Damon Ice Where Did You Go?!

2. Lingering Love

                                                                 Chapter 2

TWO YEARS LATER...

'Excuse me, anybody in there?'

A sudden tap on my shoulder brought me out of my trancelike state. In front of me stood a couple of teenage girls, dressed in only the shortest skirts I have ever seen and from behind them I caught a group of gangly teenage hormone drove boys gawking pathetically at them. 'I'm sorry, are you ready to place your orders?' I tried to say in the politest manner with what I hoped to be a 'friendly smile'. A couple of days ago, my manager said that someone had made a complaint against me for looking too depressed. I smirked to myself before I realized that one of the girls was talking to me. I had to stop zoning out like that.

After my shift I found myself driving down that familiar road. I did this everyday like a programmed robot. There it was, his house. It had been exactly 2 years today that Damon Ice the love of my life had disappeared on me on the day that was to be our one year anniversary. The house was the way it always had been since yesterday and every other day for the past 2 years: empty. I felt my eyes water as I pulled into the driveway, hoping for some ridiculous sign that maybe he was there, that he had come back. And though I knew I should be angry with him for leaving without so much as a goodbye and an explanation, the only thing I felt was a deep pool of hurt.

I scolded myself later that night when I got home. I had promised myself everyday for the past 2 years not to go there anymore only to break it as the sun set. I couldn't believe it was 2 years already because the pain felt fresh as if it was just yesterday. As if on cue, sleep washed over me like a wave of misery.

Flashback to Thursday 25th September 2008:

His house was empty as if he was never there, not even a trace of him remained. Sobbing uncontrollably, I drove around the town looking for maybe his car or any trace of him. Maybe he was still in town and I hoped with all my might that he was. It was nearing mid night when I knew that Damon Ice had gone; he had left me here, all alone. My phone was ringing off the hook but I couldn't bring myself to answer. It was 1 o'clock when I found myself at home. I didn't even remember the drive. The pain was numbing. When I got out of the car I noticed my parents sitting on the porch worried shitless, my mother rushed to me yelling in anger but at the same time hugging me in relief that I was safe. I didn't offer any explanation and when I got the chance I stole myself from my mother's vise like grip and disappeared into my bedroom, crying myself to into a never ending nightmare. The next morning dawned to be sunny and my mother, sensing my sadness made me blueberry pancakes and sat by me patiently waiting for me to tell her what had happened. 'Mum, he's gone' I managed to say without breaking down into tears.

'What are you talking bout sweetie? Who's gone?' she replied blankly.

'Damon, he's gone. I don't know where he went. I went by his house yesterday since he didn't come to school and his house was empty. He didn't even say goodbye. It was our one year anniversary.' I forced out in a whisper before my eyes brimmed over in tears.

'Oh I'm so sorry sweetheart, I can't imagine what you're going through but I'm sure he has a perfectly good explanation and in time he'll probably get in touch' she said with a hug.

What she said after that got drowned out with my sobs and I spent the next couple of days in bed brooding in misery. I didn't know how she could be so damn optimistic about it and it pissed me off a little. I did all the usual break up rituals hoping that it would make me feel better. I ate ice cream and watched Titanic crying when Jack died and wishing I had my Jack, though in my head the only face that kept reappearing was Damon's. When that didn't work I cut all the pictures I had of us and burnt all but one of his t shirts that he had let me keep. I liked the design. I had now cleansed myself of everything that reminded me of him, all the material things though because I still had the memories which I couldn't erase no matter how much it hurt me to think of because unless I could magically come down with a case of amnesia, I was stuck with them for life. I was scarred.

I carried on with life as best as I could. I threw myself full force into my school work during school hours and by night I was binge drinking with all the other teens. But they were drinking to have fun. I was drinking to numb the pain of my broken heart. I managed to become valedictorian at the end of my senior year and got accepted to all the universities I applied to though whichever one I went to didn't matter. Nobody seemed to understand how I could still be hung up on Damon and even I was puzzled.

In the end I decided to go the nearest college near home to the dismay of my parents and the utter disappointment of my teachers, like I cared. I never admitted it to anybody but even as impossible as it seemed a tiny portion of me still hoped that Damon would come back and I wanted to be there if he did. He owed me an explanation.

End of flashback.