We Only Breathe For So Long

“I caused this? What are you on about?” I asked Greg, frowning in confusion and disbelief.

How could he accuse me of such? I never knew Greg could reach this point, being so heartless and cold towards a human being. Towards a friend.

“I’m sorry,” he shook his head, an apologetic look on his face. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

How could Eric’s accident have been my fault? It’s not like he was looking for me before he almost died, because he sure knew I wasn’t going to be ten miles away from home.

I let his accusation slip away, not wanting to think about the matter any further. I didn’t want my thoughts to get in the way from repairing Eric’s current situation.

Greg and I walked back inside, sitting down at our table. Each of us ordered something to drink or eat to keep ourselves busy as we talked.

Greg cleaned his throat and extended his hand. “I’m Greg Williams, your former-more-like-forgotten best friend.”

Eric likes his initiation on the conversation and smiles, accepting his handshake. “I’m Eric, but you probably already knew that.”

That got a laugh out from all of us before the awkward silence settled in.

I tried to make small talk, wanting to get rid of the tension that kept building up in the air. “How’s uhh, Lisa?”

“Oh she’s great. She’s going to be away for a couple of days while she visits her family in Toronto.”

I nodded my head, smiling ever so slightly.

“How long have we been friends for?” Eric asked Greg, curious somehow.

Greg shrouded his shoulder and let out a sigh in deep thought. “I don't know, as long as I can remember?”

Eric laughed, delighted with his response.

I found that sweet. They’ve been probably friends since middle school, being together in the same sport teams and sharing their lunch during breaks. Kate came up to my mind.

Kate Campbell. Her name sounded almost foreign in my head.

She was my best friend back at home. We had been friends since birth because my Dad knew Anthony – his best friend – long before we were born. She was Anthony’s daughter and consecutively Jack’s sister. We never left each other’s side when we were little, always playing with dolls or sneaking up on boys from our backyards. I guess we’ve been together since before either of us knew how to walk or talk, as a matter of fact.

Since I arrived in Canada, I haven’t contacted her in any way. She hasn’t done the same either and there was a reason behind it. A few months before I left, we had gotten into a fight – a pretty bad one. It wasn’t those types of fights that could be solved after a call the next day.

Kate had always been that kind of girl that adores men, since she’s been a teenager. Throughout high school, all the boys in our school loved her and always managed to get into her pants, because she allowed them to do so. Whether if it was looking or talking about men, it didn’t matted as long as a pair of pants was mentioned in the conversation.

She was the total opposite of me. Maybe that’s why I like her so much. Well, liked.

“Kylie?” Greg had been trying to gain my attention for the past few seconds while I lost myself in thought. “When are you taking Eric to his Safe Ground? It’s a great place to start to see if his memory gets any better.”

“Wha-, Safe Ground? What the hell is that?” I asked, feeling my brain get tangled inside my cranium.

Greg chuckled in pure disbelief. “Didn’t he tell you?” he asked me, pointing his thumb to Eric. I shook my head sheepishly. “Safe Ground is his house.”

I frowned and immediately looked at Eric. His house? Eric looked just as confused as I was.

“We’ve been in my house for the past days, isn’t that my house?” Eric questioned.

“No, no. Not the place where you stay with Jane. Your actual home.” He made sure to emphasize the last word. “That place is your ‘home’ only when Jane or other people are around. You have a house, a real home.” Greg crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, shaking his head in disbelief. “That’s where you really live. I thought you knew about it Kylie, it’s only ten miles away.”