Not Easily Forgotten

~Chapter 5 Hello World~

I finally stood up straight so he could see me and asked, “What are you doing home so late?”

He turned to me with surprise not from me appearing, but from what I had in my hand, and asked, “What are you doing with a frying pan?”

“I didn’t know it was you, okay.  I thought maybe someone was breaking in.”

“With a key?” He asked raising his hand showing proof of how he got in, and then he tossed it on the counter.

Monroe turns away from me and takes of his denim jacket.  I can see his biceps through his long sleeved black shirt with some kind of logo on it that strikes a nerve in me. 

“Why does that look familiar?” he turned towards me and I realized I said that out loud.

“Um… your logo on your shirt, I mean.  It looks familiar.” I said.  The logo had a name called Red Stallion with a red horse behind it with a gold circle around it.

“I work at the Red Stallion,” he stares at me for a second, “you’ve been there plenty of times.  It’s a night club.  I’m a bartender there.”

“So that’s why you’re home so late.”  I just stand there leaning on my crutches then make my way to the bar stool and set down the frying pan.

“Why are you up so late anyway” he glances my way then back towards the TV which isn’t on while he’s leaning against the back of the couch.

“Couldn’t sleep; so I decided to take a little trip to the past down Google lane.”  I answered.

He nodded his head slowly in response and asked, “Find anything helpful?” He looked at me with his chocolate eyes and I felt kind of like I was melting right then under the pressure of them.

I’m the first to break the connection and look away, “Nope, nada.  I couldn’t find anything except pictures that are foreign to me, people who I never knew existed and family problems that are resurfacing.” I shrugged my shoulders at the end.

“Hopefully you find your memory soon,” I think he’s about to be nice to me when he said, “so you can get out of here and I can move on with my life.”

“Well there you go!” I said raising my arms.

“What?”

“We were actually having a first real conversation, but no you just clicked off the nice switch and decided to be cruel to me again.”  I hopped of the bar stool and tried to stand up straight to be intimidating, but it’s not working.

“Why should I care?  I’m sure if you walked out of here now, there would be a whole population that would be nice and kind to you.  I don’t have time to star in the Olivia Bechenshaw show and to welcome you with open arms and feel bad for you.” His eyes are glaring into mine with full on detestation.

“Well too bad for little Monroe!  I’m staying and if I could, I would leave you here and take your brother with me so he doesn’t have to deal with a disappearing brother who doesn’t take responsibility and comes and goes as he feels like it.”  My voice was raised at a loud octave. 

“The only abandonment issues my brother has is with you because as soon as you became someone you left us high and dry because we were little no ones.  You know, I don’t even know why he tries; you’re not even family!”  Now that tings.  I held the tears back, but obviously he knew that was a sore spot because now he looks a little ashamed.

I pushed my hair behind my ears and said, “I know I’m not.  I’m sorry I’m such a problem for you and Patrick and I don’t mean to be.  My life is not perfect, but I’m trying to figure it out.  I’ll try to stay out of your way here and as soon as I can; I’ll leave again, but only you, not Patrick because he understand and cares.”  I turned for the bedroom and can feel his stare into the back of my head.  Before I turn into the room I looked back at Monroe and said, “For the record I have no idea what I did to you to make you hate me so much and it must have been huge.  I’m also sorry for whatever I did.”