Letters From Jack
The Reason
Her mother placed her designer purse down on the table. Her blond hair was tied back into a messy bun, and she was gulping down the contents of an over priced bottle of water. She swallowed and then looked at Zoey with a smile on her face, "Hey Pumpkin, how are you this morning?" She asked.
Zoey couldn't help but to laugh, and then she shook her head as she tossed the letters down on the table in front of her mother. They scattered across the table, and Claire gasped, "Where did you get those?"
"Better yet, why haven't I seen them before?"
"Zoey. . . Before you even believe the bullshit that boy wrote, just know that I took you away from him for a reason."
"And what reason was that?"
"I wanted you to have a good life! He could not give you that! He was nothing but a drunks son who dropped out of school! He was going to amount to shit just like his father did!"
Zoey shook her head and then looked at the woman who she had trusted so much. The woman who she had thought would do anything for her. The woman who had lied to her for the past seven years, "You're wrong about him." Zoey said flatly.
"You don't even know him, Zoe. Just please, don't pay attention to those letters. I made a mistake, I'll admit it. I probably should have told you about Jack before hand. . . But please."
"PROBABLY? Mom! I was in love with him!"
"Zoey please, you were just fifteen years old. That's hardly old enough to be in love."
"What happened? What happened between him and I?"
Claire sighed, "You two broke up." She said.
"Explain it. I want to know what happened, and tell me the truth, I'll know if you're lying." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Claire sighed, "When you had your accident, as you know you woke up remembering nothing. We. . . I thought it'd be best if you didn't remember him ever."
"How could you do that?" Zoey asked, on the verge of tears.
"I just wanted you to have a good life! A good future! I wanted you to have a chance! With him you had nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if he's not been gunned down for a bad drug deal or something by now. He was no good for you. Not to mention he was a pervert! What kind of eighteen year old boy dates a fifteen year old?"
"What did you do?" Zoey asked, wanting to know what had happened.
Claire sighed, "I told him you blamed him for the accident, and never wanted to see him again." Her mother said in the softest voice she had ever heard. She barely heard her.
"You didn't." Zoey whispered.
"It was for the best." Claire stated.
Zoey walked over to her mom, and slapped her across the face, "THOSE WERE MY MEMORIES. HE WAS IMPORTANT TO ME." She screamed, and then stormed off to her room. Her mother was yelling her name behind her but she paid no attention to her. She only had one thing on her mind.
As she walked inside her room she pulled her luggage cases out of the closet and began tossing several articles of clothing into them. Once she had at least a month's clothes packed away, she then began unplugging other things in her room such as her laptop, her cell phone which had been on charge, and her blow dryer and straightening iron.
Claire walked into the room and watched as her daughter darted around, unplugging and packing things away. She had tears in her eyes. She had just been trying to protect her daughter. She had known it was wrong all the time but couldn't find it in herself to tell Zoey the truth.
"What are you doing?" Claire asked in a small voice.
Zoey's face shot up, and she could see the hurt on her mother's face. She felt awful for slapping her. She didn't know what over came her. She had just suffered so long, trying to remember everything, feeling lost for so long. She had thought her mother was the only one who understood her; but in the end, her mother had been the one keeping everything from her.
"I'm sorry for slapping you." Zoey said, and then concentrated on filling her luggage with more items.
"I accept your apology, I love you. Where are you going?" Claire asked, tears escaping from her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.
"Gotham."
"Zoey, please rethink this. He's probably married by now with children."
Zoey looked up and shrugged her shoulder's, "I'm not going after him, I'm just going to apologize. He's probably lived with guilt for so long, and I also need to meet the man behind the letters. He could be the piece of my past that unlocks everything." She said, zipping up her last bag.
"What about your agent?"
"I can move anywhere in the United States."
"You're moving to Gotham?" Her mother asked, in shock.
Zoey nodded her head, "I'm going to rent an apartment for at least a month. I just need to clear my head and find my youth again. It's not only where Jack Napier is Mom, but it's where I was raised. I need to visit my roots again."
Claire shook her head, "It's so dangerous there. . . the crime, it's horrible."
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Please tell Dad I love him. I love you too." She said, kissing her mother's cheek as she packed her luggage out the door. It took her three trips, but finally she loaded all of her belongings inside her SUV. She hugged her mother, and then walked out and climbed inside her vehicle with only one destination in mind.
Gotham.
Zoey couldn't help but to laugh, and then she shook her head as she tossed the letters down on the table in front of her mother. They scattered across the table, and Claire gasped, "Where did you get those?"
"Better yet, why haven't I seen them before?"
"Zoey. . . Before you even believe the bullshit that boy wrote, just know that I took you away from him for a reason."
"And what reason was that?"
"I wanted you to have a good life! He could not give you that! He was nothing but a drunks son who dropped out of school! He was going to amount to shit just like his father did!"
Zoey shook her head and then looked at the woman who she had trusted so much. The woman who she had thought would do anything for her. The woman who had lied to her for the past seven years, "You're wrong about him." Zoey said flatly.
"You don't even know him, Zoe. Just please, don't pay attention to those letters. I made a mistake, I'll admit it. I probably should have told you about Jack before hand. . . But please."
"PROBABLY? Mom! I was in love with him!"
"Zoey please, you were just fifteen years old. That's hardly old enough to be in love."
"What happened? What happened between him and I?"
Claire sighed, "You two broke up." She said.
"Explain it. I want to know what happened, and tell me the truth, I'll know if you're lying." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Claire sighed, "When you had your accident, as you know you woke up remembering nothing. We. . . I thought it'd be best if you didn't remember him ever."
"How could you do that?" Zoey asked, on the verge of tears.
"I just wanted you to have a good life! A good future! I wanted you to have a chance! With him you had nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if he's not been gunned down for a bad drug deal or something by now. He was no good for you. Not to mention he was a pervert! What kind of eighteen year old boy dates a fifteen year old?"
"What did you do?" Zoey asked, wanting to know what had happened.
Claire sighed, "I told him you blamed him for the accident, and never wanted to see him again." Her mother said in the softest voice she had ever heard. She barely heard her.
"You didn't." Zoey whispered.
"It was for the best." Claire stated.
Zoey walked over to her mom, and slapped her across the face, "THOSE WERE MY MEMORIES. HE WAS IMPORTANT TO ME." She screamed, and then stormed off to her room. Her mother was yelling her name behind her but she paid no attention to her. She only had one thing on her mind.
As she walked inside her room she pulled her luggage cases out of the closet and began tossing several articles of clothing into them. Once she had at least a month's clothes packed away, she then began unplugging other things in her room such as her laptop, her cell phone which had been on charge, and her blow dryer and straightening iron.
Claire walked into the room and watched as her daughter darted around, unplugging and packing things away. She had tears in her eyes. She had just been trying to protect her daughter. She had known it was wrong all the time but couldn't find it in herself to tell Zoey the truth.
"What are you doing?" Claire asked in a small voice.
Zoey's face shot up, and she could see the hurt on her mother's face. She felt awful for slapping her. She didn't know what over came her. She had just suffered so long, trying to remember everything, feeling lost for so long. She had thought her mother was the only one who understood her; but in the end, her mother had been the one keeping everything from her.
"I'm sorry for slapping you." Zoey said, and then concentrated on filling her luggage with more items.
"I accept your apology, I love you. Where are you going?" Claire asked, tears escaping from her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.
"Gotham."
"Zoey, please rethink this. He's probably married by now with children."
Zoey looked up and shrugged her shoulder's, "I'm not going after him, I'm just going to apologize. He's probably lived with guilt for so long, and I also need to meet the man behind the letters. He could be the piece of my past that unlocks everything." She said, zipping up her last bag.
"What about your agent?"
"I can move anywhere in the United States."
"You're moving to Gotham?" Her mother asked, in shock.
Zoey nodded her head, "I'm going to rent an apartment for at least a month. I just need to clear my head and find my youth again. It's not only where Jack Napier is Mom, but it's where I was raised. I need to visit my roots again."
Claire shook her head, "It's so dangerous there. . . the crime, it's horrible."
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Please tell Dad I love him. I love you too." She said, kissing her mother's cheek as she packed her luggage out the door. It took her three trips, but finally she loaded all of her belongings inside her SUV. She hugged her mother, and then walked out and climbed inside her vehicle with only one destination in mind.
Gotham.
♠ ♠ ♠
