by Sandi Lynn
He looked at me and laughed. “You’re as bad a kid before Christmas.”
He pulled out a white envelope from his pocket and handed it to me. “Read this.”
I took it from his hand and opened the letter inside. It read:
“Dear Mr. Snow, on behalf of the staff here at the University of Washington, it is our pleasure to announce the acceptance of your application to our university this fall.”
I looked at Sam and he was smiling at me.
“Does this mean? I mean are you—?” I couldn’t spit out the words. Excitement took over my entire body and I began to shake.
“Yes, yes! I’m going with you to the University of Washington.”
I jumped out of my seat and jumped onto his lap, hugging him tight and kissing his lips.
“When did you do this? How did you do this? Why? Oh my God, Sam, we don’t have to say goodbye.”
“I applied a few weeks ago, and I did it for us, so we can be together. I’ve wanted to go to college, but I felt like I couldn’t because I had to take care of my mom. I sat down and talked to her and she cried and told me how she wanted nothing more than for me to go. Cal said he would keep an eye on her.”
Tears started to fall down my face. Sam took his thumb and softly wiped them away. “Don’t cry, Claire.”
“I’m so happy. I can’t help it.”
After hugging and kissing him for a few more moments, I got off his lap and sat down back in my chair to finish eating my sandwich. There was an older couple sitting at the table next to us. As they got up to leave, the older woman looked at us.
“Young love is a rarity these days, but I can tell you two have it.” She winked.
We both smiled as they left the patio. I was so happy and nothing was going to ruin it. I wasn’t going to tell Harry and Corinne that Sam was going to the University of Washington with me. It was none of their business because, once I left home, I wasn’t coming back. Everything I was worried about was now fading away and life seemed perfect. Now all I had to do was get the hell away from my family.
****
Sam dropped me off at home while he and his mom went shopping. He asked me to come with him and, as much as I wanted to, I felt it was important for him to spend some time alone with her since they didn’t see each other very much, especially now that he was going away to college. I walked into the kitchen and found Corinne sitting at the table with Dylan and Zoey. She glanced my way and asked me to please sit down. There was something she needed to talk to me about. My stomach tied itself in knots; when Corinne tells you to sit down it was never good news. I didn’t feel comfortable sitting at the table by Dylan, and whatever Corinne had to say, it was not going to be in front of him.
“Whatever you need to say, Mom, can we please do it in private and not in front of an audience?”
“Claire, please. Can you for once in your life listen to me?”
I rolled my eyes and glared over at Zoey and Dylan, who were staring at me with excitement in their eyes. Whatever Corinne had to tell me, I got the feeling those two were behind it. I leaned my elbows on the island and crossed my legs. “Spit it out, Mom. I’m listening.”
Corinne shifted in her chair. “Did you know that Sam has an arrest record?”
I twisted my face at her. “Okay, and?”
“Did you know, Claire?” she asked with persistence.
“No, Mom, I didn’t,” I snapped.
“This boy, you claim to know so well, had an arrest record for dealing drugs.”
“That was the past; he doesn’t do or deal drugs. What the hell is this about, anyway, and how do you know this?” I looked over at Dylan, who instantly looked away.
I pointed my finger at him. “You, you had something to do with this, didn’t you?” I yelled as I started walking towards him. He put both hands up.
“Claire, stop!” Corinne yelled.
“I asked Dylan if he could do some checking for me because I wanted to know what kind of boy you were seeing.”
My face turned red and my heart started racing. How dare she, was all I thought.
“The boy has a criminal record, Claire, and he didn’t even tell you.”
I put both hands over my ears and turned for the stairs.
“You are not to see that boy anymore!” Corrine yelled as she followed me up the stairs.
“Mom, stop! You don’t even know him!”
“I know enough not to like him.” She chased after me.
I stepped in my bedroom and turned towards the door. “You don’t like him because he’s not rich and he doesn’t live in a big fancy house,” I snapped.
Corrine followed me into my room. “He’s not good enough for you and I don’t want you seeing him.”
“Really, Mother? Are you worried that I’ll tarnish your reputation, give your friends something to talk about, or better yet, that I’ll disgrace the Montgomery name?”
“Claire, that’s not fair.”
“Not fair?” I yelled. “What’s not fair is you judging Sam for where he comes from instead of getting to know him as a person.”
“This discussion is over and so is your relationship,” she said as she turned on her heels and stomped out of my room.
Tears started to sting my eyes as I lay on my bed, looking at the picture of us on my phone. Sam was perfect to me and I loved him. I just wished I could make my mother and father see that. The tears rolled down my face like someone opened the floodgates. I wasn’t crying for what Corinne told me about Sam; I was crying because of what she did, and how she did it. I needed a plan. I couldn’t stay here anymore, and I would never look at Corinne or Zoey the same way again. And then there was Dylan, stupid boy. I hoped he realized he just dug his own grave. I grabbed my suitcase from my closet and started throwing some clothes in it. I reached for a shoebox that was hidden in the corner on the top shelf and grabbed the money I had been saving and shoved it in my purse. I dialed Sam.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?” The sound of his voice calmed me.
“Sam, I need you to come get me. I’m leaving home, and I need you, please.” I started crying again.
“Claire, what happened?” he asked with worry.
“I’ll explain everything when you get here, but don’t come up the drive. I’ll meet you at the end. Just text me when you’re here.”
“I’m on my way, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too. Please hurry.” I hung up and packed a few more items.
I grabbed a pink duffel bag from under my bed and filled it with all my girly things, such as makeup and hair products. Before long, my phone chimed with a text from Sam.
“Here, baby.”
I quietly opened my door and peeked from side to side, making sure no one was there. I quietly tiptoed down the stairs, being careful not to make a sound. When I reached the bottom, I could hear Corinne talking from the kitchen. I slowly opened the front door and stepped outside. Mission accomplished; I was out and no one had heard me. I ran down the drive to Sam’s car. He got out immediately, grabbed my bags, and threw them in the trunk. I got into the car and told him to go and get out of here before someone saw us. As Sam pulled away, a feeling of exhilaration came over me. I threw my head back and let out a deep breath.
“Are you okay? What happened in there?” Sam asked as he grabbed my hand and held it tight.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell him what Corinne had said. It didn’t matter to me anyway, so I had to come up with something quickly. This was going to be the first lie I ever told him.
“It was just the last straw, Sam. Corinne started in on me in front of Zoey and Dylan about the engagement party, and I just couldn’t take anymore.”
He let go of my hand and gently wiped away a tear that fell from my eye.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m out of there and that’s all that matters.”
“It’s okay, baby, you don’t have to talk about it. You’re going to stay at my house.” He smil
ed.
I looked over at his sweet face and smiled. “Are you sure your mom won’t mind?”
“No. I already talked to her about it. My mom loves you and said you can move in. Besides, she would love to have another female around the house.”
He stopped at the red light, and I leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered.
Sam kissed the top of my head and the light turned green. He stepped on the gas pedal and, halfway through the light, I saw two sets of headlights coming at us. I screamed for Sam to stop as I heard a loud crash and everything went black.
Chapter 7
I could hear the beeping sounds of a monitor. I looked around and saw myself lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a monitor and ventilator. I didn’t recognize myself, for my head was wrapped up in white bandages and there were multiple contusions on my face. Was I dead? How could I stand here and look at my own body?
Corinne was kneeling at my bedside, holding my hand and crying. I felt somewhat sorry for her. Harry was pacing back and forth across the room, running his hands through his hair. The pained look on his face tore me apart. How did I get here? What happened? Suddenly, the room door opened and a man in a white coat entered.
“Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery, Claire has suffered severe trauma to her head. We had to go in and stop the bleeding on her brain.”
Corinne grabbed onto Harry as if she was going to pass out.
“Claire’s brain is severely swollen right now and we had to put her in a medically induced coma until the swelling subsides. We needed to remove her spleen and stop the internal bleeding. Her ribs are shattered and her left arm is broken. To be honest with you, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery, it’s a miracle your daughter is alive.”
Harry could barely speak. “What are Claire’s chances, doctor?”
The doctor answered, “We aren’t sure at this point. The next forty-eight to seventy-two hours are the most critical. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can give you for now.”
The doctor walked out of the room, and Corinne and Harry cried in each other’s arms. I walked over to where I was lying on the bed and stared at myself. I needed to find Sam. Where was he? I needed to make sure he was okay. If anything happened to him, I would let go because there would be no place in this world for me without him. I walked out of my room and heard the crying sounds of a woman down the hall. I followed the sound that led me to Sam’s room. I stood there and stared at the love of my life, who lay there helplessly, hooked up to the same monitor and ventilator as I was. His head was wrapped in white bandages and his face was so swollen, I barely recognized him. I walked over to his mom, who was holding his hand to her face as she cried and begged him to wake up. I reached out to touch her, but my hand went right through her. I looked at my hand in confusion. What the hell was happening? I leaned down close to Sam’s face and whispered to him.
“You have to wake up, Sam. I need you.”
As I went to kiss his head, I found that I couldn’t. I couldn’t touch him. I was startled and, as I turned to run back to my room, I found myself standing in the middle of the most beautiful garden. The sun was shining down on me, filling my skin and body with warmth. I could smell the fragrance from each flower in the garden; it was the most beautiful smell I have ever encountered. I looked around for someone or something. I felt so much love and peace here that I didn’t want to leave.
“Claire,” I heard a voice whisper. I turned my head in the direction it came from, but no one was there. When I turned back around, I saw a woman dressed in white standing barefoot across the garden from me. She was thin and pale; her hair was pure white and fell down to her waist.
“Claire, it’s not your time. You cannot stay here,” she spoke softly.
“I don’t want to leave.”
The woman smiled. “I know you don’t, but you have to. The road to recovery will be hard, but you will get through it, I promise.”
“Sam, where is Sam?” I asked.
“Your beloved is not here, Claire. His road to recovery will be long and hard as well. If your love was true and eternal, you will find each other again.”
She started to fade, and it felt like someone was pulling me away. “Wait! What do you mean by that?” I screamed as I held out my hand to reach her. I was fighting to stay in the garden, but the force that was pulling me back was much stronger.
I opened my eyes and looked around the room. My head was pounding and everything was blurry. The slow and steady beeping sound of the monitor was not helping. A girl that was sitting in the chair next to my bed jumped up and screamed, “Mom, wake up! Claire’s awake!”
The woman on the other side of the bed lifted her head and started crying.
“My baby. You came back to us.”
The girl ran out of the room, yelling for the doctor. The doctor came into the room with the nurse and both of them walked over to me.
“Good afternoon. I’m Dr. Georgeson. Can you tell me your name?”
I looked at him and blinked a few times, then I looked at the nurse, who was smiling at me.
“Can you tell me your name?” he asked once more.
I looked at him and whispered, “I think my name is Claire.”
The woman broke down and started crying as the girl held her. The doctor took out his little flashlight and shined it in both my eyes.
“Do you remember what happened to you?” he asked.
I was assuming there was an accident since I was all bandaged up and lying in a hospital bed. “Accident?” I whispered.
“That’s right; you were in a very bad car accident. It’s a miracle you’re here with us.”
The woman grabbed my hand. “Welcome back, Claire,” she cried.
The doctor continued to examine me. “Claire, do you know what year it is?”
I had no clue.
“Do you know where you live?”
I had no clue.
“Do you know how old you are?”
I whispered, “I’m not sure.”
“Eighteen, baby, you’re eighteen now,” Corinne cried.
The doctor continued. “Do you remember these people, Claire?”
I nodded my head. “Mom and sister.”
“Good. That’s right.” He smiled. “Mrs. Montgomery, Claire has amnesia due to the head trauma she suffered from the accident. She can remember very little about her life right now.”
“How long will this last? When will she start remembering things?” she asked.
“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. It could take a few days, a few months, a few years or there is the possibility that she may never regain her full memory back,” he said. “Make her comfortable and try to help her remember. Her recovery will be long and painful, and she will need your support,” he said as he turned and walked out of the room.
****
I spent six weeks lying in a hospital bed and recovering. My mom spent every day with me and my dad came and stayed with me after he got off from work. My friends Rachel and Ally came by to see me on the last day before I was discharged. They visited me frequently, and even though I didn’t quite remember who they were, they seemed really nice. I sat in a wheelchair as Rachel pushed me down the hallway and out to the courtyard. It was a beautiful summer day as the sun was shining, and the birds were softly chirping. I stayed in my wheelchair as my friends sat down on the bench.
“I brought you some lunch.” Ally smiled as she handed me a little brown wicker basket with a cloth napkin covering the top. I smiled back and removed the napkin.
“It’s the lunches we used to eat at school,” Rachel said.
Tucked inside the basket was a turkey sandwich with cheese and lettuce on wheat, a bag of baked Lays potato chips, a can of Coke, and a chocolate chip cookie.
“Thank you. It looks great.”
“I thought maybe it would trigger some memories,” Ally said.
Rachel took out her phone. “I want to show you some pictures. Maybe it will help you remember.”<
br />
I looked at her and then down at her phone. She had so many pictures of the three of us at school, at a dance, and in a bedroom that I assumed was mine, but I wasn’t sure.
“Here; you can scroll through them yourself,” she said as she handed me her phone.
I dragged my finger along her screen, hoping that one of these pictures would trigger a memory. I stopped at a picture of me and some guy. A black flash went off in my mind, followed by a bright light. I jumped and the phone fell into my lap.
“Claire, what is it?”
I didn’t know what had just happened, but it hurt. I picked up the phone from my lap and showed them the picture.
“Who am I with?”
They turned and looked at each other, and I could tell something was up.
“Umm, that’s my cousin, Riley,” Ally said as she took the phone out of my hand.
I cocked my head to the side. “Were we a couple or something? It looks like we were.”
Rachel lightly tapped my arm. “Don’t be silly. You two were good friends, and besides, he’s gay.”
Something didn’t sit right with their answers. If we were such good friends, then why didn’t he come visit me in the hospital? I felt something that I couldn’t explain when I saw that picture.
Chapter 8
Being home was strange. I didn’t remember my room, but I loved how it was decorated in black and pink. I guess those were my favorite colors. I really couldn’t tell you. Weeks went by, and still no recollection of my life. I was trying to make peace with the fact that I was starting my life over, because my old life had disappeared into a deep, black hole. I fell into a depression that left my mother and father worried about me. I asked my mom, over and over again, to tell me about the accident, but she wouldn’t tell me and I could tell she was holding something back.
“It was a terrible and unfortunate accident, and it wasn’t your fault. You need to stop dwelling on it and move on, Claire.”
She told me I had been driving and that I was alone; if only I could remember where I was going that night. I felt like a puzzle and there were a ton of pieces missing. I asked my mom if she had my old cell phone, but she said it had been smashed in the accident, so they got me a new one.