32 Old Scars
"You can't sit there. You're distracting me," Mrs. Geller says as she watches me sit by her desk.
"Excuse me. Is there a room assigned to me?" I ask.
"No."
"Then maybe I should sit on the floor. But that's more distracting."
She raises an eyebrow. "Get your stuff out of this room. There are plenty of rooms out there."
"Filled with people who do not share the same job as me."
"Share Gina's space. I don't care. Get out."
I grab my stuff and head out of the office. Gina's desk is full of papers and files.
"Ms. Collins?" She says when I stand by her side for too long. "How may I help you?"
"I need a desk," I say, holding my laptop tightly.
"But we can't—"
"I know your desk is full. I need another desk, maybe a little one."
She helps me find a small desk, and I put it in the middle of the hallway. I've already started working on the project. Gina's looking down at me. "Are you sure?" She asks when someone passes me and stares at me.
"I'm already settled, Gina. Don't worry." I continue working with the laptop. By the time I finish, it's already five pm, and I gather my stuff to leave.
"Don't tell me you're leaving at five like an unprofessional," Mrs. Geller's voice comes from behind me. I turn around and look at her. She's looking at me from above her glasses while her hands are on her hips.
Moving my purse on my shoulder, "Aren't we done by five?" I ask.
"Yes, and then you can never come back here again."
I stop myself from rolling my eyes. "I'm sorry. Let's work on whatever there is."
She walks to her office, and I follow her instinctively. "Watch this," she asks me, and I move behind her desk. There's a video, but it ends halfway, and she stares at me.
"Okay?" I say.
"Make the rest of the video," she says.
"Rest of it?"
"Mia," she raises an eyebrow. "I need this done by the weekend." She grabs her stuff and leaves. It is something I've never done.
When I get home, it's too late. I open the door silently so I don't wake Smith up.
"Birds are chirping!" Says Smith, standing in the darkness of the living room, and I jump backward.
"What the fuck?!" I say, holding my belly. "You're taking this Batman shit too seriously. Stop lurking around in the dark."
"Ten fucking pm!"
"Where are your manners? You never curse!"
"I do now!"
"I'm pregnant, for the love of God!"
"You won't be if you keep coming home at this hour!"
"Can you turn the lights on first? I think my baby just hid somewhere after that shout of yours."
I hear a click, and there he stands with a frown. "You, idiot," he says.
"I don't like this new Oliver. He's being mean to me again like he used to be," I say, and he crosses his arm. "I was at work!"
"I don't care! Come home sooner!"
"Okay."
"Have you eaten?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Now go to sleep."
"Alright, Dad. Am I grounded?"
"Don't," he warns me with his index finger.
"Jeez. Okay." I finally make my way to my room and sleep without delay.
I wake up at five am and feel my back hurt crazy. My baby bump is showing, and I hate that my clothes don't fit me. I grab everything and head out to work.
Mrs. Geller is watching the video that I've designed and created. She moves her hands on her hips. "Are you serious?" She asks.
"Why? Is it bad?" I ask.
"I wanted you to make the rest of the video, not change what it already is."
"Well, how else am I supposed to do that? Find the guy and the girl in the video and film them?"
"If that's necessary, yes!"
"Alright! I'll figure this out!"
"You better! Or consider yourself unemployed," she says, and I say nothing. She breathes deeply. "Get out," she dismisses me, and I leave her room.
Just when I thought I had it all together. It is ridiculous. My footsteps make me angry, and I try to stay calm.
"Whoa!" a man says when I bump into him, and we both get diverted from our path.
"I'm sorry," I apologize, knowing my mind is fuzzy. I try to walk away, but the stranger stops me.
"Mimi?" he says.
I turn around to face him, the handsome man holding my wrist in his hand. His eyes are blue. It can't be it. He looks like him.
"Ian?" I ask in disbelief. A brief smile passes his lips, leaving my wrist. "Oh, my... Are you—Is this Ian?" I ask again since I'm not sure. He has changed a lot.
"Yeah!" he confirms.
"Dear God. I would have never recognized you!"
"Thanks for saying it like that!"
"Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that. I mean—you've grown up!"
"It's okay. I know I've changed a lot. You've changed a lot, too."
"My God... do you... do you maybe wanna get a drink? With me?"
"You won't go running away again?"
My smile fades away. "No. Never."
He raises a shoulder. "Yeah, why not?"
"What are you doing here?"
He looks around. "Visiting someone."
"Okay. Great. Give me your phone." I grab his phone and call my number so I can have his number. "I'll call you. You're not going back home yet, are you?"
"Nope. Staying for the weekend."
"Great. I'll meet you."
My heart races with the thought of meeting him again, and I get nauseous. After staring into each other's eyes for long seconds, he tries to walk away from me and waves his hand. But I can't keep it.
"I..." My voice is loud, and he stops. "I missed you..."
He hesitates to say anything. "Yeah. See ya!" He finally says and leaves. My heart aches when he disappears, and something sinks into me. A feeling has awoken. A wound is wide open again.
Since I get off work late, I invite Ian to have a private conversation with me, as Smith's not home. I've cleaned everywhere and made coffee. Now I'm waiting for him. It's passed an hour, yet he hasn't shown up. I leave him a text.
"I really want to meet you, Ian. But it's okay, and there's no pressure. X."
I hear a ding from outside. I open the door. Ian's standing there with a frown, reading the text I've sent him.
"I..." He says, holding his phone while his other hand is in his pocket. "I shouldn't have come."
"Ian."
"I'm such an idiot. What the hell am I even doing here?" He walks away, but I run toward him and block his way. "Go away!" he retorts.
"No, listen to me," I insist.
"We have a guest?" Smith asks, appearing in sight.
Ian half chuckles. "Wow! You're married?"
"He's my roommate," I explain. "Please just—"
"No!" He leaves without looking back. I walk inside, and Smith follows me. He doesn't say anything and only gives me a glass of milk.
"Let your poor baby grow a few inches," Smith says. "You barely eat." I take the glass and start to drink it in one breath. "You wanna tell me who he was?" He asks, and I shake my head, still drinking the milk. "Can I do anything for you?"
I nod, putting the glass on the cabinet. "My boss wants me to make the rest of a gum commercial. And I have no idea how to do that. My job depends on this project, and it terrifies me."
"Relax. Play the video, and we put our brains together. We'll figure it out."
"Thanks. Let me get it."
After watching it, he starts thinking. "Okay, so we can't go to the same places or find the same actor and actress, but I have an idea."
"I'm listening."
"What if it's a couple of years later, and we use older actors?"
"Good, but how does the story go?"
For the next two days, Isla shoots the rest of the video. We spend the whole day filming. Smith gives me ideas about what to do. We wrap everything, and I edit the film.
The next day, I play the video for Mrs. Geller, and she watches it.
A girl is sitting in a class and writing notes. The guy beside her takes a piece of gum out of his pocket. He wants to unwrap the paper but notices the girl staring, so he cuts it in half and shares it with her. She smiles, and after chewing the gum, she pops it. Next scene, the girl and the boy bump into each other at a party. This time the girl shares a gum with the guy and pops hers, then they kiss each other.
The video was cut in half at this scene, and I created the rest.
A group of people is having a meeting, sitting at a large table. An adult man in his thirties joins them later. After a few seconds, a woman leaves the appointment, looking exhausted. She enters the elevator. Before the door closes, someone stops it and enters. It's the man who joined them last. The woman and the man both face the door. It's quiet until the man cuts a gum in half. He stretches his arm in front of the woman to share it with her. It's the same gum the woman shared with her lover when she was younger. Her eyes light with happiness. She faces the man with joy. The man smiles at her, and she realizes he is her long-lost lover. The commercial ends there.
I wait for Mrs. Geller to say something, and she doesn't hesitate. "That was good," she says.
"Really?" I ask.
"Yeah. Keep up the good job." I smile and almost jump but stay calm. "The full video is here," she says, handing me a flash drive.
"What?" I ask before taking it. She says nothing and leaves.
I open the door and find Smith, Isla, and Zoey sitting inside. They all greet me, and I notice the food and drinks.
"Are we celebrating?" I ask.
"Depends," Isla says. "What happened?"
"She liked it," I say, lifting a shoulder.
"Yay!" Isla cheers and hugs me. Smith and Zoey join.
"Oliver, you're a smart guy. I love you," I say. "And Isla, you're perfect with cameras. I love you too. I owe you everything!"
"Don't mention it!" Isla says.
"Congrats! You're officially staying there!" Zoey says.
"Yeah! I am. The funny thing is she had the whole video and cut it herself."
"Are you serious?" Smith asks.
"Am I interrupting?" An additional voice asks. I know that voice. We all turn around to face the door. Ian is standing close, his hands in his pockets, smiling slightly.
I return his smile. "No, Ian. You're not," I say, and he nods.
"Who's he?" Zoey asks.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry. Ian, these are my friends," I say, pointing at each and introducing them. "Isla, Oliver, and Zoey." I turn to my friends and breathe deeply. "Guys, this is Ian."
"When did that happen?" Isla asks out loud.
"He's my brother," I clarify.
Isla spits her drink out, and I can tell by the look on Smith and Zoey's faces that they're just as surprised as she is.