May 12th,
Thanks to the nurse's mildly reckless driving, the drive to St. Louis was a breeze through time. We had already drove past the car that Emily was in long ago, so we got to St. Louis before they did. I decided to part ways with her for now.
The Gateway Arch was pretty massive, so we were able to spot it in no time as we drove through the downtown area.
"I'm gonna go park at a fast food place and grab us something to eat," the nurse said. "I guess I'll leave you here then?"
"I'll be fine here," I said. "Again, I can't thank you enough."
I didn't exactly know if he was gonna be there, but he did say to meet him here. But, what if he doesn't remember me, or about that place that we were stuck in?
I shook that thought out of my head and stopped in front of the arch. I sat on a bench on the sidewalk and waited for Cole...
~I miss Alex.
I wasn't uncomfortable on the ride to St. Louis. The car had A/C at least. The various landscapes were beautiful as well. If anything, I had a little fun looking at all the new things that I've never even seen in my life.
The car suddenly stopped in front of a weird looking grey curve that was massive. It looked like an arch.
"They wanted to meet you at the Gateway Arch," the driver man said. "They should be waiting right now."
The Gateway Arch? Where have a heard that from?
Me, the driver man, and another guy with a suit on all got out of the car and started walking closer to the arch. Not long later, I saw two older looking people looking at us and waving. There was a young looking boy standing with them. He was wearing weird clothes.
"I-I'm so sorry..." said the woman who looked like she was about to cry. "We knew that our daughter wasn't right in the head, but we never thought it would be that bad..."
"We want to make it up to you in anyway we can," the older man said. "We have no right to ask for your forgiveness nor do you have to, but we want to give you a life you deserve. It's the very least we can do for you."
The young boy looked up from his phone and stared at me. His eyes were gentle and his face was pretty. The black lipstick on his face along with the black nails and street fashion clothes didn't match his gentle atmosphere at all.
That's not a bad thing though. If anything, it makes him unique.
"I'm sorry," the man said. "Our son went dead a little while ago from an ear infection, so he won't be able to hear you. He wants to say hi to you though, so I'll translate for you."
The young boy suddenly started moving his hand around, making strange gestures with his fingers.
Sign language.
"He says: 'Hello, my name is Cole. These two are your grandparents, my parents. It's kinda hard to believe, but I'm your uncle. Nice to meet you.'"
He held out his hand. I grabbed and shook it with mine.
Such soft hands.
"Hey, by any chance do you know someone named Alex?" I asked.
I hoped that he would say yes. I know that Alex is looking for him.
Cole started at me for a second, then made a single gesture with his hand. My grandfather looked at his hand then started to translate.
"He says..."
~I sat and waited for Cole for an hour. The nurse brought over some food while we waited. A box of chicken and fries with tea.
"I hope this is ok for you?" She said to me.
"You've already done enough for me," I said to her. "You could've given me terrible food and I would've still been grateful and ate it."
We both sat on a bench and waited for Cole.
"So, what does this Cole kid look like?" The nurse asked me.
"Well, I'm not sure if he'll where the same clothes I saw him in, but he had lips and nails painted black. His clothes were street fashion, and his eyes were gentle looking."
"MmmMm, when you said gentle eyes that sent shivers down me," the nurse said. "Do his looks match his appearance?"
"Not really. His clothes make him look gothic, but he just has a cool taste in fashion. In reality, he's kind, gentle, sweet, and kinda shy."
"Keeper. If you lose him, you're gonna be living the worst life possible honey."
I chuckled.
"I can see that happening."
"It'll be fine though, because you won't lose him."
"How do you know that?"
"Because the way you described him, I'd believe that the boy you're looking for is standing with that old couple over there."
She pointed to my left where an old couple along with a little girl, two men in suits, and a boy were standing.
I noticed Emily was there, but I didn't care. The only person I was looking at and focusing on right now was Cole.
I got off the bench and bolted to him. I spilled the food and drink that the nurse had bought for me, but I can apologize for that later.
Cole turned towards me and saw that I was running towards him. He looked a little scared from the way he staggered, so I stopped sprinting and came to a halt just a few feet away from him.
I was standing on one side of the sidewalk while he was standing on the other.
"Co-"
I opened my mouth to speak, but I suddenly remembered.
He is deaf.
Dammit! I don't know sign language. How the hell do I talk to him?
"Cole, i-t-s m-e. A-l-e-x." I said doing my best to enunciate my words the best I could.
Cole tilted his head with a confused look on his face.
I wanted to say something else, but I suddenly realized something. If Cole is looking at me, then how come he doesn't recognize me?
Does he not remember? Has it still not come back to him yet? I don't understand. How is this possible?
I dropped to my knees after coming to this realization and cried messy tears. I tried my best to hide my face, but I eventually gave up and just dropped my hands.
I felt humiliated. Sad. Angry.
Forgotten.
I'm so close to him. I just want to place my hands on his cheek and lift his face closer to mine. I want to give him a kiss that shows just how much I miss him. I want him to wrap his arms around my neck like he did last time and kiss me back. I want to hold his hand and tell him that I live him every day. Every hour. Every minute.
Am I really about to lose that...?
I looked up at him with a defeated look on my face. I remembered the little bit of sign language that he taught me from before. I don't know if it'll help me, but I wanted to at least tell in a way that he understood.
'A-L-E-X.' I said with my hands. 'My...name...is...Alex.'
I felt the last bit of tears I had left in my eyes drip down my face as I gestured the last bit of sign language that Cole taught me.
'I...love...you...'
I started at the ground and stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. I wasn't expecting a answer.
Of course. This is how it has to end. I can never have a happy ending. Endings like those can't be wasted on pathetic people like me anyways.
"Pathetic... I'm so...pathetic... Even when I fight, I'm still pathetic..."
...
...
...what...now...?
A dark cloud surrounded me. Everyone was invisible. The nurse. The old couple. The two men in suits. Emily. Even Cole was gone.
All that was left for me was that stupid house with my control-freak mother.
...
...
*!*
I heard a sound. It sounded like footsteps.
Sure enough, when I looked up I saw Cole standing right in front of me with his hand held out to me.
Surely this can't be real? A happy ending? For me? No, it can't be true. But, what if it is? I guess it won't hurt to find out.
I slowly reached my hand out and was expecting my hand to go through his, confirming that what was happening wasn't real...
However, the minute I felt that soft sensation was when I started tearing up again. Long streams of tears poured out from my eyes as I picked myself off my feet.
"I..."
Cole opened his mouth and started mouthing words, as if trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. After a few struggles...
"I...love...you..." he said. "Alex..."
As soon as his lips met mine, the dark clouds vanished and turned into a familiar golden light. That light shined brightly around me. A feeling of warmth and comfort filled my body to the brim as an overwhelming joy filled my heart.
I felt both of Cole's hands grabbing mine and pulling them up to his cheeks. He then wrapped his arms around my neck and continued kissing me.
We continued without even noticing the familiar people around us watching. We were in our own little world, reuniting in our own way.
He moved fast, but I struggled to keep up because of my emotions. But even so, Cole never backed away from me, because he's familiar with this.
This was how our first kiss went down. He was the pro while I was the struggler.
This kiss confirmed everything. He did remember.
"He remembers."
"He remembers..."
"He remembers...me..."
"I'm so...happy..."
"..."
"Thank...god…"
-The End