Memory's Forever

The family walked through aisle after aisle of food at the grocery store. They made small talk about nothing in particular. Mae’s father and mother would occasionally ask Mae something but all they would get in return was a simple nod.

Mae didn’t bother to contribute much to the conversation. She merely tagged along because she had nothing else to do on a Wednesday morning. She was currently out of a job and out of school now. All her former friends were attending either one now.

Therefore, she spent her time with her parents today. It is not as if she would be able to avoid them anyhow; she had moved back into her former room.

“Cocoa Puffs?” Mae’s mother asked. She looked up from the ground and looked at her mother. She gave her a shrug and glued her eyes to her shoes once again. Mae walked passed them and didn’t say another word. Her mother sighed.

Mae walked passed stocker after stocker, making their morning rounds. They would nod a simple hello to her, but she never noticed. She saw a young man on the floor, stocking cans but quickly glanced away. She wanted to avoid the hellos and stares.

“Lilah Mae, does your mom still call you that?” asked a young man as she quickly hurried past him.

Mae’s eyes quickly scanned for the person that had called her the name she hated most, her full name.

“I’ll take it as a yes,” he said.

Mae finally caught sight of the young man. She immediately remembered him from high school years.

“The rockstar thing didn’t work for you? I’m so surprised” she said sarcastically. She glanced at the name tag and saw the name Brian. Brian Haner, her old high school boyfriend.

“You’ll be surprised after you hear us. We have a demo out, real nice. I can get you a copy if you want. I don’t give out free copies to anyone, so you’ll owe me some sort of payment,” Brian said. He put a cardboard box flat on the floor. A coy smile formed on his thin lips.

“Yet, you’re here working at the local grocery store.”

“Don’t worry, a couple more weeks and I’m leaving this place for good. Besides, gotta get some money somehow. What about you, where are you at?”

“I don’t have a job,” Mae mumbled. At that moment her parents walked by the two young adults.

“Mr. and Mrs. Madden, I haven’t see you two in a while. How are you?” Brian said. He turned on the charm and Mae had noticed.

“Hi Brian, how are you? I ran into your father a couple weeks back. Send him my regards, will you?” Mae’s father said. Her mother smiled at Brian and kept pushing the cart.

“Will do so, take care,” Brian said. He waved them away. Brian turned his attention back to Mae. She avoided his gaze. “So you don’t work yet you’re making fun of me, nice.”

“Give me a break, I’ve only been here almost two weeks. I just came back from Colorado.”

“Yeah, I remember Jimmy telling me you moved out there not long after us,” he said.

Mae merely smiled at him. She suddenly felt her checks blush.

“I could try to get you a job here, if you want,” Brian offered. He didn’t care if he had to work with his old ex girlfriend. They ended on friendly terms.

“Thanks Bri, but I have a interview coming up soon. I think I pretty much got it.”

“Alright, just don’t say I didn’t try.” Mae started walking away from Brian but he immediately pulled her back. “Don’t leave yet,” he said. He reached into his smock and pulled out a pen and paper. “We have a show this Saturday. Call this number and I’ll get you in, you’ll be on the guest list. I’ll blow your mind away like I used to back in the day,” he casually said. He realized what he said to her and looked at Mae with wide eyes. She didn’t catch on.

“Thanks?” she said with an awkward inflection.

“You’ll see everyone there, I promise you’ll have fun. We always do.” Brian said as he handed her his phone number. He tried to get her to take the pen and paper from his hands so she could write her own number there but she pushed his hands away.

“I moved back in with my parents. Just call me there, you remember the number right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. He was rather shocked he still remembered. “See you there then,” he waved at her as she walked away.

“I'll think about it.” she said. Brain threw his hands up in the air and laughed.

Mae caught up with her parents at the checkout lane. They both noticed their daughter smiling. “You got a date or what?” asked her father.

“What? Oh, Brian invited me to go to his bands show on Saturday. I just humored him and said I’d try to go,”

“So what’s stopping you?” he asked her.

Mae didn’t have an answer to that. She didn’t want to go but she had no valid excuse to use. “I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in a long time. I think it’s just a little weird to hang out with him.”

“You’ve been cooped up at the house too long, Mae. I think it’s time you go out and find some friends,” her mother lectured.

“I have friends,” Mae shot back.

“And when was the last time you did something with them? I don’t see the problem in going. Go have some fun and that’s an order. I’m sick of you moping and crying over Eli,” her mother said. Mae merely looked at her as she wrote her check out to give to the cashier.

She was 20 years old but felt 14 again. She sighed as she followed her parents back home.

_________________________

“MAE, PHONE!” Mrs. Madden called from downstairs. Mae had been sitting on her bed, reading her book. Mae rolled herself off the bed and grabbed her phone. She didn't bother asking who it was.

"Hello?"

She heard a husky voice come from the other end, "Mae, you're still coming, right?" It was Brian on the other end.

"I, uh, shit I'm sorry I completely forgot," she truthfully said.

"It's okay, I'll pick you up in 15. I gotta run some things for the guys. See ya!" Brian hung up and left Mae struggling for words.

Brian was coming to pick her up, just like the old days. She quietly thought to herself. Maybe she'd have fun, like he promised. She gathered her things into her purse, making sure to pack her prescription, and quickly changed into some slacks and shirt.

"Whatever, a night out is a night out. I'm sure Eli had no problem moving on," she said to herself as she quickly left her bedroom.