In case Tooth returns."

Jack and Irma glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Thank you," Jack told him, looking back at him.

North smiled, bowed his head slightly, then left as the yetis took their positions on either side of the door.

Jack reclosed the door, and as he walked back over to Irma, he repeated, "What was the question they asked?"

Irma took a breath.

"They asked who I had a crush on."

Jack instantly knew what her answer was to them. "You said my name, didn't you?"

She looked away as she slowly nodded. "They told me that they asked, what real person, not a kid's fairytale." Irma's eyes started to water, but she kept them at bay, "They said I was too into Christmas garbage meant for babies and eight-year-olds. They also said that I was crazy because I wrote your name a lot in notebooks.

"I cried when I got home." She finally looked back at him, "I knew I could never tell my parents what I truly felt for you after they told me none of you were real.

"I didn't have any real friends since that day. Always scared to be ridiculed again," a tear slipped from her eye.

Jack wiped the tear from her cheek, "I am so sorry I wasn't there to comfort you, to let you know that I would've been there for you no matter what anyone said." He smiled, "But now I'm truly yours; The one you were always meant to believe in so we could be together. Your crush is right here, never to leave your side again."