Back Into Your Arms

I sat down on the couch of my living room, for a moment I let it all sink in.

Melody was in the guest room. Melody was at my house, with me. The Melody I had lost so many years ago, the Melody I never thought I would see again.

I felt nervous, I felt happy, I felt hopeful.
I had loved her so much in my youth.
I grabbed my phone and texted Jared.

“So far so good, how’s everything over there?” I said trying not too sound way too excited.

He replied quickly.

“We’re getting there, how’s Melody she’s not creeped out by you anymore?”

I laughed.

“You guys better send me the recordings of the drum tracks. I think we are friends again”

“Will do, bro you getting friendzoned?”

“I was at first anyways, back to square one”

“Hey, if that’s what makes you happy”

“I’ll call you guys later”

“Sounds good”

I then called my mom.

“Momma”

“John, bring Melody over for dinner later”

“I will”

“John”

“Mom”

“How is she?”

“She’s doing good, we visited our old campus, I taught her how to drive”

“You what? She didn’t know how to drive?”

“Nope, she didn’t but she does now. It’s been an eventful day you can say”

“You sound happy”

“I am”

“I’m glad, you haven’t been very happy in a long time. This is good for you, I’ll be waiting for you guys at 5, I can’t wait to see her”

“We’ll be there, love you ma”

“Love you too”

I went over to the guest room and knocked on the door.

She opened the door, her hair tied up in a bun now.

“Yes?”

“My mom is inviting us to dinner at 5. I’m going to take a nap in my room, wake me up if you need anything”

“Sounds good” she said putting her thumb up. I smiled and went over to my room.

Collapsing onto my bed, I set up an alarm and fell into a deep slumber.

I dreamt of Melody and I driving through Malibu and somehow ending up in Arizona, both of us in my jeep, singing to our favorite songs at the top of our lungs. We were singing a song I had never heard before and when I woke up I realized I had composed a new song in my sleep.

I checked the time, I had woken up earlier than my alarm. I showered and got dressed, I walked out into the living room and Melody was sitting there with a book in hand.
I smiled. I could get used to seeing her there on my couch reading.
She looked up and saw me there looking at her.

“You have some fascinating books” she said putting the book down.

“It was you that got me into reading”

“Really?”

“Yup, you’d come over to my house to read to me, I read every morning or at least I try too”

“Wow, well I’m glad I got someone into reading” she smiled.

“Yup”

“Hold on I’ll be back, you wait right here okay” she said standing up and running to the guest room, she came back with a familiar looking book.

“Did I ever read this book to you?” she said showing me the book.

“You actually did…” I said recognizing the book right away, remembering my days of depression and her coming over to see me.

“Let me show you something” she said and sat down on the couch again.

She opened the book and took out a folded piece of a paper.
She unfolded it.

“Did you by any chance write this John?” she said showing the note to me.

My heart stopped for a moment, it was the poem I had written for her.
I rushed over to her side and took the paper in my hands.

“You’ve had this all this time?”

“I found it 10 years ago when I was unpacking in New York, I’ve wondered who wrote it to me all this time”

“I wrote this to you at the beginning of our senior year, I remember being so proud of it, if I get the chance I’ll write you something better” I said to her. She blushed.

“Oh you don’t have to” she said shyly taking the paper from my hands.
“So you’re JC.OC huh?” she added.

“The very one”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, the author of my mysterious love poem. I always thought it was from an admirer” she said and laughed.

“An admirer huh?”

“Yup, well I mean no one told me I had a boyfriend in high school, so I had to use my imagination” she said folding the piece of paper again.

“I looked for that poem in the things they threw away, I was sad that I couldn’t find it…I thought maybe you had lost it or they had taken it. I’m glad to see it again after all these years”

“It’s a beautiful old poem, but anyways, shall we go? Don’t want to arrive late right?” she said standing up and fixing her shirt.

“Yeah let’s go, let me just grab the keys”

“They’re in the kitchen” she pointed out. I went to the kitchen and found them on the table.

“So, you’ve been to my kitchen?”

“I couldn’t help it” she laughed embarrassed.

“How bad is it?”

“It could use some work but I’ve seen worse” she said opening the door.

We walked out and got into the car, I drove as she looked outside the window.
I glanced at her quickly, wondering what was going through her head.
She wasn't the same person from 10 years ago, but she wasn't too different.
I still felt myself drawn to her. She still loved to read, she was still the Melody who could get along with strangers. For I was a stranger to her eyes, yet here she was, in Arizona, in my car with me on my way to eat with my parents.

“Your parents’ house is still the same house from 10 years ago?”

“Yup, they haven’t moved out”

“So these would be the same streets I’d see on my way to your house in the past?”

“The very ones”

I looked over she was lowering the window, admiring the view and the Arizona air.
When we arrived, she put her hand on my arm to stop me from getting off right away.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her. She looked worried.

“Your mom, I hope she doesn’t have bad feelings about me”

“She doesn’t, trust me”

“Alright” she said taking a deep breath and getting out of the car.
She walked slowly to the entrance. I knocked on the door and my father opened.

“Hi” Mel said shyly.

“C’mon in” my dad said to us both. I walked in first guiding her inside. My mother was there waiting for us. Her mouth open.

“Melody Riley! You’re even more beautiful now!” my mother giggled. She rushed over and hugged Melody. She started crying, my mother, always so emotional. Melody was taken off guard but she hugged her nonetheless.

“Thank you” she whispered back to my mother.

“Oh c’mon, the dinner is served” my mom said wiping her tears and leading us to the kitchen.

She walked Melody over to our dinner table. Pulling up a chair for her.
I sat next to her, my mother across from her and my dad across from me.

“I remember you liked my French onion soup so I made it for you, I hope you like it again” my mom said smiling.

Melody smiled and tried it. Her eyes went wide.

“Simply delicious! Thank you, Mrs. O’Callaghan”

“So what have you been up to my dear?”

“Me? Well I live in New York, this is my 10th year there, I actually run a cooking school there”

“Wow, your own school?”

“Yeah, it’s quite amazing really, I worked for an old lady who taught cooking classes, I was her assistant teacher and when she moved to Paris she left the place to me”

“That was very sweet of her!”

“It was, I’ve been running the place since. It’s been fun. That’s really it though, I haven’t been up to too much but John here, he’s in a band, I take it you guys must be proud”

“Oh we are, he’s doing what he loves. That’s what matters the most”

“Have you guys ever attended any of his concerts?”

My parents and I laughed.

“Not too often, their music is so loud and their fans are just as crazy as them” my mom said to her, she looked at my father.

“I like their concerts, but my ears can’t really handle the noise anymore like before”

“Ah” she said nodding, finishing her food.

“I was telling Melody that she should come see us play once we go on tour again” I commented to my parents.

“Oh yeah, she definitely should. It’s a must really, you’re young, your ears will be perfectly fine” my father joked.

She laughed.

“I haven’t been to any concerts actually, my best friend Julie she’s married with two kids, she always has a hard time finding a baby sitter so I never really go out” she admitted to them.

“Julie has two kids?” my mom said in shock.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t know if you knew Julie. She got married about 7 years ago and now has two little one’s a boy and a girl”

“Wow! Yeah I remember Julie, she was a sweet girl. Tell her we say hi when you have a chance”

“I will”

I watched her as she continued talking to my parents. She told them stories about getting lost in New York, and when it snows over there.
I smiled at everything she said. I looked over at my dad who had already noticed the way I was looking at Melody. I couldn't help but look at her that way, I was falling in love with her all over again.

When we were done eating we all sat down at the living room.
None of us had wanted to bring up the past, no one wanted to make Melody uncomfortable but it was her that wanted to talk about it.

"I wanted to apologize in behalf of my family. You guys are such sweet people, your son didn't deserve to go through what he went through. I plan on going to talk to my parents tomorrow"

"They don't know you are here?" My dad asked her. She shook her head and sighed.

"No, they don't, not yet. It was really last minute…I mean I barely found out the truth yesterday"

"I think your handling the situation quite smoothly. It's a lot to take in. Do you think you're ready to talk to them tomorrow?" My mom asked her. Melody shrugged.

"I'm not too sure honestly"

"You're welcome to stay at John's or stay here until you’re ready to talk to them. How long were you planning on being here?"

“I canceled all my classes for the rest of the month, so I can technically be here all month”

“Maybe it would be best to take things slowly, you want to make sure you know exactly what you’re going to say to your parents. I can see that you’re upset right now but it might be because you just found out you had been lied to, you don’t want to end up saying things to your parents our of anger, right?”

She nodded.

“You’re very right Mrs. O’Callaghan, I needed to hear that” she said and looked over at me. She smiled.

“You have a very sweet son, he came with me all the way over here on such a short notice and you guys are so sweet too”

“We’re your family Melody and we will always be here for you whenever you need us” my mother said patting Melody’s shoulder.

“Thank you” she smiled.

“I’ll let you both know what happens with my parents, I hope they can be reasonable this time, life is giving them another opportunity to make things right”

We said goodbye to my parents and drove back home.
She sat down on the couch and looked over at me.

“It’s really weird”

“What is?”

“Me, being here with you”

“It is”

“Right?”

“Yup”

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow, my flight is at 6”

“Do you mind if I stay here a little longer…I’ll give you money for the rent”

“It’s fine, you can stay. I’ll be back in a week and a half”

“A week and half?” she said sounding a bit sad about it.

“Yeah, we have to finalize the instrumentals for the album”

“Right…”

“I’ll call you while I’m over there, if that’s okay with you”

“That-that’s fine with me”

“Do you mind if I ask you a question Mel?”

“Go ahead”

“How come you don't have a friend other than Julie?"

She was quiet for a moment.

“You know, you’re really fortunate to have your band and all of your crew. You’ve known them for such a long time, and I mean you guys are practically brothers. You also have other friends from other bands I assume…your career allows you to have friends. Mine doesn’t really allow that”

“All you do is teach at that school huh?”

“That’s all I do, Julie is my friend, and Mrs. Shepard the receptionist…she’s my friend too. That’s about it, everyone else comes and goes because they are my students. I don’t go to the clubs or the bars, all my friends from high school I’ve forgotten, my neighbors are never home so I don’t even know who they are. It’s quite sad actually now that you have made me analyze my situation”

“How did you meet that Alex guy then? Was he your friend?”

“Oh Alexander? I met him at a dinner party that Julie invited me to. Alex was a friend of her husbands from college, he got my number and kept on asking me out on a date until I finally said yes out of courtesy. We then started dating and well it basically just consisted of him coming over for dinner and leaving, he was very busy all the time with work so I hardly saw him too. I guess he wasn’t even my friend either. I’m a friendless 28-year-old”

“It surprises me that you don’t have many friends because back in high school you were always very social, you were the one to first talk to me actually. Maybe you simply haven’t been in the right place, I’m sure if you were to meet my friends you would get a long well with them, because I mean, they were your friends too at some point”

“I’d like to meet them, that one guy Pat seemed very friendly, I hope that during the time I’m here I can somehow find myself again. So thank you John, in advance for allowing to stay here”

“Just know that you’re always welcome”

We chatted for a bit longer and then we parted to our rooms.
I was frankly surprised at how quiet Melody had become, she used to be a girl of many friends, a girl of many words, she was happy and cheerful and now she seemed quiet and reserved. I could imagine how sad it would be to live in such a big city alone, with no friends, no company, no family. I was convinced to help her return to the days when she was happy.