Memories that Haunt Us

Beth was back in her little cradle as Austin and I ate dinner. LP and Kena were scheduled to arrive any minute.

“Are you feeling better?” Austin asked for the millionth time. He was such a caring man, but Aus kept asking me every minute if I was feeling well! I nodded and rinsed my used plate in the sink. Warm water hissed as it tackled the food.

“It was just a little onetime thing. Maybe a little vertigo.” I commented casually. A knock at the door alerted us to LP’s arrival back. As I opened the door, JC and Arabelle tumbled in. LP and Kena were completely silent. I held my breath as I await the news. The two children ran up to their room, completely silent.

“So how was the park?” Austin asked breezily. We all sat on the couch and chairs in the living room as LP and Kenadee explained the situation in summary. I caught my breath as they explained JC in the road saved by a stranger.

“I’m so sorry, Rae!” LP exclaimed. I shook it away.

“No, don’t worry Lily-Pearl. JC can do that sometimes. He likes to slip away. I’m sure he won’t do it again.” My light headedness came back. The only thing I couldn’t figure out was if JC was the one in the road, why I was thinking about Arabelle.

“We’re just glad that JC is safe. Did you get to talk to the person that rescued him?” Austin asked. His hand clutched my trembling fingers.

“No, actually. He disappeared pretty quickly.” Kenadee jumped in. LP threw me a look that said, I think I might know. Mitch and Jolie’s daughter stood up and thanked us before starting to head out. LP hung around for a little bit. Her phone buzzed. It was probably a text from Alan. Responding to it quickly, she then turned it off and looked worriedly at us.

“Who was it?” I asked. Austin looked a little surprised at my suddenness. My sister remained in her frantic state.

“Do you remember the man from the grocery store that you texted often?” She asked. I nodded.

“Stryke, err, Ryker I guess.” I recalled. LP nodded her head. Austin excused himself to get something to drink.

“Did he have tattoos on his arm, on his neck?” LP questioned as she recalled from the experience tonight. The sun touched the horizon and shrouded the room a shade darker.

“Yes. He had striking blue eyes and always wore a dark jacket.” I recollected. LP gasped in amazement.

“I think he was the one that saved JC!” She exclaimed. I shook my head. I had last seen Ryker a year ago. We hadn’t spoken much about our personal life, but I figured he was going to head out soon.

“Nah, that can’t be possible! Ryker booked out of town last year.” I shooed away the thought. Something was stirring in my mind. He was the one I met at the grocery store, yet the one who was with my father when he murdered my mom. Then he, of course, had to kill my father.

“I don’t know, but it seemed like there was a resemblance to the memories and the person I saw today.” LP responded as she stood up. Thanking her for watching the kids, she left with a wave. Austin came and sat down next to me. Upstairs, Arabelle and Jonathan-Christopher were playing a game that combined rockets and horses.

“Do you really think it’s Ryker?” Aus asked me. I shook my head. I didn’t want to believe it. It would be less complicated if it wasn’t him.

“I think my sister was imagining it. Maybe stress was getting to her. She’s got a lot on her plate with the managing thing.” I told him. He patted my shoulder and went off to get ready for bed.

“I wonder why he’d be back.” My husband pondered as he walked off. I wonder why he would return.

Notes