Invisible

“Jeremy!” Maggie called. She ran across the room, right into his arms. She started sobbing onto his chest uncontrollably.

Jeremy wrapped his arms around her, patting her back. I scowled.

“I-I-I saw h-him i-in T-t-times S-s-s-square.”

“Shh.” Jeremy soothed. “I know.

Maggie’s mother, Angela pulled her away from Jeremy and smiled up at him. “Sweetie, go to the restroom and clean up?”

Maggie nodded and strode off to the bathroom. I turned my attention back to Jeremy and Angela.

“I’m sorry.” Not taking her eyes off Maggie until she disappeared to the bathroom. “She’s just a little shaken up.” Angela sighed when the door closed behind Maggie, then she looked at Jeremy.

“How are you?” She asked.

Jeremy shrugged, “I don’t really know.”

Angela nodded, “Understandable. I don’t expect you to be happy really. Where are your parents? It thought they would be here with you?”

Jeremy took a deep breath, “They….had other plans.”

Angela frowned, “Other plans? What’s more important than this?”

Jeremy beamed a little, like he wanted to shout something. “It’s ok really, I understand.”

Angela raised her eyebrow, “Hum.” She grunted.

Jeremy looked over his shoulder at Roger –who shrugged-.

Maggie came out of the bathroom with her makeup completely wiped off her face, her eyes were swollen and blotchy red. Angela sat her down on the bench and told her to hold her head back. She ran off into the bathroom to get a towel for Maggie’s eyes.

“You alright Mags?” Roger asked.

Maggie shrugged, “What do you think?”

Roger frowned and sat next to her, “I imagine scared, confused, and angry.”

Maggie lifted her head; she opened her eyes and slowly turned to stare at Roger, “Exactly.”

Roger shrugged, “It’s a gift.”

Maggie smiled as did Roger. I covered my mouth at the sight of both of them just smiling at each other. I looked up at Jeremy to see his reaction, but as I did he bowed his head and turned the other direction.

Angela came out with a wet towel. She laid Maggie’s head back again and placed the towel over her eyes. “That should help the swelling go down.”

Maggie let out a deep sigh. Her arms fell limp at her sides and Roger watched her slowly slide from her seat. Maggie had fallen asleep and she was slipping. Roger caught her before her knee’s started to bend.

“Help.” Roger told Jeremy. Jeremy grabbed Maggie’s legs and laid them on the seat, while Roger laid her head on his lap.

I squealed. Angela had walked off to the vending machine.

“Jeremy?”

Jeremy turned around to find my mother at the door. Jeremy didn’t hesitate to pull her into his arms. My mother began to sob into his shoulder, her hands clutching at his shirt, and her legs began to buckle.

I starred at my mother; her face has aged…pained. She looks like she hasn’t slept in days.
Richard looked tired, old…the same as my mother. Aaron, he’s grown so much since I last saw him a month ago. He looks so much like Richard; his eyes swept the room until they rested on me. Then they narrowed. I groaned.

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t be around you.” I whispered.

He shook his head.

Jeremy pulled away from my mother and held her face in his hands, “I do love you Mrs. Silverstein.”

She nodded, “I love you too, Jeremy.”

Jeremy kissed her forehead and hugged her one more time before hugging Richard. Richard hugged him for a long time before releasing him, my mother was in Angela’s arms crying again. Jeremy bent down to hug Aaron but instead picked him up off the floor.

“I love you too, Aaron.”

Aaron didn’t answer but kept watching me with tears forming in his eyes. I felt one of my own falls from my cheek. This isn’t fair! I want to be alive again! I want to be able to hold my family and tell my mom that it never happened, that I’m still alive! I gripped my hair and fell to the floor sobbing into my hands. It wasn’t my time!!! I was destined to love Jeremy forever, to be a nurse, to be a wife, a mother! I didn’t have to leave!

Everyone either walked threw me or around me, no one noticed me sobbing on the floor, or heard my screams. Aaron watched me thrash myself around the floor.

Jeremy kept Aaron in his arms; he talked to my mother after she calmed down, then to Richard. My mother kissed Maggie’s head and shook hands with Roger. It was the first time she ever met him. Richard talked to Angela also, and glanced around for anyone to tell them they could talk to Mr. Robin.

After I calmed down, I stood up, wiping my eyes. Aaron narrowed his eyes again, but a tug of a smile formed at the corners of his lips.

“You know I love you, Aaron right? You know that I will always be with you right?”

He nodded.

“Do you forgive me?” I croaked.

He shrugged. I groaned.

“I’m sorry. I wish you could understand why.”

He shook his head and turned away.

Detective Murry walked up to my mother with his hand on her shoulder, “Now, Mrs. Silverstein. Are you sure you want to do this?”

My mother thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head. “Yes. But I don’t want to go first. Let Jeremy go. He should go.”

Jeremy set Aaron down on the floor, “Are you sure?”

She nodded, “Yes dear.”

Jeremy squeezed her shoulder as he passed and followed Detective Murry to the back room.

I followed Jeremy to the very back, where they stuck him in a room with a table and two chairs at either end of the table. The room was cold and dark. A glass was placed on the left side where the others could see also.

“Sit here and he’ll be in here soon. But, Jeremy…I know this is just as hard for you as it is for them out there. Please, keep your temper to a minimum ok? I understand that will be hard, but we need it PG here ok?”

Jeremy nodded, not promising a thing in his eyes. I stood beside him, feeling nothing but anxiety.

The doors opened again, and Mr. Robin walked in with an orange suit on, his hands cuffed behind him. He still had the murderous stare in his eyes, the twitch of his left lip was fighting a smile, and his short brown hair was spiking everywhere. I clenched my fists as did Jeremy.

When the door’s closed, Mr. Robin turned his head back to Jeremy and finally smiled.

“So…we meet again Jeremy.” He sneered.