Final
I Didn't Know
I looked up as my gorgeous boyfriend entered the apartment, his keys rattling as he unlocked the front door. Kris saw me sat on the bed and smiled happily, immediately coming over for a hug. He held my hand and sat down next to me, brushing my hair back from my face.
“Morning sweetheart. How are you feeling today?”
“Oh I’m perfect. Even better now you’re here.”
He looked a bit puzzled, but I was used to that. He often looked confused at the things I said. His keys jangled again as he stood up, they were hanging from a chain attached to his waistband. I counted them as he walked around the bed towards the window, opening the curtains.
Eight.
I’d always wondered why he needed so many keys, but had never asked. They were different sizes and colours. Four were the same, gold - like the one to my door. Two were teeny tiny silver ones, like you’d expect for bike locks or handcuffs or something. One was a complicated-looking iron key and the last one was, absurdly, pink. A bright, neon pink key. Now it was my turn to be confused.
“Why do you have a pink key?”
“What? Oh! It’s for my sister’s house. I’m staying with her, remember?” He turned around from the window and pushed the keys into his pocket so they didn’t jangle any more.
“Oh, yes. I forgot.”
“It’s ok. What do you want to do today?”
I thought about that for a couple of minutes while he tidied up the mess I hadn’t realised the room was in. How did I manage to get food on the wall? I shook my head. That wasn’t important right now.
“Do I get to spend the day with you?”
“For a little bit at least, what do you want to do? We can go for a walk outside, or we can do some painting or something. You normally like it when we sit painting for a while. Or you could play the piano, I haven’t heard you play in a while.”
“Yes, the piano sounds like fun. Will you sit with me?”
“Of course I will! I like listening to you play. But first, you need to eat your breakfast.” I frowned as I hadn’t noticed that he had brought a tray of food with him. Again I shrugged, I’m a bit forgetful sometimes. I smiled happily up at him as he put the tray on a bedside table and rolled it over to me, handing me my spoon.
“Thank you!”
“You’re very welcome.”
I finished the food quickly. It wasn’t very tasty, but I was grateful he’d thought of me. He cleaned up the tray and helped me up so we could go to the piano. I was feeling a bit dizzy, so I leant on him a little as we walked slowly out of my apartment.
The hallway was very light, but not very long and it only took a short time for us to get to the room with the piano in it. There were a lot of windows, showing lovely views across well looked after lawns, with the odd tree, lots of benches and paths criss-crossing the gardens. I liked this room.
He helped me get seated in the stool and lifted the cover, revealing the keys. I ran my fingers gently over the ivories and pressed gently on middle C, smiling as the note sounded clearly.
I had loved the piano ever since I was a child. I hadn’t needed many lessons as my father used to play with me by his side. I grew up listening to him play, and learning alongside him. I frowned as I realised I missed him. I needed to remember to give him a call.
“What are you going to play?” Kris smiled as he sat next to me. I loved his smile, but why did it seem sort of sad? Deciding not to dwell on it, I shrugged in response to his question. I usually just played whatever tune came into my head.
Straightening my back, I placed my feet gently on the peddles and started to play. I started slowly, warming up and getting comfortable, but soon I was drifting away with the music, closing my eyes and swaying as I played what I felt.
For some reason tears came to my eyes as the music progressed, and as I reached a certain note, I felt something stirring in my head, something painful. There were needles in my brain, and I jerked back from the piano, falling off the stool onto the floor as I sat with my hands on my head. My head was splitting apart, I had to hold it together.
I cried out as I felt a hand on my arm and I looked up, blinking through my tears to see Kris.
“Kris. It hurts. It hurts so badly. Make it stop.” I begged him as tears ran down my face, but he just let out a soft sigh.
“I can’t make it stop. You need to remember sweetheart.” I cried harder. I was dying, I knew it. This searing pain was awful. It was killing me. I screamed.
Managing to squint my eyes open despite the pain, I looked for Kris. I saw only a woman crouched down next to me with a worried look on her face. “Kris? Where’s Kris? Who are you?”
“We’ve been through this before sweetheart. Do you remember anything?”
“What? Where is he?” I pushed myself away from this strange woman who I didn’t know. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?”
“Ohh, my darling, I’m so sorry. I truly thought you’d remember today. Kris is dead, honey. He died in a car crash remember?”
“NO! NO! You’re...Y-you’re lying to me! STOP LYING!” Just then the pain got worse and I curled into a ball, trying to hide from it.
I looked out through the curtain. He wasn’t here. He promised, but he wasn’t here. I frowned, disappointed and angry with him. He’d spent so much time at work, but he couldn’t take the time out to watch his girlfriend perform the biggest show of her life? Screw him then. I’ll go out there and show him that I can cope without him.
“NO MAKE IT STOP!” I writhed as the pain continued, making me scream my throat sore.
I paced in my apartment. Why wasn’t he answering his phone? Is this it? I didn’t really mean it when I said coming to the show was a make or break thing. Is he ignoring me? The doorbell rang. Finally, he was here.
I clawed at my head and felt hands on my arms and legs. But I wasn’t there any longer.
I ran to the door, opening it with a smile. “I thought you were ignor-... Who are you?”
“We’re from the police station ma’am. Can we have a word?”
“Sure, come in, what’s the problem?”
As she spoke her words began to fade. I stumbled a step back and fell onto the sofa, mumbling to myself. “No, it can’t be true. I just spoke to him this morning. He promised he’d be there. He promised he’d never leave. No.”
The world went black and I was back in the present, weeping on the floor as the pain drifted away, leaving behind a strange, dull sting, and numb sensation spreading from my arm.
“He promised he wouldn’t leave me. He said we’d be together forever.” I closed my eyes as the world faded away and the last thing I felt was a tear slipping down the side of my face.
Sandra sat down and opened the file with one hand as she unclipped her keys from the chain, placing them on the desk.
The first thing she saw was the newspaper clipping describing a tragic car accident. A drunk driver skipped a red light and hit a car, flipping it several times. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the identity of the person in the car. Kris had been pretty well known, even Sandra had heard of him. Not many knew the reason he was rushing however. Very few people knew the story of the girl who, feeling the guilt and pain of losing the person she loved, had retreated into her own world where he never died, never left her alone.
Sandra finished up writing the notes from the day and closed the file. She placed it back into its proper place and picked up her keys, dropping them into her bag as she flipped out the main light, handing over to the night staff.
“Tomorrow,” she thought, “we’ll stay away from the piano”.
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All done. Don't forget to comment to let me know what you think. And if you get chance, check out the other contest entries. Thanks guys!
xxClairexx
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