I SHOULD HAVE WALKED AWAY

THE LETTERS

I spent almost 2 weeks at the hospital recovering. I went on training and learning how to walk again. It was really difficult, but I was able to find my voice again. I was able to recover a little, but I rode in a wheelchair leaving the hospital. I could walk, but Dad didn’t want to stress me too much. None of my friends visited or even heard from anyone.

I asked Dad about them. He said they were all with me during the months I was asleep. I kept telling Dad I wanted to see Karen, but it was like there was no connection to get to Karen. And Dad never told me about what happened to Nancy and Jessi. I never heard from Maya or Zayn. It was like all my connections were cut off.

Each time I asked Dad about it, he always ignored the questions.

“I don’t want to hear about them. It’s in the past already,” he would say.

Finally, I got home after unconsciously spending 3 months in the hospital. Mrs Laura carried me to my room. I was astonished—it was cleaned up and even more beautiful than ever.

“What happened to my room?” I exclaimed aloud.

“It’s all Karen’s doing. She always cleaned your room every day. She would say, ‘When you wake up, you want your room to look the best,’” Mrs Laura said, smiling as she helped me sit on the bed.

“I really wish I could see Karen again,” I murmured.

“You’ll see her soon, Judy,” Mrs Laura said.

“I can’t believe she actually forgave me even after I hurt her,” I said sadly.

“It wasn’t your fault, Judy. Whatever happened wasn’t supposed to happen to you. Karen just protected you. Your dad is forever grateful to her, okay Judy,” she said as she hugged me a little and smiled.

“I’ll need to go prepare something good for you so you can eat, okay Judy,” she said as she walked toward the door and looked at me. I just nodded with a smile as she left immediately.

I sat quietly looking around. The room was so neatly arranged and decorated.

“I can’t believe you did all this for me,” I said, astonished by the work done by her.

I looked at my cupboard; it was neatly arranged. I managed to get up on my own and staggered to sit on the chair close to my cupboard. I touched the table softly; it was so smooth and fresh.

“Thanks, Karen,” I smiled as I opened my drawer.

Suddenly, I saw a couple of letters. There were around 10 of them with different dates on them.

“Karen must have kept this here for me,” I said as I brought them out and arranged them on the table. They had different dates on them. I put them in order from the least to the most recent dates.

I remember having the accident in February. I saw some letters from February to almost March ending. Some had different handwriting on them.

“Who wrote all these letters?” I said in a low tone as I opened one.

It stated February 11.

It read:

“Dear Judy, it’s me Karen. I’m writing to you now because I just got discharged from the hospital. I visited you and I saw your dad. He has been crying for 3 days now. He is very sad. Judy, you look so bad. You were really injured. I want to apologize. I’m very sorry. I shouldn’t have run off that way. I should have listened to you. I’m very sorry Judy. I feel so bad, that’s why I’m writing to you. I can’t believe I’m so alive and well while all this happened to you. It’s all my fault. I’m very sorry Judy. From friend, Karen.”

“Karen,” I whispered as I frowned a little.

“I miss you, Karen,” I said as I dropped the letter beside me and took the second one with a similar date.

It was February 14.

I opened it. It read:

“Hey Judy, it’s me again Karen. I’m writing to you because I know you’ll wake up soon. The doctor just said you started responding to treatment. I’m really proud of you, Judy. This is the first time I’m being in your room. It’s really beautiful. I dropped the first letter I wrote in the drawer. I’ll keep writing more so you won’t be left out. I really hope you wake up soon. P.S. I’m going to be the one arranging your room every day so I can keep more letters for you. Love you Judy. From Karen.”

I smiled. I could feel her bright energy.

“I miss you, Karen,” I whispered repeatedly.

I dropped that one and picked up another one dated February 19.

I opened it quickly. It read:

“Hello Judy, I’m very sorry I didn’t write earlier. A lot of things have been happening. It’s about Nancy and Jessi. They were both reprimanded and sent to court, but no one is going to believe our story. They said there was no proof. Nancy’s family is too strong. I’m very sorry I couldn’t be of much help for you at the court. The case was adjourned. I wish someone could come save us. From friend, Karen.”

My heart sank.

“They took the case to court,” I whispered aloud.

I quickly dropped the letter and picked up the fourth one dated February 24.

It read:

“Karen, how are you doing? I wish you could just wake up now. Something good happened today. I met Maya today, Karen. She came with her family lawyer. She is in support with us, and also a guy called Zayn. His family is as strong as Nancy’s family. They came to back us up. I think we are going to win, Judy. I didn’t know Maya would show up, and she did. I can’t believe this. Finally we can have our revenge, Judy. There is something I want to tell you—I like Zayn. He is so handsome. He spoke to me and said you were his good friend. You never told me about him. Judy hurry and wake up. We have lots of things to talk about. From friend Karen.”

I smiled in shock.

“They came… Maya and Zayn… but why didn’t they come to visit me?” I wondered sadly.

I dropped the letter and picked up the fifth one.

It was March 1st.

It read:

“Hello Judy, I was busy lately. I couldn’t write to you. I just finished cleaning up your room, Judy. I’m very sorry to say this. Nancy and Jessi got away with it. The court wouldn’t judge rightly. They defended themselves because of their family name. Your dad hasn’t left the hospital room for 2 days now. He hasn’t eaten well. Mrs Laura has been trying to take care of him. I’m very sorry. I can’t believe we lost the case. Maya and Zayn’s families were threatened. Somehow Zayn’s relations have connections with Nancy’s family. They removed their hands to avoid further trouble for Nancy’s family. Maya’s family isn’t strong enough. Finally the case has ended. Nancy and Jessi are now free to go. I just want to let you know—I forgive you already, Judy. Don’t blame yourself. It was never your fault. I wish all this never happened. But somehow I feel everything that happened saved us from the hands of Nancy and Jessi. Imagine what they would have done if not for the accident. At least now they have been flagged and warned never to come near us again or they will be punished. At least we are okay—that’s what matters. I’ll keep updating you, Judy. Love, from friend Karen.”

“I can’t believe this… all this happened while I was asleep,” I grasped in frustration as I threw down the letter and quickly picked another one.

It was March 5.

It read:

“Hello Karen, I have good news for you. Our story went wide. There has been massive turnout for you to revenge everything that happened. All past students of our school who were victims came out in support. Guess what Judy—Nancy and Jessi have been taken in for questioning by federal government intervention. And Judy, it has been known that Nancy and Jessi were into s*x s*****y. They forced girls like us into s*x videos and recorded them to make films. They have been doing this, and Ray was actually the foundation because he did it to Nancy and Nancy decided to recruit more students by framing them. We are so lucky, Judy. I told you before—if not for the accident, what could have happened to us? We were saved, Judy. I can’t wait. You need to wake up already. It’s finally over. We won. I’ll always be your friend forever, Judy. From love, Karen.”

My heart beat softly.

“What… I can’t believe that’s what Nancy and Jessi were into… and Ray too. It means I was actually saved from them,” I whispered aloud.

I cried softly. I couldn’t believe what would have happened to me. Dad would have been really disappointed in me.

I wiped my tears and picked another letter, but strangely it had a different handwriting on it.

“Whose letter is this?” I said.

I opened it.

It was March 10.

It read:

“Hello Judy, it’s me Maya. I really missed you. I’m very sorry I couldn’t protect you. I knew if I had told you what Nancy and Jessi were into, you would have run away, but they would have noticed that you knew their secret. Those who found out their secret got expelled. Last year, remember there were about 20 girls expelled from the school—it was because of Nancy. She blackmailed them all. One of the girls who tried to confess was murdered. I know Nancy had a hand in it but I wasn’t present and there was no solid proof. Most importantly, Nancy’s family are terrible people. They never want their family name to become a disgrace. I’m really happy everything is finally over. I’m happy you were never sold out. I’m really sorry instead of protecting you I ran away to protect myself. I guess nature fought for you and Karen, and I’m happy karma got back at them through the both of you. It’s really sad to see you on the bed unconscious. I really have a lot to tell you. I hope you forgive me so we can start afresh. I promise to protect you the best way I can. I wish I could talk to you, Judy. Hurry up and wake up. I need you. I’ll be going out of the country soon. I hope you wake up before I leave. I will send you gifts and presents every day. Hurry and wake up, Judy. We need to talk. From Maya.”

I held the letter tightly.

“Maya…” I whispered, my heart beating heavily.

I touched the letter continuously. I really missed Maya. I missed her cool looks and beautiful grin. She always warned me, but I was too blinded.

“I miss you, Maya,” I said softly.

I dropped the letter carefully beside the others.

I picked another letter close to Maya’s. It had a different handwriting but the same date.

It was also March 10.

I opened it.

It read:

“Judy, how are you? It’s me Zayn. I really have a lot to tell you. I’m really happy all this never happened to you. If I had known your fate, I would have never let you go or left you alone on the train. I would have held you. I wanted to let you know, Judy—I had a crush on you the first day we met. I really wish I could tell you in person. It’s sad to watch you sleep for too long. It’s been a month. I keep visiting. The doctor said you’ll wake up soon, but I don’t know how long I can wait. I’ll be traveling out of the city soon. I really wish you could wake up now. I feel so helpless. I miss you, Judy. I’m happy to know I can be with you now. I really hope you’ll accept me too. I love you, Judy. From Zayn.”

A heart was drawn on top.

I smiled brightly.

“Zayn…” I said aloud.

I laughed excitedly.

“I love you too, Zayn,” I smiled brightly. I was so happy inside. I kissed the letter and hugged it.

I wanted to feel its warmth. I really missed them all.

“They must have waited for me for so long… but I never woke up to meet them,” I frowned sadly as I dropped the letter.

I picked the last letter.

“Karen’s handwriting,” I said softly. “I think this is her last letter before she left.”

It was March 24.

It read:

“Hey Judy, well, I never stopped arranging your room, but I just finished cleaning it again. This will be the last time. Your dad has sponsored my education outside the city. I’ll be leaving you now, Judy. I begged Mrs Laura to keep maintaining your room until you wake up. I really wish you can wake up now so I can hug you. I really miss you. Maya and Zayn traveled last week. They brought lots of gifts for you. Zayn confessed to you in front of your dad. I was so surprised. He said he doesn’t know if he’ll see you again, but he wanted to let your dad know he loves you. I felt heartbroken. You were so deep asleep during his confession. It was iconic. He really loves you. But strangely, he gave your dad a letter. He said he shouldn’t let you know what was written inside. Well, I think it’s a proposal. I’m just kidding. Well, whatever it is, it’s going to be beautiful. And also Judy, I’ll be leaving this gift for you. It’s under your bed. It’s a pair of shoes. When you fully recover, I want you to wear it and show your dad. It’s my gift to him too. I want to let him know he’s the best dad ever. Giving birth to you was the best thing that happened to him. Judy, wake up already and come find us. We told your dad never to tell you anything about our whereabouts. Your dad is going to bring you to us. Don’t worry, it’s our plan. Don’t think we left you behind. We are just waiting for you. So Judy, wake up and recover. Come find us—we are waiting for you. Hurry. I love you, Judy. From Karen, your best friend ever.”

It concluded.

I smiled in surprise.

“It means they never left me… they are waiting for me. No wonder Daddy never said anything. It was all a plan,” I smiled brightly.

I got up and walked toward my bed. I bent down and indeed saw a gift box.

I dragged it out and quickly sat on the bed.

I smiled warmly.

“Karen…” I whispered.

I opened it.

It was a beautiful purplish-silver sports shoe. It looked fancy and specially made. She even inscribed my name on it.

I smiled deeply.

“It’s so beautiful,” I said sadly as tears rolled down my cheeks.

I wiped them away and placed the shoe back inside the box, closed it, and pushed it back under the bed.

I lay down.

“I never thought I would ever make such amazing friends. I promise to get well faster and find you guys,” I concluded as I hugged myself tightly, staring at the ceiling.

I kept smiling the whole day.

It feels really good to know you are special to someone.

I wanted to be good friends with Nancy and Jessi, but instead I became real friends with Maya, Zayn, and Karen.

“I love you all,” I whispered aloud with a warm smile.