Love is Pain
A Familiar Face
The next morning I woke up and decided to take a stroll to the park, it was chilly outside. I was very sleepy though because I was up thinking about Carrie half the night. And when I did finally fall asleep, I was awoken by a terrible dream. I saw Carrie’s beautiful face turn into a ball of tears. Her screaming was all I could hear. Her long, black hair was dripping with dark red blood. And then I woke up in a cold sweat. It was just a dream, surely it was. But something was telling me that I was wrong. For me, the greatest fixer was the great outdoors. At the park I lay in the grass and watched the clouds roll by.
When I woke up the next morning, I was in the basement. My head was sore and my left shin had a huge bruise. I sat on the last stair in the dark trying to remember what had happened. But I could recall nothing. So I picked myself up and walked up the stairs towards the door. The light from the house was seeping through the crack from beneath the door. I stepped forward and reached for the doorknob but then pulled back. What would happen if I went in there?? Would Theresa just torture me more? Or would this be a simple day?? I hoped, because I couldn’t stay in the basement forever. I finally brought myself to believe that everything was going to be fine, so I stretched my arm out, turned the door knob carefully, and stepped inside shutting the door behind me.
A week had gone by, and I hadn’t seen Carrie around. You’d think that I would’ve forgot about her by now, but I just couldn’t do it. My dad was starting to suggest going to a counselor. He was after all the comedian in the family. I immediately declined. And my dreams about Carrie were now more frequent and more vivid. By this point in time, it was obvious to me that she had forgotten me. I mean what kind of nut obsesses over someone they don’t even know?!? I think we all knew the answer to that at the time.
It had been a week since my mom threw me in the basement. It took me three days to remember what had happened. But when I remembered, it was clear that living here would get worse. Theresa wasn’t home much this week. She went out with friends and clients a lot. Her drinking had also gone over board. I felt my life getting more and more endangered by the day. But other than being thrown in the basement, nothing had happened this week. I sat on the porch in the mornings after I made Theresa coffee and breakfast if she wanted it. I cleaned the house, took my weekly bath, and got to eat dinner every night. It was peacefully terrifying. I was really bored with staying at home though. And all the cleaning that could possibly be done was accomplished. So I decided to go out for a walk to the park.
As I stepped outside, I felt my skin tingle. It was indeed quite cold. As I turned the corner, a smell of mouth watering pizza caught up with my nose. I hadn’t had pizza in what seemed like years! I actually forgot what it tasted like. But the smell definitely reminded me. The park was at sight when I turned another corner. My pace quickened just a little. I knew I couldn’t be out here all day, so the longer I had relaxing, the better! As I reached the beginning of the grass surrounding the park, I saw a familiar face.
There she was. Standing in the cold, icy, grass. I could spot her from a mile away. She looked more beautiful than before. Carrie had more fortitude than before, which made her seem even more amazing. Her hair was partly up, with fly-aways streaming in all directions. She almost looked like she was coming towards me. But she couldn’t possibly remember me, or even want to talk to me after the awkwardness of the first conversation. But she really seemed to be aiming herself in my direction. My heart started to race in my chest.
It was Alex. He looked dreamy in the snow. I had a sudden urge to go and talk to him but I didn’t know if now was the time. As I began to walk more slowly and watch his movement, I could see that he knew of my presence. It was making my decision even more difficult. I was disputing in my head what I should be doing and I decided to take the risk. I was going to go over there and speak with him like any normal human being would to a friend. It was just that simple. But it wasn’t really as hard as I had made it seem.
When I woke up the next morning, I was in the basement. My head was sore and my left shin had a huge bruise. I sat on the last stair in the dark trying to remember what had happened. But I could recall nothing. So I picked myself up and walked up the stairs towards the door. The light from the house was seeping through the crack from beneath the door. I stepped forward and reached for the doorknob but then pulled back. What would happen if I went in there?? Would Theresa just torture me more? Or would this be a simple day?? I hoped, because I couldn’t stay in the basement forever. I finally brought myself to believe that everything was going to be fine, so I stretched my arm out, turned the door knob carefully, and stepped inside shutting the door behind me.
A week had gone by, and I hadn’t seen Carrie around. You’d think that I would’ve forgot about her by now, but I just couldn’t do it. My dad was starting to suggest going to a counselor. He was after all the comedian in the family. I immediately declined. And my dreams about Carrie were now more frequent and more vivid. By this point in time, it was obvious to me that she had forgotten me. I mean what kind of nut obsesses over someone they don’t even know?!? I think we all knew the answer to that at the time.
It had been a week since my mom threw me in the basement. It took me three days to remember what had happened. But when I remembered, it was clear that living here would get worse. Theresa wasn’t home much this week. She went out with friends and clients a lot. Her drinking had also gone over board. I felt my life getting more and more endangered by the day. But other than being thrown in the basement, nothing had happened this week. I sat on the porch in the mornings after I made Theresa coffee and breakfast if she wanted it. I cleaned the house, took my weekly bath, and got to eat dinner every night. It was peacefully terrifying. I was really bored with staying at home though. And all the cleaning that could possibly be done was accomplished. So I decided to go out for a walk to the park.
As I stepped outside, I felt my skin tingle. It was indeed quite cold. As I turned the corner, a smell of mouth watering pizza caught up with my nose. I hadn’t had pizza in what seemed like years! I actually forgot what it tasted like. But the smell definitely reminded me. The park was at sight when I turned another corner. My pace quickened just a little. I knew I couldn’t be out here all day, so the longer I had relaxing, the better! As I reached the beginning of the grass surrounding the park, I saw a familiar face.
There she was. Standing in the cold, icy, grass. I could spot her from a mile away. She looked more beautiful than before. Carrie had more fortitude than before, which made her seem even more amazing. Her hair was partly up, with fly-aways streaming in all directions. She almost looked like she was coming towards me. But she couldn’t possibly remember me, or even want to talk to me after the awkwardness of the first conversation. But she really seemed to be aiming herself in my direction. My heart started to race in my chest.
It was Alex. He looked dreamy in the snow. I had a sudden urge to go and talk to him but I didn’t know if now was the time. As I began to walk more slowly and watch his movement, I could see that he knew of my presence. It was making my decision even more difficult. I was disputing in my head what I should be doing and I decided to take the risk. I was going to go over there and speak with him like any normal human being would to a friend. It was just that simple. But it wasn’t really as hard as I had made it seem.