I Can't Be Happy Without You Around

I drove up to the house nervously. Seeing him again was going to be really scary. I wasn’t even sure what the hell I was going to say. Would I be mad or happy? I sighed pulling into the driveway. I had lived in this house for a long time, but I didn’t feel like I had ever lived here. It felt different.

I walked up to the door shakily, not even sure if I should do this. I sighed realizing it was now or never. I rang the doorbell. The door opened a few minutes later, I was surprised a lady holding two little babies. They were cute, I figured they were twins, a boy and a girl. The lady was tall blonde and very pretty. “Oh wow it’s you.”

“You know me?” I asked surprised. I was sure I had never seen her before.

“Wait here,” She said disappearing back into the house. I looked down at the two kids. “This is you,” she replied handing me a photograph of me in it. I looked up at her confused.

“Yeah, that’s me, but who are you?” I asked. She motioned me inside. She put the kids into a little play pen. “My name is Hannah, it’s nice to meet you Alex,” she said as we walked into the living room.

“Yeah it’s nice to meet you too, but what is……………….” I stopped when I saw a picture over the fireplace. It had Hannah, the two kids and Matt all sitting together happily. That’s when it all made sense.

“He talks about you sometimes,” she said. He looked so happy, happier than he ever as with me.

“Yeah right,” I said disbelievingly.

“It’s true, he feels really bad about………” she started.

“Look I just came here to get something,” I said interrupting her.

“Ok yeah go ahead,” she said. “Matt will be home soon,” she added.

“Well then that’s all the more reason for me to hurry up and get out of here,” I said bitterly walking past her. She seemed nice, but I was mad at her and I didn’t even know why.

I walked up the unfamiliar steps. I walked past the two little babies room. They were very cute. The walls were painted light green, there were cute little stuffed animals everywhere, and two fancy cribs in the center of the room. You could tell they had put a lot of effort into the room. It showed how much they loved their little twins.

He actually had another family. I walked to my room, opening the door slowly. It still looked the same, but there was dust everywhere, it was obvious no one had been here in a really long time.

I collapsed on the bed feeling so lonely. He really didn’t care. I sighed looking at a picture on the nightstand. It was a picture of me and ‘dad’ at the zoo. I picked it up throwing it across the room angrily. He really didn’t care. I had to get out of here. I didn’t belong here.

I ran out of the room and into the hallway. I stopped at the stairs as I heard Hannah talking on the phone.

“Mat she’s here, you have to come home now,” she said into the receiver. I wanted to leave so badly now. I didn’t want to see him anymore I just wanted to go home and be with Zacky. The place I belonged. She hung up and I walked down the stairs greeting her at the bottom.

“I have to go,” I said quickly,.

“No wait please don’t, just stay for a little while, we can talk,” she said. I knew what she was doing, trying to stall so Matt could come home, and I would see him.

“No I’m sorry I really have to go,” I said turning to face the door.

I put my hand in my pocket feeling the wedding invitation I had put in there. I pulled it out turning around.

“Could you………….” I started holding out the invitation.

“Give this to him?” she asked hopefully. I looked up at her sadly. I paused thinking about it for a while.

“No,” I finally said, ripping it up right in front of her. I watched the little pieces fall to the floor, feeling like it was my heart. I turned around and stormed out. I ran to my car and quickly pulled out of the driveway. I started driving and looked in my rearview mirror, just as Matt’s car pulled quickly into the driveway.