Fake Your Death

So, here’s a little backstory as to how our quartet came to be. My parents met Don and Donna Way at a church function when I was about six. They then introduced me to their boys, Mikey and Gerard. Mikey was a couple of years younger than us, but Gerard always made sure to include him whenever we hung out. When he started grade school, Mikey befriended one Frank Iero, who quickly fit in with our group of misfits. As the years passed, our little group grew inseparable. We did everything together. We went out, had sleepovers, celebrated birthdays, attended funerals. We shared a lot of laughs and many tears. We dealt with break-ups, divorce, death, sexual assault, bullying, and suicidal thoughts. No matter what happened, we stood by each other. Until I fucked it all up.

“So, have you put any thought into what you’re going to do, now that you’re home?” Mom asked as she handed me a dish to dry. I just shrugged.

“Not really. I guess I should probably try to find a job. Frankie said the little bistro down the street from the coffee shop he works at is hiring. I think I’m going to stop by there on my way to see him.”

“It sure is good to see the two of you together again. Have you heard from either of the Way boys?”

“No, I haven’t. I really doubt either of them would want anything to do with me. I’d just rather not drag out old skeletons from the closet, Ma,” I said as I put the plate in the cabinet.

“Well, that is a shame. I saw Donna just the other day. I told her you were back home, and she was thrilled. It’s been a long time since they’ve seen you, you know.”

“I know, Ma…” I realize that I never explained to her the details of what happened, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it now. I couldn’t stand the thought of disappointing her. The Ways, Mrs. Iero, and my parents were our biggest cheerleaders. They supported our whole little group with their entire hearts. I couldn’t tell her that I was the reason it all fell apart.

“I just remember how great you kids were together. You were the best of friends. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a crew. You know, I remember once-”

“Mom, please… Just leave it alone, okay?” I felt bad about snapping at her, but I had enough going on. I didn’t need to bring them back into my bullshit.

“Okay… I just thought that maybe you could give it a try… It’s up to you,” she said passively. I took a deep breath and set the rag down on the counter.

“I’m just going to go ahead and go put in an application at a few places.” I grabbed my bag and headed out the front door. I slipped my headphones in and began the short walk to the main strip. I hit shuffle and listened to the guitar echo in my mind. As I rounded the corner to the busy part of town, I pulled my headphones out and shoved them in my pocket. A man stepped out of the bistro and held the door open for me. I slipped inside and walked over to the counter.

“Hey, I heard you guys were looking for some help,” I said to the girl behind the counter. She smiled at me and put her finger up. I watched as she disappeared into the back room, returning with an older gentleman.

“Well, I’ll be… If it isn’t Nora Valentine,” he said with a warm smile. “You probably don’t remember me, but you and your folks have been coming here for years. Why, since you were a wee tot.” I feigned a smile and nodded.

“Yes, sir. I just got back home, and I am looking for a job. A friend of mine heard that you guys need some extra hands.”

“Well, you’re right about that. We’ve been through a couple of kids here lately, but they just don’t want to work. It’s hard to find good help. What are you looking for?”

“Anything really. I figured that since I’ve moved back home, I should probably try and help out, or at the very least, I won’t be a bum.” He laughed.

“Well, we would be very glad to have you, so long as you’re willing to do some actual work.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, do you think you could come in Monday around two? We are usually pretty slow then, so we could go ahead and get the paperwork and basic training out of the way.”

“That sounds great! Do I need anything special?”

“Just some comfortable shoes and appropriate casual attire.” I nodded and reached out to shake his hand. He firmly gripped mine and pulled me into a hug. “It’s good to see you!” He released me and smiled warmly.

“You too. So, I will see you Monday at two,” I confirmed. He nodded and waved as I turned to head out the door. As I opened the door, I ran into someone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I began to apologize as his hands steadied me. I looked up and stared at his face. There was something very familiar about him. He seemed to be trying to figure out who I was as well, as he tilted his head in confusion.

“No problem,” he said with a slight smile. There it was. That shy, uncertain smile that I had seen many times over the years.
“Gerard?” His eyes shifted from confusion to certainty as he stared at me.

“Nora?” We both stepped back as someone tried to enter the bistro, but our gaze never left each other. “What are you doing here? I thought you moved out west?”

“I did, yeah. I just moved back home though. Holy shit, dude. You don’t even look like the same person. I barely recognized you.”

“Yeah, funny what happens when you stop eating your feelings,” he laughed nervously. “I could say the same for you though. You look a lot different.” Unlike him, I did not fare so well in the aging process. My skin lost its color, and I pretty consistently had the livelihood of a corpse.

“Yeah… You look great though,” I commented. He just shrugged. There was something different about him. He seemed nervous at the moment, but there was more confidence about him. “So, Frankie says you were pursuing your art.” He nodded slowly.

“Wait, how long have you been back? You’ve already seen Frankie? I haven’t talked to that little fucker in years.”

“I got back three or four days ago. My mom ran into his mom and made it this whole thing, so he popped by the house, to see if the rumors were true. To see if the prodigal child had, in fact, returned.”

“Gotcha. Well, I’m actually meeting someone,” he said as he shifted slightly. I stepped out of the way.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get in the way.” He walked passed me and turned around.

“No problem. Maybe we can grab some coffee sometime. Try to catch up. It’s been a while.” I nodded and, just as he was about to turn away, he spoke again. “Um, it’s good to see you.” I smiled at him and nodded. He waved and headed inside. I turned and walked down the block to the coffee shop to wait on Frankie. I sat at a table out front, and around four, he stepped outside.

“Hey, you’re here. Did you go talk to Mr. Lowery?”

“Yeah,” I said as I cleared my throat. “I start Monday. He seemed glad to have a familiar face around the place.” He sat down next to me and lit a cigarette. “I ran into someone else too.”

“Oh yeah? Who would that be?”

“Gerard.”