Finding Us Again

WALKING DOWN MEMORY LANE

The Past

Right after graduation from High school, Amelia had told both Michelle and Michael that her family would be moving to Australia temporarily. They hung out after that, but that was the last time anyone heard from Amelia.

Michelle was a little distraught as she didn’t hear from Amelia and reached out to Micahel if he had heard from her but he also hadn't heard from her.

Exactly nine years later, a few days into Christmas, Michelle and her cousin had gone to see a movie. On their way out, she saw a familiar guy approach with a lady. The guy squinted just as she did, and a smile broke on his face just as one did on hers. “Michael!”

“Michelle,” They called in unison as they beamed at each other.

“Oh my God, it’s been ages!” Michelle exclaimed.

“I know right!” Michael exclaimed in response, his grin from ear to ear.

“Where have you been? I thought you’d left the country for your master’s or something.” Michelle's smile waned, that having been the plan before her brother’s death in her final year of university scuttled that.

“No, I’ve been here,” she answered. “I work in my father’s company now.”

His eyes widened, impressed “That’s amazing, Michelle. Well done you!”

“What about you? What are you up to?”

“I work with a consulting firm,” Michael answered, trying, but failing, to sound modest about not having to work in his family’s business but rather choosing his own path.

A cough from her cousin reminded Michelle she had company. “Oh, so sorry. Lisa, this is my old friend, Michael,” Michelle said, turning to her couisn.

“Right from High School,” Michael beamed, shaking hands with Lisa before remembering the woman on his arm. “And this is Juanita, my colleague. Juanita, this is one of my best friends from High school, Michelle.”

“High School?” Lisa repeated. “And you haven’t seen each other since?”

Michael and Michelle were smiling at each other as they shook their heads. Not since when they walked down the park with Amelia, ice cream in their hands and sharing their dreams.

Michelle couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she looked at this grown version of the boy she’d known as a teenager, a bearded, slightly broader, and better-looking version than she remembered.

“Did you ever hear from Amelia?” he asked. “I searched for years with no luck. I even tried on f*******: but got nothing.”

“Same,” Michelle answered, her frown finally ebbing.

Michael's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms. “What do you think happened to her?”

“I’ll wait for you in the lobby,” Juanita said to him, having clearly tired of the idle chit chat.

“Yeah, me too,” Lisa said to Michelle, a tight smile on her face. “So you two can catch up.”

Michelle and Michael barely accorded their companions nods in acknowledgment before turning back to each other.

“My mom thinks maybe her mom changed their names after she remarried,” Michelle said in response to Michael's earlier question.

“That still doesn’t explain the silence,” Michael countered. “It’s not like Amelia to have disappeared without contacting either of us. You were as good as her sister, Michele.”

Michelle shrugged, the age-old pain she felt from losing the closest person to her in the world resurfacing. Almost nine years later, it still hurt terribly.

“Do you think she…” Michael began, but Morin shook her head before he could get the rest of his words out.

It was easier for her to think of Amelia still somewhere out in the world than six feet under. “One day, she’ll come back. My heart tells me this,” Michelle answered, forcing back a smile to inject the positivity she didn’t feel quite as potently as she once had.

Michael’s slight smile showed he didn’t quite share her optimism. “Did you see that?” he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the door they had just exited.

“How was it? I wanted to see it, but Juanita insisted on us seeing The stars are bright.”

Michelle grimaced at the reminder of the lame movie titled Chips and Hoes “You owe Juanita a big thank you. I just wasted almost two hours of my life.”

“The one we saw wasn’t any better. Definitely not the same Hugh Grant from…”

“Four Weddings and a Funeral?”

“Or even more recent movies like the magnificent About a Boy. Did you see that?” Michelle nodded.

“Saw it and loved it! That’s a shame. But thanks for the heads up. I’d planned to see The stars are bright, but I won’t bother now.”

“Same.” They stood in silence for a few seconds before Michael spoke again. “Let’s meet up sometime so we can catch up. Maybe over drinks or something?”

Michelle was already nodding before he finished talking. “That would be great.”

He fished into his pocket for his phone. “I don’t think either of us had phones the last time we saw, let alone phone numbers.”

As she and Michael exchanged numbers, she was already looking forward to the next time she would see him.

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Michael could barely restrain himself when he got back home. After a quick peck on Juanita cheek, he saw the disappointment on her face and all he could do was to feel bad about it.

When he got to his room, he quickly texted Michelle.

Michael: It was great seeing you again, Michelle. You have barely changed.

He waited anxiously as he lay on his bed and just after few seconds, she replied.

Michelle: It was wonderful seeing you again, too. And really? Meaning I look the same? That’s not what I’m told.

And she was correct. He was lying because, hot damn, she was fine! Whereas in school, she’d been borderline skinny and, because of her preference for oversized hoodies, baggy trousers, and Timberland boots, often left him forgetting she wasn’t one of the guys, the curvy woman he’d seen today in a dress that made sure those curves didn’t go unnoticed, definitely wasn’t one of the guys.

Michael: Okay, you caught me. You don’t look the same. What happened to the worn out boots and loose graphic t shirts you were so crazy about?

Michelle: Lol, had to grow out of them.

Michael: I see. How’s everyone, your Mum, Dad and Brother?

Michelle: I lost my brother a year ago. Mum and Dad are both fine.

Michael: Oh I’m so sorry for your loss. Sorry that I asked.

Michelle: No, it’s cool. Things happen you know, so it’s fine. How have you been? You looked so good today, loved your jacket.

Michael smiled, basking in the hidden compliment and wondering if it would be creepy if he told her just how stunning her own evolution was. Considering she’d once been like a sister to him, it probably was.

Michael: Are you free on Friday? Maybe we could meet up at Mc donalds for drinks?

Michelle: Drinks on Friday sounds great. I’d love to hear everything you’ve been up to in nine years.

Michael: Thank you.

That friday evening, Michael got there fifteen minutes earlier before Michelle did. As she grinned and walked to him, wearing a loose gypsy top over dark shorts, Michael attributed the warmth in his stomach as he smiled back at her to the pleasure that came from being with someone familiar, someone he’d grown up with.

But as they joked over chicken wings and cocktails, he caught himself staring at her—the curve of her smile, the new softness in her once-sharp features, the way her lashes framed her eyes like something delicate and impossible. And suddenly, he knew the warmth he felt wasn’t from the drinks or the familiarity. It was her.

“For now I just handle small tasks as I get to know how things are done. I’ll be managing the branch at Yonkers.” she answered when he asked about her role in her father’s banking dynasty, nodding and smiling at his look of surprise. “I’ve been working really hard. Don’t want to be termed as just an ‘heiress’.”

“Sounds like you really like it there.”

“I do. Why didn’t you end up working in your dad’s company?”

He scoffed and took a sip of his mocktail “I hate it. It’s just a means to an end for me. Don’t want to be controlled by my dad and by the way, my vision is so much more than wasting away.”

“Are you in touch with anyone from school?” Michelle asked when they were on their second round of drinks. “

“Apart from the Shelley twins who were with me in University of colombia., I haven’t seen anyone since school. You?”

“I still hang out with Tyler and co, just from time to time,” Michael answered, a coy smile spreading across his mouth. “And I saw your boyfriend, Cole, when he was in town last Christmas.”

Michelle rolled her eyes, causing Michael to burst out laughing. “I still don’t know what I was thinking,” she chuckled.

“He actually wasn’t as bad as people thought,” Michael said. “Forget the nasty rumours about him and the girl—what was her name? he was really in love with that girl. I saw them together several times. He was crazy about her.”

Michelle nodded, her smile wistful. “Yeah, I could tell.”

Michael watched her as she took a sip of her vodka spritz, and when she put it down, their eyes held for a few seconds longer than they ever had.

“Did you date in Uni?” he asked, smiling and sitting back in his chair hoping to dilute the tension building within him. “as gorgeous looking as you are, I’ll bet guys were swarming around you like flies.”

“Well, I wouldn’t quite say ‘swarming’,” she laughed, leaning back as well. “Yes, quite a few of them were interested but by my second year when I got into a serious relationship, they all backed off.”

Michael’s brow raised. “Serious relationship? Really? With whom?”

Michelle waved a dismissive hand. “Some guy called Alex who ended up not being my best decision.”

“Being with someone called ‘Alex’ is just asking for it, isn’t it,” Michael chuckled, dodging as Michelle feigned tipping her glass at him.

As they laughed and bantered for the rest of the evening, all Michael could think was how much he never wanted the night to end.