Chapter 55: Chapter 55

Joanna's POV

"Well, you were friends with all of them. The gang, as you usually call your little group. You guys were inseparable in junior primary school," Dad started.

"You all did things together, ate together, did homework together, even sleepovers, you did it all." He chuckled, a faraway look in his eyes. "You were quite the troublemakers, in a good way though, even Frank was your bestfriend before Harmony."

I choked at this and questioned "Francis? Bestfriend?"

"See? You still call him that name. Why do you think you don't feel comfortable calling him Frank to his face as we all do?" Elvis inquired and shrugged, simply clueless.

"Like I was saying, you and Frank were bestfriends, some would say little lovebirds even." Dad smiled. "You both were more inseparable than others. Even when others were there, the both of you always did things together as a two-man team against the rest."

"Where is this leading?" I questioned in mystery.

"Patience my child." Mom compelled, and I nodded keeping silent.

"One day you all were outside playing hide and seek. The both of you ganged up like always and decided to hide together, but you were faster, and there was rain earlier in the day, this made the ground slippery. You were running a bit fast and Frank tried to keep up with you." Dad sighed as if what he was about to say next would tear him apart.

"In the process, Frank slipped and fell, letting out a shriek that had you stopping in your tracks. By this time you were in the middle of the road. Like I said you stopped, and then tried to see him because the place was a little messy." He took in a deep breath.

"You were so focused on finding him with your eyes that you didn't notice the jeep coming behind you at top speed. You only saw him when you heard him scream your name before you got hit." His voice broke at the end as tears ran down his eyes.

"Oh, GOD! Oh GOD, oh GOD," I choked when I felt panic rise in my chest, plus a piercing pain in my heart that made me want to scream.

"Frank, he saw that?" I queried, and he bobbed his head in affirmation.

"Oh GOD! No, no, no." I sobbed, as the waterworks of my eyes finally crashed, letting a torrent of tears down my cheeks.

"Shh." Mom shushed me while she wiped them off my cheeks. "It's not your fault."

"No, it is." I cried harder, thus I could imagine how he felt when he saw me got hit by that jeep. "I got the privilege to forget but the poor guy didn't," I mumbled.

"It's okay sweetie, he's a strong kid," Mom spoke and rubbed my back in circles to calm me down.

"Don't say it's okay when it's not." I sniffed. "Shit Frank, am so so sorry."

"He understands, why do you think he wants you back in his life?" Elvis asked and squeezed my arm affectionately, his way of letting me know he's got me.

"Do you remember anything at all from your past?" Dad invited and seemed worried after I shook my head in denial.

"Anything at all? Even after we've told you this?" He persisted but I declined once more.

"How I wish I can remember," I voiced out and blew my nose into the tissue paper Mom had provided me with as if she knew there was going to be a rain of tears.

"I wish I can recall the shock on his face plus his piercing scream,  and take it as a punishment for being so careless," I muttered,  clenching my lids in despair.

"It's not your fault dear, it's not. You both were just kids. It should be us the parents to take the blame by letting you all play on such a messy day," Dad uttered as he collected a fresh tissue paper from Mom to wipe his own tears.

"How come I wasn't told sooner?" I interviewed, my voice wobbly though the dam had sealed a fraction and no drops were pouring down my eyes for that moment. "And how come I met them in senior secondary school (high school)? All of them, Blake, Tony, Ifeanyi."

"The Doctor asked us not to," Mom replied, and nodded. "That's why we sent you away after the accident, only allowing you to visit us during the holidays and remained indoors because we were told not to remind you of it, hence it could trigger another memory loss that could be fatal."

"So why am I being told now?" I asked, apprehensive.

"Because your results for the past two years have been coming out fine," Dad responded.

"Results? How? I haven't been to the hospital for as long as I can remember," I blurted, and gave them all questioning glances.

"We do the test when you are sleeping." Elvis shrugged. "And you know how you sleep."

"The fact you can't still remember everything apart from what we just told you bothers me," Dad murmured while he stroked his jaw in thought.

"Yeah, you should be getting flashbacks by now," Mom said in a frown.

"A little warning though, they might hurt," Elvis informed and rubbed my palm which he still held.

"This is why I met the gang only in my senior secondary?" I inquired as my brain began to absorb all they had said,  though the piercing pain in my heart persisted.

Elvis nodded at this before he spoke. "Yes and no. Tenda wasn't part of your past. Harmony wasn't around the day all this happened, but he was told not to ever mention it in your presence."

I kept silent as I recalled the previous night and what Harmony was about saying. He meant to say <After the accident> but he caught himself in time.

"What of Fahvour?" I doubted, wanting to know if she was part of my past.

"Fahvour? Maybe you knew her or maybe you didn't, I'm not sure." Elvis shrugged in response. "But Frank was sent away by his parents because he was a direct link to your past, hence he was the last person you saw before the accident. So it could provoke your memory loss once more if you remembered when your brain wasn't ready yet."

"Wow." I sighed, dumbfounded. "When did my life get so complicated like a movie?"

"That's how life is sometimes my dear." Mom laughed, after which I sent her a shocked glance as I was surprised she didn't shed a single tear during all these revelations.

Dad is right, she's emotionally stronger than all of us, I mused.

"This is too much." I groaned "I can't seem to absorb it all. Why can't I recall?"

"It's sort of a good thing," Elvis said and tugged me in for a hug. "I'm happy because it saves you the pain and slight brain trauma."

"I think we should give her some space," Dad advised his eyes in Elvis's direction.

"Would you be fine being home by yourself honey?" Mom solicited, her stare conveying worry.

"Lock the door on your way out, I'll be fine." I smiled.

"Be good kiddo," Dad instructed and gave me a pat on the back and headed for the door, Mom on his arm as they waved at me.

"We love you, sis, don't forget that," Elvis whispered in my ear and walked out after he called behind him that he was dropping the key below the foot match.

I sat there, not knowing how long it had been. It may have been minutes or seconds, even hours but I couldn't tell.

I was so lost in my head, lost in my thoughts, lost in oblivion and the blankness of my mind that it took me a while before I realized someone was knocking incessantly at the door.

I ambled over to it slowly as I contemplated who it could be.

I was sure it wasn't Mom or Dad as they had their keys and Elvis had put his, below the foot match. So it couldn't be any of them, plus my friends were all busy nursing a hangover at that time, so they too, were ruled out.

Maybe they wanted to confirm if it was safe to come in, I thought to myself in a shrug.

"Who's that?" I quizzed, slightly nervous.

"It's Francis," A voice I knew so well replied from behind the door. At that moment, it felt as if the breath got knocked out of me as I slid down the wooden surface.

Freshy❤