Forgotten Memories Book 2 (2013-2014)

Chapter 2: Blast From The Past

A/N

Calvin Webber (Christopher Walken) is a brilliant and eccentric Caltech nuclear physicist, living during the Cold War. His extreme fear of a nuclear holocaust leads him to build an enormous self-sustaining fallout shelter beneath his suburban home. One night, while he and his pregnant wife, Helen (Sissy Spacek), are entertaining guests, a family friend comes to inform him that John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev are getting into a debate. The family turns on their television, and watch in horror. When the Cuban Missile Crisis begins, they ask their guests to leave, and they head down into the shelter. Meanwhile, a pilot is having problems with his plane; he is ordered to eject, believing his jet will crash into the Pacific Ocean. Just as the Webbers descend into the shelter, the plane veers off and crashes into the Webber home, leaving their friends and family to believe the family has died. The family, having seen the resulting fireball just as they lock themselves in their shelter, believe that the unthinkable has happened and that they are the sole survivors of a nuclear war. The locks on the shelter are set for 35 years and cannot be overridden by anyone inside or outside the shelter — for "their own protection" according to Calvin Webber.

Alex's Point of View

"I have seen him in New York last year."

My heart thumped. My eyes grew large as I looked at her. My mom is looking at me waiting for that simple reaction. And I was too stunned to hide it from her.

I swallowed hard. "W-What?"

"I saw Gin last year when Hector and I visited some of his friends. And well, it was kind of dinner party and then he was there."

I am trying to absorb every word she uttered. I was trying to digest everything. "Y-You saw him?" tila hindi ako makapaniwala as I found my voice at last. "A-And you never told me?"

Mommy sighed. "What good does it make? If you knew or not. You cut every communication with the father of your child," she said gently na para bang gusto akong pagalitan and yet she can't.

She knew I was so broken then.

I tried to calm every nerves. "A-And what did he say? D-Did he asked you about--I mean," I feel my own blood rush in a frenzy as I blushed. Stupid Alex. What are you expecting?

"No," tila naawa si mommy sa pagkakatingin niya sa akin, maybe she knows that I want to know that at least, he asked about me. But did not.

I want to ignore the sharp bolting pain that pierced momentarily. But, of course.

Bakit naman niya ako hahanapin? I made sure he will never trace us, even if he will use every cent of his wealth. Or the connection his family has in politics.

It is just...

Shit and damnation.

I tried to smile. "Yeah. Well, so how is he?" I tried to appear my voice so casual but I know I can never fool my mom.

Nag isip saglit si mommy. "Well, he is doing great. He just said hi and hello, and ask about Hector. And it's weird because he is very charming. Acting like nothing happened. I believe he replaced his father as the Governor."

All the images of him and what my mom is saying right now are overwhelming.