When You Were Young
You Dropped This.
Rae pulled up along side the place she used to call home. The house was worn ragged. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for sometime. She slowly got out of her car and walked up to the front door. There was a sign in the front yard that read "LEASE" and then gave a number.
Rae took out her cell phone and typed the number in. Just in case.
She slowly walked up the steps and grasped the door handle. It was locked.
"Fuck..." She muttered under her breath. She jiggled the door handle slightly, then took a bobby pen out of her hair and picked the lock. There was a click and the door was open.
Rae smiled to herself and pushed the door open, walking inside. The place was empty. The wooden floors were dirty. The walls were bare. But Rae could still picture the way it used to be. She could picture her dog standing by the back door, barking constantly to get out. Her father...standing in the kitchen with an apron on making dinner. Her mother in the next room sitting and painting.
Rae smiled as she found a spot on the wall where her name had been engraved with a lead pencil. She smiled. She'd done that when she was 6 and had gotten sent to her room for it.
She sighed and walked over to the backdoor and slowly opened it. The yard looked terrible. There were weeds all over. It almost looked like a jungle. Rae ventured out into it and around to the side of the house. Her heart stopped when she saw a piece of broken board underneath the kitchen window.
She hoped it was still there.
Rae got down on her knees in the old garden and pushed aside the broken board. She reached inside and felt around.
Nothing.
"Damnit." Rae whispered to herself. She fell back onto her butt and put her face in her hands.
"Can I help you?" someone asked. Rae jumped and turned around. A woman was walking casually towards her. "This house has been bought...I'm sorry."
"What? Oh...oh no I wasn't--I used to live here...." Rae said with a soft smile, wiping a couple tears away from her face. She stood up and wiped off the dirt onto her jeans.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah...about 15 years ago."
"Wow. Well, it's been on the market for quite sometime now but it was recently bought by a young man a couple days ago."
"Oh really? Just one guy?" Rae asked, looking up at the house. It was a fairly big house.
"Not sure. It was just him that I met so I wouldn't know."
"Could I er--meet him possibly? I mean....I just wanna see who's gonna live in the house..."
"I'm not sure if I could arrange that. Confidential. You know?"
"I know...but..."
"Ma'm. I'm sorry." The woman said, she smiled painfully and smiled politely before walking back to her car. "Oh...before I forget."
The woman came walking back with a card in her hand. She placed it in Rae's and smiled before walking off. Rae looked down at the card she had just put in her hand.
Laurie Tompson Realtor.
815-345-9334
Office Building #2
Fax
Rae rolled her eyes and threw the card on the ground and began to walk off in the opposite direction.
"Ma'm? Excuse me! Miss!" Someone yelled. Rae ignored it. She didn't care who the hell it was. She just wanted to get out of here.
"Miss!" She heard the voice again.
"What!" Rae yelled, spinning around.
Her stomach did a complete 360 degree turn. And her breath hitched in her throat.
"You dropped this."
Rae took out her cell phone and typed the number in. Just in case.
She slowly walked up the steps and grasped the door handle. It was locked.
"Fuck..." She muttered under her breath. She jiggled the door handle slightly, then took a bobby pen out of her hair and picked the lock. There was a click and the door was open.
Rae smiled to herself and pushed the door open, walking inside. The place was empty. The wooden floors were dirty. The walls were bare. But Rae could still picture the way it used to be. She could picture her dog standing by the back door, barking constantly to get out. Her father...standing in the kitchen with an apron on making dinner. Her mother in the next room sitting and painting.
Rae smiled as she found a spot on the wall where her name had been engraved with a lead pencil. She smiled. She'd done that when she was 6 and had gotten sent to her room for it.
She sighed and walked over to the backdoor and slowly opened it. The yard looked terrible. There were weeds all over. It almost looked like a jungle. Rae ventured out into it and around to the side of the house. Her heart stopped when she saw a piece of broken board underneath the kitchen window.
She hoped it was still there.
Rae got down on her knees in the old garden and pushed aside the broken board. She reached inside and felt around.
Nothing.
"Damnit." Rae whispered to herself. She fell back onto her butt and put her face in her hands.
"Can I help you?" someone asked. Rae jumped and turned around. A woman was walking casually towards her. "This house has been bought...I'm sorry."
"What? Oh...oh no I wasn't--I used to live here...." Rae said with a soft smile, wiping a couple tears away from her face. She stood up and wiped off the dirt onto her jeans.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah...about 15 years ago."
"Wow. Well, it's been on the market for quite sometime now but it was recently bought by a young man a couple days ago."
"Oh really? Just one guy?" Rae asked, looking up at the house. It was a fairly big house.
"Not sure. It was just him that I met so I wouldn't know."
"Could I er--meet him possibly? I mean....I just wanna see who's gonna live in the house..."
"I'm not sure if I could arrange that. Confidential. You know?"
"I know...but..."
"Ma'm. I'm sorry." The woman said, she smiled painfully and smiled politely before walking back to her car. "Oh...before I forget."
The woman came walking back with a card in her hand. She placed it in Rae's and smiled before walking off. Rae looked down at the card she had just put in her hand.
Laurie Tompson Realtor.
815-345-9334
Office Building #2
Fax
Rae rolled her eyes and threw the card on the ground and began to walk off in the opposite direction.
"Ma'm? Excuse me! Miss!" Someone yelled. Rae ignored it. She didn't care who the hell it was. She just wanted to get out of here.
"Miss!" She heard the voice again.
"What!" Rae yelled, spinning around.
Her stomach did a complete 360 degree turn. And her breath hitched in her throat.
"You dropped this."