The sun shone through the windows directly into my eyes. Someone had forgotten to shut the window blinds. I woke up on the couch feeling like utter crap. My arm was all bandaged up and the cut on my face was all scabbed over. I could tell I was getting older because I didn’t rebound from a fight as well as I use to. I felt stiff.
The clock on the wall chimed sending the annoying sound of bells throughout the house. It was eight o’clock in the morning which meant Celia was going to be late for her first day of school and if she is late for school on the first day that only reflects badly on my because I must drive her there.
I walked into my room, which is now Celia’s room, and turned on the lights. Celia laid completely covered by three different blankets. She pulled the covers up over her face to stop the light from getting into her eyes.
“Morning sleepy head.” I said. “It’s time for you to get up.” I walked over to the closet and found a nice set of clothes for her to wear.
“It’s eight AM, let me sleep.” Celia said. She rolled over pulling the blankets in tighter to her.
“I guess I’ll just have to cancel your meeting with the principal.” I said grabbing the edge of her blankets. I was ready to tear them off from at any moment.
“I’m getting up.” Celia said. “There’s no need to tease me.” She pushed the blankets off herself revealing an almost naked Celia. She sat up and looked at me. I stood there holding the outfit I picked out for her, a white sweater like shirt with a red skirt and black leggings.
“What do you think?” I asked her. Celia took her time looking over the clothes.
“You’re not lying to me, are you?” Celia asked.
“Not this time.” I said. I tossed the clothes on to the bed. “Get ready and meet me by the door in five minutes.”
“You can’t expect me to be ready that fast.” Celia said. She crawled out of bed and walked over to the mirror to check herself out. “I still need to do my hair and change my underwear.”
“Five minutes or we’re going to be late for our meeting.” I said. I walked out into the kitchen and then into the living room. I put my coat on and stood there watching the clock. Tick tock tick tock time passed by and five minutes on the dot Celia came walking out of her room.
“I look like a mess.” Celia said trying to tie her hair back.
“Give me the hair band.” I said grabbing the band from her. “Turn around.”
Celia turned around. I took hair in each hand and braided down for her. I used the hair band to tie it off. I couldn’t see an android anymore, all I saw was a beautiful young girl about to start her first day in high school.
“Who taught you how to do hair?” Celia asked.
“An old friend of mine.” I said. “Now let’s go! We’re going to be late.”
I pushed Celia out the door and closed it behind us. Both of us hopped into my car and off we went to our meeting with the principal. Celia had the ends of her sleeves wrapped into her palms, trying to hide her nervousness. I chose not to notice to try and avoid any stressful topics.
I parked in a stall out front of the schools’ main doors. To say this place was big would be an understatement. Everyone from grade school on up to high school were kept in this building. The only thing that separated them were a few sets of doors. Celia and I quickly found the principal’s office located at the cross center of all three wings.
“Hi, I’m here to see Mr. Skoly.” I said.
“Name?” The desk clerk asked.
“James Casper.” I said.
“Ok. Take a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here.” The desk clerk said.
“Thank you.” I said.
We took a seat next to the wall. The clerks desk sat off to the left of us. The room was small, but had a cozy feel to it. A window at my right allowed me to see the road I parked my car on. I bet it was hardly a view in the summer time, but during the winter, with the trees being covered in snow, there was almost a serenity to it. I spaced out so much I didn’t realize that the principal was talking to me.
“Dad.” Celia hit me in the shoulder. My head snapped over to look at her. She was pointing at the principal.
“I’m so sorry.” I apologized for keeping him waiting.
“Not a problem.” Mr. Skoly said. He motioned for us to follow him into his room. “So, you want to enroll your daughter in our school?”
Celia and I took a seat in front of his desk. Mr. Skoly sat down in a comfy looking roller chair behind his desk.
“Well, she’s been home schooled up until this point, but she’s been begging me constantly for the past two years to come here.” I said looking over at Celia. She was looking at her feet keeping her hands tucked in between her legs. She was indeed nervous.
“I admire her persistence, but before she can go walking through these halls we need to answer a few questions.” Mr. Skoly said. From behind his desk he pulled a sheet of paper and a pencil. At the top of the page it read, “Student admission forms.”
“Do you want me to fill it out, or her?” I asked grabbing the pen and paper.
“Why don’t you fill it out for her. That way Celia and I can go over classes she might want to take.” Mr. Skoly said.
I looked at the piece of paper and it was the general name, birthdate, parents name, legal guardian, emergency contact number, allergies, address, and vehicle plate number. Celia’s full name was Celia Marie Casper. She was born the day after new year’s, Valentine always wanted a new year’s baby. I signed myself for both her parent and her legal guardian. The rest of it was simple enough.
“This seems like a pretty rigorous course. Are you sure you want something so difficult?” Mr. Skoly asked looking at his computer.
“Dad told me I need a tough schedule to match my learning at home.” Celia said.
“This isn’t about what your father wants though.” Mr. Skoly said. “Think about something you’ve really wanted to do. Maybe try something you haven’t done before. Think about where you want to end up after high school.”
“Well, I’ve always wanted to try cooking.” Celia said.
“Cooking?” I asked looking at Celia.
“I want to learn so when you come home from a long day at work you don’t have to worry about if I ate or not.” Celia said with tears in her eyes.
“Okay. Put her in a cooking class.” I said. “I expect to see five star meals when I get home from now on.”
My phone started to buzz. I looked at it and my alarm was going off. It was nine-thirty in the morning, which meant I needed to get to the hospital. Visitor hours were limited and I wanted to be there just in case Claire wanted to wake up.
“Is everything alright dad.” Celia asked.
“I have to go see Claire in the hospital.” I said. “You finish up with Mr. Skoly and have him show you around. I’ll be back around three-thirty to pick you up.”
“OK.” Celia said.
“I love you darling.” I said kissing her on the head.
“Love you too dad.” Celia said.
I left the school and got in my car. The hospital was only a short drive away from the school, but with the snow it would take me a little longer. My car was freezing cold on the inside and it wouldn’t warm up for the drive over to the hospital. Most of the ride over I spent trying to keep my window from fogging up. I pulled into the parking lot and parked as close as I could. When I got to the front desk I was greeted with a smile.
“I'm looking for Claire Gosel.” I said leaning on the counter. The lady behind the counter started typing in the name I gave her. I already knew where Claire’s room was, but to keep the ruckus on the downlow I decided to play it safe.
“Room 126 2nd floor Emergency ward.” The lady said pointing to the elevators behind me.
“Thanks.” I said.
I got to floor two by taking the elevator. The choice of music was a bit of a drag, felt like I was back in the 80’s, but the view over the city was marvelous. Unlike any other thing I have seen before. The snow covering the tops of buildings, Christmas decorations accenting the old timey looks of the buildings, snow men and angels made from the snow, and the scent of evergreens traveling through the air.
I opened the door to Claire’s room. She was sleeping, for what I could tell. The room was silent, besides the constant beep from her heart monitor. I kicked back on the couch in the corner of her room and snoozed off waiting for her to wake.
A flat line beep woke me up in the dead of my sleep. I looked over at Claire’s machine and couldn’t find anything wrong with it. All the lines were moving as normal. It must have been my mind playing tricks on me. I thought it would be best for me to go outside and get some fresh air, help me clear my mind a bit.
I walked out to one of the large balcony’s. Snow covered most of it. The only spot snow didn’t touch was right in front of the door to the hospital. Two little children played in the snow while a couple of doctors leaned against the railing and watched them. As I stepped outside they gave me a warm inviting smile. The two children were making a snow man, but didn’t have anything to decorate him with.
“You know, I think your snow man is a little chilly. Shouldn’t he have something to keep him warm?” I knelt down and asked the children.
“We don’t have a scarf.” Said the little boy.
“I think I know someone who does.” I said to them. I stood up and pulled the scarf off my shoulders and handed it to the little boy. He took it and wrapped it around the snowman’s neck. “Hmm, I think he’s missing something else.” I reached into my pocket and dug out some loose change, a couple quarters, a nickel, and a few pennies.
“Do you think you can make a face with this?” I asked the little girl. She held her hands open and I dumped the change into her hand. It brought joy to me seeing these two kids enjoying the snow. The snow man now had a scarf, a face, and even buttons. I walked over and leaned on the balcony and watched the kids play with their newly made friend. One of the doctors decided to join me.
“What you did, that means the world to them.” The doctor said. She leaned on the railing next to me and took a drink of her coffee.
“It’s nothing.” I said.
“It’s more than nothing.” She said. “These two came in here with cancer. Some days are good, some days are bad, but you just gave them a memory to hold on to.”
“Well I’m glad I could do that for them.” I said.
A slight snowfall began. The kid’s eyes lit up like candles as they looked up and tried to catch snowflakes on their tongues. As they danced around their snowman I caught their names on the back of their coats, Kate and William. It almost made me wish I had raised my own children.
“I’ll see you guys later. I have my own person to attend to.” I said walking away.
“Thank you, mister.” The little girl said.
I walked back into Claire’s room. There was three nurses surrounding her bed and in the center of them Clair was sitting up. One nurse looked up at me as soon as the door closed behind me. It was Mickey.
“Did she just wake up?” I asked walking towards the bed.
“She’s been up for about thirty minutes.” Mickey said.
They were helping Claire sit up so they could adjust her bed. It moved slowly to an inclined position. One nurse fluffed the pillows while Mickey and the other nurse slowly set Claire back into place.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Claire.
“Like I was hit by a bus.” Claire responded. Her smock covered most of the bandages, but her arms were completely covered. She looked like a mummy.
“I’m guessing the bus won.” I joked with her.
Mickey walked around the front of the bed. She walked up behind me and put her hands on my shoulder. Claire was coughing from laughing, it didn’t take much to make her cough though.
“I’m gonna leave you two alone for a while.” Mickey said. Mickey walked out the door and closed the door gently behind her.
I pulled up a chair next to Claire’s bed and took a seat in it. She turned her head to look at me. You could easily see she was in pain, but she was trying her best to hide it.
“Mickey told me you were playing in the snow outside.” Claire said.
“I gave my scarf to a couple of kids for their snowman.” I said.
“That’s sweet.” Claire said. She started to cough again. All I could do was just sit and watch, it kind of upset me.
“I’m sorry to ask you this, but what do you remember?” I asked apologetically.
“Ill tell you when you tell me what you did to your arm.” Claire said shifting slightly in her bed.
“Just a training incedent.” I told her. I couldn’t bare what she would say if I told her that Valentine did this to me. Personally I thought it would have blended in with the rest of the bandages I was wearing. “So, what can you tell me?”
“I remember this man pulling me from your car after it caught fire. He looked at me like I was some sort of meal to him. I was so scared I must have passed out.” Claire said.
All I could think of was Aldris and his two dwellers. How they ripped apart Claire’s parents and almost killed Claire in the same night.
“Can we talk about something different?” Claire asked. I could tell the topic made her feel uneasy. You could hear it in her voice.
“Sure, what did you have in mind?” I asked.
“Are my parents ok?” Claire asked.
I wasn’t expecting such a question from her, it kind of caught me off guard. I picked up her hand and embraced it in both of mine. Tears were already falling from her face.
“Claire, both your parents were found dead in the basement of your house.” I said. I pressed her hand to my forehead as I leaned into it. I heard Claire fighting back the tears as best she could.
“Why is my whole world falling apart?” Claire asked. She pulled her hand from mine and covered her face to cry. I know she had it far worse than I did. She lost her parents, I lost two of my best friends. I stood up and pulled her into my arms. Her tears ran down her arms and settled on mine. I tried my best to comfort her until she stopped crying.
“I used to ask myself the same question when Valentine left me.” I said. Claire looked at me with watery red eyes.
“How did you get over it?” Claire asked.
“I didn’t.” I said. I know it wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. “Some days I wish I would have gone with her, but I just remind myself on how much I would have missed out if I did.”
“You probably could’ve had a family of your own.” Claire said.
“But then I wouldn’t have you.” I smiled at Claire. She smiled back at me. “I don’t ever regret staying, because I found something else to look forward to.”
“And what’s that?” Claire asked.
“I got to watch you grow up and become this incredible person.” I said. “Beautiful on the outside just as much as you are on the inside.”
“Where am I gonna go now? I don’t have a family.” Claire asked.
“First things first, you need to get some rest, and then we can talk about getting you situated in my house.” I said.
“Are you sure?” Claire asked.
“I’m not letting you go half way across the nation to live with your grandparents when you belong here.” I said.
Claire snuggled into my arms a little deeper. Her tears subsided and turned into a smile.
“Thank you, for everything, James.” Claire said.
“Why don’t you try and get some more rest, I’ll be over on the couch if you need me.” I said releasing her.
“Ok.” Claire said. She laid back into her bed and turned away from the window.
I walked over to the window and took hold of the curtains. I took one last look out over the city before I closed the curtains, stopping any light form bothering Claire’s slumber. Even I decided to take a little nap, so I sat down on the couch and covered my eyes with the pillow. I’ll admit it looked kind of funky, but it worked.
My alarm went off just a few minutes before three. I had been asleep for a couple hours. It had meant that it was time for me to go pick Celia up from her first day at school.
Claire was still sleeping but her position changed. She was now facing towards the window, but looking at the couch. She looked peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb her rest, but I wanted her to know that I was leaving. I got up and walked over to the bed.
“Hey, I’m heading out.” I said shaking her gently.
“Ok, thanks for coming.” Claire said restlessly. She laid her head back down and resumed her sleep.
I walked out of the hospital. Standing next to my car was a freezing Valentine. She kept pawing at the door handle trying to get in. I didn’t rush to the car to start it for her. I just kept the same pace.
“What do you want?” I asked her.
“What does it look like? I’m freezing.” Valentine said. “Now let me in the damn car.” She still wore the same outfit as my first encounter with her. She had one arm crossed over to the other while she pulled on the handle to the car with the other. Just looking at her made me feel cold. Her skin was pale white, almost turning blue. I unlocked the door to the car and it wasn’t even a split second and she was in my car. I started the car up for her and turned the heat on full blast to give her some warmth.
“Do you want my jacket?” I asked her.
“If you don’t mind.” Valentine said. I slipped my jacket off and began to hand it to her, but before she could get a hold on it I yanked it away. Her hand slowly retreated in disbelief. “I want to know why you came here first.” She looked at me and let out a sigh.
“You said I had a daughter. I want to know what you meant?” Valentine asked. A somberness reached her voice. She wasn’t on the offensive, she was caring.
“Celia, she is your daughter.” I said.
“I never gave birth to any child.” Valentine said.
I reached up into the visor above my head and pulled out a piece of folded up paper. Written on it in crayon were the words “Our Family.” I handed it to Valentine.
“You left to soon before we could think about a family.” I said handing Valentine a picture of Celia. She took a long look at both pictures. Before I could say anymore she stepped out of the car and left. I didn’t even have a chance to give her my jacket, but I knew this was tearing her apart as much as it was me. I looked at the pictures myself and noticed tear drops on the edge of them. Something more was keeping her from coming home, it wasn’t just her death wish.
The ground was slightly slippery so I decided I was going to have a little fun before I left. In an open area in the parking lot I threw myself into a tailspin and let my car spin around. I came close to hitting a snow bank once or twice and then left before any of the cops could show up. It helped to relieve a little stress.
I waited out front of the school for Celia to come walking out. Children came out in groups of four or five sometimes even more. Most of them were bundled up in heavy jackets and winter hats, but there were a few who seemed to not have given in to the winter cold and still adorned shorts and t-shirts. A few of the students even paused to admire the beauty of the snow fall. Behind a small group of students Celia stood talking to some boy.
One could only imagine what they were talking about. I chose not to think about it. I stood outside my car waiting for her to notice me so we could go, but they stood and talked for a while. Finally, I had to intrude on their conversation.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s time to go.” I said grabbing Celia’s arm.
“Dad! We weren’t done talking.” Celia Complained.
Celia and I got in the car. I began to drive home.
“So, who was the boy?” I asked.
“Can we not talk about this?” Celia asked.
“Ollie, who was Celia talking to?” I asked.
“Dad!” Celia said.
“What? I’m going to find out one way or another.” I said.
“Alexander Marius. He wanted to know if I wanted to go to a party tonight.” Celia said.
“No.” I said.
“Then you have to take me to see mom.” Celia said crossing her arms. I pulled over to the side of the road abruptly giving little to no warning to the cars behind us. I let out a big sigh and hit my head on the steering wheel. “Is everything ok dad?”
“I saw your mother today.” I said sitting up straight in my seat.
“Did she try and run away again?” Celia asked.
“No, she was freezing, trying to get into the car.” I said. “Before I could ask her to stay she left. I couldn’t even offer her my coat to keep her warm.” Celia reached her hand over and rested it on my shoulder as if she was trying to comfort me.
“She’ll come around some day.” Celia said. She turned to the window and looked out it depressingly. I pulled the car back on to the road venturing further home. The ride was silent the rest of the way.
I pulled the car into the driveway and shut it off with the push of a button. Celia left the car immediately, but I stayed for a moment to rest. To try and take a break from everything going on around me. Seeing Valentine recently sent me into a downward spiral that I just couldn’t break, but I did my best to hide it from Celia. I wanted to keep her as happy as possible, both of them, but it wasn’t working out.
I walked into the house and found the living room empty. I thought at least Celia would have left her backpack or her shoes, but she must have gone straight to my room. My best bet would be just to leave her alone for a while, or for her to leave me alone. The couch was about as good as any place for me to rest, other than the storage room. I laid down and put my hat over my face to stop the light from hitting my eyes.
