World I Never Knew

Once it seemed as if each of them would never feel their legs again, they had reached the gated wall. As Nick and Joe tried to figure out how to get over the wall from this side, Angela rolled her eyes and walked up to the gate. In her pocket was the key that would lead them on the road to civilization. With trembling hands she shoved the key into the lock and used all her might to turn it.

“Boys,” she said calmly, leaning against the open gate, her eyes shifting to the heat source a mere twenty feet from her.

“Maybe… if we move this…” Nick said.

“Yeah, yeah… and pile this on top of it...” Joe said, dragging something over.

“Boys,” Angela repeated with a sigh.

“Then I can go over first with an extra boost from you and…”

“Boys!” Angela shouted. “Why don’t we just go through the gate?”

“The gate’s…” Joe said, turning to her “locked.” Angela was waving the key and grinning at them. “Nick, it looks like we’re going through the gate.”

“Works for me.” Nick said, grabbing a few bags.

“You ready?” Joe asked, taking Angela’s hand in his. She turned to her left, back at her dark, desolate house. To her right, Nick had the car running, the headlights shining on the open road.

“Yeah… I’m ready.” She said, smiling at him.

As they approached the car, Nick popped open the trunk. Joe put the bags in while Angela slid into the back seat just as Nick hung up the phone. Joe snapped the trunk shut and climbed in next to Angela.

“Who were you talking to, Nick?” Angela asked.

“AAA. They’ll send someone out for your car tomorrow morning. Do you want to just stay here tonight?”

“No. Forget the car. Let’s go home.” Joe said.

****

“Angela… Ang, wake up.” Joe said, shaking her slumbering body.

“Mm?” she mumbled, blinking her eyes.

“We’re here.” He said quietly, pushing a strand of hair out of her face.

“What?” she asked sitting up and looking around. Her heart started to race in her chest as she looked up at the house. Nick turned in the driver’s seat to look at her.

“You okay?” Joe asked.

“I’m fine… I’m just… I’m nervous.” She admitted.

“It’ll be okay. They’ll love you.”

“Did you call them? Give them notice you were on your way home? That I was coming?” she asked.

“No, we haven’t called. It’s about one in the morning.”

“I don’t want to wake them!”

“Ang, it will be okay. I see a light on. If I’m right, it’s Kevin sitting in the living room.” He said. Angela turned her eyes towards the house, her stomach churned as she thought about meeting Joe’s family.

“What if they don’t like me?” she whispered.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Joe said, pulling her into him. “Trust me, they’ll love you. I have an idea. How about Nick leaves the car running and you sit here and I’ll tell them about you so there’s no surprises.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding her head against his chest.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” He said, kissing the top of her head.

He and Nick climbed out of the car and walked up the snow covered driveway to the front door. Nick unlocked the door and walked inside. Angela kept her eyes on the house the whole time, counting the seconds until Joe came back outside.

****

Kevin sat in the living room, his head in his hands. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Suddenly he heard noises coming from the foyer, the door being opened. Someone had used a key. He stood up and slowly walked to the front door.

“Nick! Joe!” he shouted, embracing his brothers. “Oh my God, you’re alive! Both of you!”

“Yes, but if you don’t release us we won’t be.” Nick choked out.

“What’s going on?” Frankie asked from the top of the stairs.

“Frankie, look!” Kevin exclaimed, turning the stairway light on. Frankie held his hand up to his face as the bright light shone in his eyes. After a few moments of blinking he looked down to see his brothers.

“No way!” he shouted, running down the stairs. Nick and Joe laughed as they hugged him. Kevin rushed up the stairs and threw open his parents’ bedroom door.

“They’re home!” he shouted. Nick and Joe could hear their mother’s scream of shock as she jumped out of bed.

“Where?” she asked, rushing through the bedroom.

“Downstairs.” Kevin said. “Dani! Wake up!”

“Oh! My boys!” Denise cried, running down the stairs. Tears were streaming down her face as she ran into Joe’s arms.

Joe wrapped his arms around his shaking mother as she cried into his shirt, her arms wrapped tight around his neck. A tear slipped down Joe’s face into his mother’s hair as he held her tight. After a few moments she let go of him and turned to Nick, his father taking her place. Soon, Kevin and Danielle joined the family downstairs and celebrated in the return.

“Okay, okay. Everybody calm down.” Kevin Sr. said, raising a hand in the air. “Joe… what happened. Where were you for so long?”

“Okay, it’s a long story but I have to make it short because I have something else I have to tell you.” Joe said, leading his family into Kevin and Danielle’s living room.

A short fifteen minutes later, Joe had told his story of his car dying as well as his phone, finding Angela’s house, and then Nick finding them. Denise was grateful that a complete stranger had let her son stay with her.

“I have to thank this Angela,” she said with a shaking voice.

“That’s the important thing I have to tell you.” he said. “Angela came back with us.”

“Well, where is she?” Kevin asked.

“She’s waiting in the car. She’s kind of… frightened to come in here.”

“Why?” Frankie asked.

“There’s something you have to know about Angela. She’s… different. When she was fifteen, there was an accident… a fire. She suffered terrible burns on the entire left side of her body. So terrible it’s left her slightly disfigured.” He said and Denise and Danielle both gasped. “Her skin is so different. The right side of her body is so beautifully pale and smooth whereas the left side is rough and very scarred. It’s almost like it’s two different people.”

“So…” Frankie said. “She kind of looks like two-face from Batman?”

“Well… yes. In a way. Minus the crazy discoloration.” Joe said, letting out a small laugh. “Now… she’s scared to come in because, until I came along, she hadn’t had any human contact for five years. She thought of herself as a monster since people stopped talking to her and visiting her. It is a shock when you first see her but she’s a wonderful person. If it weren’t for her, I’d probably be…”

“Don’t say it.” Denise said sharply.

“Joe?” Danielle whispered, looking at him questioningly.

“Yeah?” he asked. She stayed silent for a moment. All eyes were on her as her eyes stayed on Joe.

“You’re in love with her.” She said.

“Yeah… I am.” He said, giving a slight smile. His parents looked at him and he stood up. “Are you ready for me to bring her in?”

“Of course.” Denise said, smiling at her son.

****

Almost half an hour had passed since Nick and Joe had gone inside. Finally, the front door opened and Angela sat up in the car. Joe rushed over to the car and opened the driver’s side door, shutting the car off. Angela climbed out and clung to Joe’s arm.

“Ready?” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be.” She said. “You told them everything?”

“Yeah. Everything.” He said, linking his fingers together with hers. He pushed the front door open and led her inside.

The family was still in the living room. Nick was narrating something. Danielle was the first to look towards the door when she heard it open. Her eyes widened as they landed on Angela but a smile appeared on her face.

It wasn’t until she stood up that the family noticed the presence of the other two. Slowly, she walked towards Joe and Angela as Joe hung their coats up. It was silent as she approached the stranger who had given shelter to her brother-in-law.

“Hi, Angela. I’m Danielle.” She said, wrapping her arms around Angela. Angela was slightly startled by the action but soon, hugged back.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Angela whispered.

“Please, come in.” Dani said, leading her into the living room. Frankie smiled up at Angela. Joe followed behind, his hand on Angela’s lower back. Denise stood up and walked over. Danielle went over to the couch and sat next to Kevin.

Denise took both of Angela’s hands in hers. Slight tears dripped down her face again as she looked into the eyes of the young girl in front of her.

“I don’t know how to thank you.” she whispered, squeezing Angela’s hands in hers.

“You don’t have to.” Angela whispered back. “I should be thanking you.”

“What for?”

“For raising your son right.” She said.

Denise smiled and pulled Angela into a hug which she generously returned. Angela was overwhelmed by the love she was being given. So overwhelmed, in fact, that a few tears made their way down her face as she felt the acceptance from this family radiating throughout her body.