Left Behind

CARTER

Karen and I sat in the living room alone to talk. Bryce went to wait for me in the kitchen with Aliyah’s mom, and Drake and Aliyah left. She told me to update her on anything that happened.
Karen stared at me the entire time. Even when neither of us would be talking, she would stare at me. I knew it wasn’t because I reminded her of Lucy or anything because we looked nothing alike. We had different hair colors, eye colors, maybe similar personalities, though. If you consider the fact that we both were overly stubborn, then yes, we have a winner.

“I’m sorry to just barge into your house like this,” Karen said as she awkwardly tucked some hair behind her ears. She was a short lady. She was very pretty, neat, and polite. I couldn’t see any Lucy in her, though.

“Oh, it’s no problem. It’s not even my house,” I chuckled trying to ease the tension. “Is there anything that I could help you with?”

She sat there for a moment not knowing how to respond. She shrugged. “I really don’t know why I came here, actually. I guess I was just hoping that you could tell me about her,” she replied.

“Well, what do you want to know?”

“Anything,” she begged. “If you could tell me anything, I would be satisfied.”

I nodded. I guess that I could do that. It was the least that I could do. “Well, Lucy and I were bestfriends. She was very stubborn, just like me, she had long, blonde hair, she… I don’t know exactly what to tell you.”

“Where did she live?” She eyed me. It wasn’t a rude glare or anything, but she watched me closely.

I didn’t want to answer this question. “Honestly, nowhere. Lucy and I met because we both had nowhere to go. She took care of me, you know? She was like an older sister.”

“Did Lucy ever talk about us? Did she ever tell you about her dad and me or her sister?”

I shook my head. “She never went into detail. I wish that I could tell you different. But one thing that she always said was that she wished she would have never left. And that if she had a chance to go back, then she would.”

She sighed a sigh of relief. I guess that she was hoping that she said something nice about them after all these years. Karen and I ended up talking for a while. We talked about everything all the way up to her death, which was hard for the both of us. I guess she wanted to know every detail of Lucy’s life after she disappeared. I was the only one that could give it to her.

Before she left, she hugged me for a long time. She told me that she wanted to keep in touch and that if I ever needed something to give her a call. “Carter,” she had said, “Lucy’s funeral is tomorrow at one if you feel comfortable coming. It’s at Mt. Zion in Baton Rouge. You and your friends are welcomed to come.”

“I’ll try,” I said honestly.

“And can you do me a huge favor… if you do make it?”

I nodded, “Anything.”

“Will you speak at the funeral? You’re the only one that’s known her for so long. You’ve known her longer than her own family has, so you know her better than we do. It would be so wonderful if you could say a few things.” She sent over a smile that I couldn’t say no to.

“Uh… that is a huge favor,” I said. She only looked at me with pleading eyes until I finally decided to agree. “I’ll do it if I make it,” I said.

“Thank you so much. That means so much to me.” She gave me one last hug, and left out of the door. I shut the door behind her after waving, and ran into the kitchen immediately.

Mrs. Charleston and Bryce exchanged glances before Bryce came over to me. He walked me over to a chair and sat beside me holding my hand. They didn’t pressure me into talking, but stayed quiet. That’s what I liked mostly about Bryce. He actually knew when to speak and when I would be better off with no speaking at all.

I didn’t know where to begin, really. Everything that had just happened took me by surprise, and I didn’t know how to respond to it. I had just met Lucy’s long lost mother. She found me in order to gain information on her long lost daughter, and I gave her the information. Before she left, she hugged me and urged me to keep in touch. But not before begging me to speak at my dead best friend’s funeral. I didn’t know what to do or say. I was frozen.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Mrs. Charleston asked me as she stirred something in her pot. I nodded slowly in response.

“Do you need something, Carter?” Bryce asked.

“No.”

“Make sure you tell me if you do.” I nodded again.

“You know what she asked me to do?” I said quietly. They didn’t respond, but patiently waited for me to continue with my sentence. “She asked me to make a speech at Lucy’s funeral tomorrow.”

“And what did you say?” Bryce asked calmly as he played with my hair.

“I told her that if I make it there, then I’ll do it… But I don’t want to do it.”

“And you don’t have to do it,” he replied. “You don’t have to go.”

“Yes I do. I have to go. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t go,” I explained to him. “But, can you come with me?”

He thought for a short second. “I’ll do anything you need me to do, Carter.”

“Thank you.”

BRYCE

I left after we finished talking. Aliyah decided to end her date early to bring Carter to get an outfit for the funeral. I went to put gas in my car since we were taking a long ride the next day.

When I arrived at home, my mom and dad were there. That was a first, since they were never home. They were both sitting in the kitchen, dad reading the newspaper, and mom drinking coffee. I think they had day and night mixed up. When I walked to through the living room, both of their heads snapped up.

“Bryce, you’re home,” my dad said in his loud, unnecessary voice. “Where’ve you been all day? Your mother and I have been home since this morning.”

I shrugged and dropped my keys onto the kitchen counter. “Well, this morning I had to take care of a few things, and then I went out with a friend… if that’s okay with the both of you.”

My mom came over to me and gave me a hug. “It’s fine,” she said as she looked over to my dad. “But, since we’re just getting home after back to back weeks of work, your father and I planned a day for us to hang out together.”

“Oh cool, when?”

“Tomorrow,” my dad chimed in. “Brad and Shannon invited us to a lovely dinner that we just couldn’t turn down. They said that we haven’t all went out together in such a long time, without involving work. It would be quite relaxing, don’t you think, Bryce?”

“Yes, but I already have plans, Dad.” I let go of my mom and began to walk up the staircase towards my room.

“Wait,” my dad’s voice echoed through the house. I turned to look at him and he looked almost angry. Sometimes I really hated when my parents came home. “Those ‘plans’ that you have, are canceled. You’re coming with us and that is final.”

“Michael, calm down,” said mom. “What exactly were you planning to do, Bryce?”

“I was doing an important friend a favor,” I replied as I forced myself not to yell.

My mom smiled softly at me. “It’s great that you want to be nice and help out. Is this special friend Kristen?”

“No! Why is Kristen the only friend that I'm supposed to have?” I wasn’t supposed to yell, but why were they always so obsessed with my relationship with her?

“Don’t raise your voice at your mother!” my dad yelled back in reply.

I stared holes into his forehead then. Did they really expect me to drop everything that I had been doing to hang out with them? “No, don’t tell me what to do, Dad! Everything with yall is about work! I don’t even exist except on the occasional weekend when you remember that I’m home alone. I hope you don’t expect me to cancel my plans, because I won’t.”

“Oh, you will,” my dad replied without a thought. “You will sit at the table with the two of us, Shannon, Chad, and Kristen, and you will act like you’re enjoying every minute of it. And if you don’t like it, then you can leave the keys on the counter for me to pick up.”

“This is bullshit. If you’re going to come home and act like you’ve been here for me, then I’d rather you not come home at all.”

I heard my mom gasp. “Bryce!”

“What?”

“You know that we only do this so that we can provide everything that you need. Why aren’t you being grateful for that?”

“What you don’t understand, mom, is that I’d rather have nothing and be happy, than to have everything and be miserable.” I walked out, without another word, went up to my room, and slammed the door behind me.