But what could I say? That I had a suitcase full of clothes she had never seen
me wear before and a bottle of little blue pills that had been sitting on my
nightstand, untouched, for the past two months? That I was moving across the
country so that I wouldn't have to explain who I was? That wasn't the reason we
were separating. It wasn't. But the first time I talked about this to someone
replayed in my head twenty-four hours a day. "It's like the entire time I knew
you wasn't really real."
I wanted our past to be real. "I'm sorry, I -" I began.
"After seventeen years, I've always gotten the sense that you don't quite know
who you are," she said. "I hope you figure it out one day. I wish I had gotten
to see it." Her voice was entirely earnest, without a trace of sarcasm.
She had started moving towards the exit, not even looking back when she had
answered me. We had a few hours left. I glanced at my suit jacket, still hanging
where I had left it. I wouldn't wear it again. I left it where it was and jogged
to catch up to her.
I caught up halfway down the stairs, and touched her shoulder. "Hey," I said
gently. She kept walking, but turned around. "Remember when we hid in the
church? And when we finally came out, we told each other that we wanted to be
friends?"
me wear before and a bottle of little blue pills that had been sitting on my
nightstand, untouched, for the past two months? That I was moving across the
country so that I wouldn't have to explain who I was? That wasn't the reason we
were separating. It wasn't. But the first time I talked about this to someone
replayed in my head twenty-four hours a day. "It's like the entire time I knew
you wasn't really real."
I wanted our past to be real. "I'm sorry, I -" I began.
"After seventeen years, I've always gotten the sense that you don't quite know
who you are," she said. "I hope you figure it out one day. I wish I had gotten
to see it." Her voice was entirely earnest, without a trace of sarcasm.
She had started moving towards the exit, not even looking back when she had
answered me. We had a few hours left. I glanced at my suit jacket, still hanging
where I had left it. I wouldn't wear it again. I left it where it was and jogged
to catch up to her.
I caught up halfway down the stairs, and touched her shoulder. "Hey," I said
gently. She kept walking, but turned around. "Remember when we hid in the
church? And when we finally came out, we told each other that we wanted to be
friends?"
Remember When by Madeleine Anderson, page 8