Chapter 2. Painful Memories

Saturday, 31st May

Kavinsky's dad woke up early in order not to be late for work. As usual, he would have to take a morning snack outside on his way to work as he did every day. He walked to the bathroom slowly, had his bath quickly, and soon was done dressing up.

He woke up his sleeping wife to announce his departure.

"I prepared lemonade juice yesterday, have some on your way to the office. It's in the kitchen, inside the fridge," she said, adjusting his tie.

"Thanks, honey," he replied, pecking her on the cheek before walking out of the room.

Kavinsky's mom stood up from the bed as well; she was not feeling sleepy anymore. She had her bath as well and moved on to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Mrs. Mark walked to Kavinsky's room and knocked on his door. He did not reply at first.

"Honey!" Mrs. Mark called while banging on the door.

Kavinsky rolled on the bed, frustrated. It was eight o'clock in the morning, and his mom wouldn’t let him rest. He groaned as she kept knocking. He turned left and right, using his pillow to cover his head to stop the noise. When the pillows weren't working, he stood up in frustration and walked to the door. He opened it abruptly, catching her hand in the air.

"What?" he asked coldly, with his eyes half-open.

"Don't tell me you are still in bed till now," his mother said, widening her eyes in surprise.

"I was..." he trailed off and bent his head downwards.

"I’m going to our neighbor's house anyway," his mother notified him, slanting her lips a bit.

"To do what?" Kavinsky asked coldly.

"I want to welcome them since they just arrived. Do you want to come along?" she asked.

"No, I do not want to," he replied sternly with a frown.

"Why?" his mom asked again.

"I have a piano lesson," he replied with a smile.

"We both know you don't do piano lessons on Saturdays," his mom replied, and he rolled his eyes.

"Okay then, I'm going for a jog and going to Harry's house after," he replied.

"Fine, don't forget to take your clothes to the dry cleaners then," she said.

"Mmm," was all he replied with.

She left, and he closed the door, bounced on the bed in excitement, and soon fell asleep again.

Mr. Blaine was frying an egg in the kitchen while Kaylee was busy in the sitting room, braiding Laura's hair as they watched their favorite TV show.

"Dad, be fast with the food, please," Laura shouted from the sitting room.

"Okay, I'm almost done, honey," Mr. Blaine replied from the kitchen.

The doorbell rang suddenly, not once but twice.

"Kaylee, go and check who is at the door!" Mr. Blaine called from the kitchen again.

"Okay," Kaylee replied, standing up.

She opened the door and saw a woman who looked like she was in her late forties. The woman wore a blue-sleeved gown that passed below her knee, wore simple pink lipstick, and looked beautiful. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, wasn't too tall nor too short, and held a green lunch box.

"Hi," the woman greeted calmly.

"Hi," Kaylee greeted back, unsure of how to react to this woman.

"Uhm... I live next door. Where are your parents?" she asked quickly.

"Dad!" Kaylee called, turning her head back, then facing the woman again. "He'll be here soon," she added, and true to her words, her dad showed up in his black apron.

"Hello," Mr. Blaine greeted enthusiastically.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Mark," the woman greeted, extending her arm. Kaylee left them and returned to the sitting room.

Later, her dad came back with a box in his hand.

"What's that?" Kaylee asked coldly with furrowed brows.

"Food. She said we would be tired and should have a good meal. I tried to refuse, but she insisted, so I ended up accepting it," Mr. Blaine explained, raising the box with a small smile.

"Oh," Kaylee replied and returned her attention to the television.

He served the food, and they ate. Afterward, Laura cleared the plates in the kitchen.

Afternoon

The three of them sat on the cushions in the living room: Mr. Blaine, Kaylee, and Laura. Laura was watching a show on the television, Mr. Blaine closed his eyes to rest, and Kaylee was busy on her phone, checking her WhatsApp messages. The doorbell rang again, making Mr. Blaine open his eyes.

"I’ll get it," Kaylee said, standing up.

She got to the door and saw a woman, who also looked to be in her late forties, with a young boy at the door. The boy looked about Kaylee’s age. The woman wore a white shirt and a black skirt, with red lipstick and black eyes, topped with black flat shoes. Her son, on the other hand, wore a blue plain round-neck top and black pants. He resembled his mom.

"Hi," the woman greeted.

"Good afternoon," Kaylee replied.

"Where are your parents?" the woman asked.

"My dad is in," Kaylee replied plainly.

"Can we come in?" the woman asked again.

"Uhm, sure," Kaylee replied, opening the door widely, and they walked in.

The woman greeted her dad and took a seat. Kaylee stood behind a chair while Laura had gone to the kitchen for a sip of water.

"I’m Stiles, by the way," the boy who followed his mom said to Kaylee as he stood beside her.

"Kaylee," she replied flatly.

"So, where did you travel from?" Stiles asked with a smile.

"Manhattan," Kaylee replied and excused herself almost immediately. She wasn’t interested in making new friends just yet.

Stiles and his mom left soon after, and Mr. Blaine bade them goodbye.

"I wonder how they knew us. We just arrived in this estate, and three people have already come to greet us," Kaylee said, coming down the stairs from her room.

"They live opposite us," her dad replied, stirring his coffee.

"Okay," Kaylee replied, taking the last step.

"She said she knows a school you could attend. Her husband is the principal there," her dad mentioned, sipping his coffee.

"And why should I go there?" Kaylee asked coldly.

"Because you have to go to school," her dad replied sternly.

They both remained quiet for a while as Laura watched from the living room.

"Wait a minute, I know why we’re here," Kaylee said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" her dad asked, widening his eyes.

"You want me to forget Mom, don't you?" she asked, pain evident in her voice.

"No, it’s not like that," her dad replied calmly.

"But Mom’s memories aren’t here; they’re in Manhattan," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Honey..." her dad called softly.

"I made a mistake. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn’t have listened to you," she said, letting the tears fall. "Now I’m going to forget all about Mom," she added, shaking her head as she ran upstairs.

"Kaylee!" her dad called, but only silence replied.

"Don’t do anything you’d regret, please!" he shouted from the foot of the stairs.

Kaylee entered her room, sat on the bed, and grabbed a pillow. She cried out all her pain, soaking the pillow with her tears. She remembered how her mom used to sit beside her bed until she fell asleep every night, how they’d sit together on the piano bench as her mom taught her new tunes, how her mom would bake cookies for her and Laura to take to school, and how her mom always supported her in front of her dad, even when she did something wrong.

"I killed her!" Kaylee said. "I deserve to die too. Why is it so hard to die?" she sobbed.

She cried hard until she fell asleep, with tear stains under her eyes.