The Boy on the Other Side

by Aki_kaze

  The conversation ended; only the radio noise remained. His eyes noticed a piece of torn sticker at the car door armrest. Maybe it was Alice’s. He couldn’t resist peeling it out. When he succeeded, he stuck it back in its old spot. He was so engrossed in the whole thing he became oblivious to time passing. A few minutes or an hour might have passed. The next time he came to himself, the car came to halt in front of a roadside restaurant.

  “We’re going to have lunch here.” Diane stopped the engine and got off the car.

  He stuck the sticker back and followed Diane into the restaurant. He was met with midday sunlight, harsh enough to make his skin sore. He suddenly realized he didn’t bring the sunglasses along.

  The restaurant doorbell rang, signifying the arrival of new customers. A woman came to greet them with eager, her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Smiling broadly, she led them to a windowside table and introduce them today’s specials.

  “One cheeseburger and fries, please. And chocolate milkshake, too,” he ordered after Diane did.

  Having received the order, the waitress went off to the counter. Diane pulled out her phone and called Hector to check up on him and their kids. Keith wanted to talk to Sam, too, but he then quickly dismissed the thought. He was visiting his parent’s grave. He shouldn’t only think about his home.

  “We’ll arrive in less than 2 hours. You’re still doing okay?” Diane asked him after she hung up her phone.

  “Yes. I’m okay.”

  His aunt didn’t question his sticker thing he’d been doing all the way here.

  “Getting excited? Maybe you get to meet your old pals.”

  The boy had no clue how his friends were doing. He left without saying goodbye. He didn’t have a chance. A year passed, and who knew what had changed.

  “You didn’t have their phone number?”

  He shook his head. He completely lost contact with all of his old mates. He had no social media account, be it Facebook or Instagram. And he didn’t wish to join the online community. If possible, he would rather meet a person in person. Well, at least that was him before the accident. He used to get excited every time he hanged out with his friends. Going to a birthday party. Going shopping. Anything.

  The waitress served them their drinks. Scorching weather made him all the more thirsty. So, he wasted not another second and helped himself with his chocolate milkshake. He got brain freeze as a result, squeezing his eyes shut.

  “It’s freezing!” He held his head.

  “Don’t rush.” Diane let out a small laugh. Her eyes trained on Keith for a long time.

  “What is it?” Keith asked.

  “This is the first time we get to go somewhere together. Just the two of us.”

  “Right…” He chomped down on his burger. It didn’t taste as good as that of his favorite restaurant, but it was not unbearable.

  “I hope we can spend more time like this,” Diane said, “I want you to know you’re not all by yourself, that you’re part of our family. You know, I’m a Derringer, too.”

  She gave him a smile, which he returned with a frail one. He didn’t want to make her worried. But it seemed like he hadn’t been doing a good job.

  “I’m fine,” said he. At least he was not alone. He got Sam.

  “I’m trying to understand,” she continued. Keith could guess what she was talking about. “You’re still seeing them, right?”

  “No. I…” he tried to deny but then nodded his head as a yes. If she wanted to understand it, he shouldn’t keep it away from her.

  Diane let out a loud sigh.

  “Is it getting worse? Is there something I can…”

  “Aunt Diane. I really am fine,” Keith stated firmly, “I’m more careful now. That incident will never happen again.”

  Diane was still haunted by it. At that time, nobody believed his words, that he didn’t jump off the building but was pushed off by a spirit named Rob. His new family had been strict with him about taking the meds and consulting the doctor ever since. When Hector got a new job, the house moving was promptly decided. Diane thought it would be better for Keith. But, after the storeroom incident, she began to doubt her decision.

  “If something happens to you, you’ll tell me, right? I promised your dad I’ll take good care of you. But it seemed like I’m not doing it well enough.”

  Her eyes grew tearful. Weighty guilt swept across her face. It was not her fault, or anybody’s, that he could see spirits or that he was harmed by them.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely tell you if something happens.” Those words came from the bottom of his heart. He told himself if he had a problem, he would go to Diane, like any troubled child would go to their parents.

  “Excellent. Now finish your food already. We should get going.” She scolded him mockingly, wiping the rim of her eyes with a tissue.

  Keith suppressed his smile and continued to eat his lunch with his aunt.

  Chapter Twenty

  Farewell to Those Who are No Longer Here

  Familiar view came into his sight. The road he used to take when going to school in his childhood. A convenient store he used to stop by after school. Diane made a turn to a different direction from his old house. That was because it was no longer his; it had become a house for rent. After his parents passed away, he moved out. And everything it held, each piece embedded with the memory of his family, was transferred to the warehouse which Diane rented.

  “We’ll visit your old house later. Someone must have moved in already. But we’ll at least get to see the front.”

  “Okay.”

  They checked in a small hotel two streets away from his old house. It was a 10-minute walk away to the cemetery. Keith looked at the time: it was near 3 pm. He stretched himself and picked up his backpack, following Diane into their lodging.

  The room was filled with warm white light. Old rose wall. Carpet flooring. It held two single beds, a closet, and a television. It also had a built-in bathroom. On the TV stand was a vanilla aroma diffuser emitting sweet, relaxing smell.

  “Looks better than I thought,” Diane said, “you should go wash your face. We’ll rest here for a while before visiting your parents. And after dinner, we’ll visit your old house. Sounds good?”

  “Yes.”

  The boy put his backpack down on the bed, the one closer to the wall, then went inside the bathroom. His heart picked up pace as he thought about the cemetery. He didn’t attend the funeral. He wasn’t in the slightest involved in any of the formal rites. He didn’t get to see even the gravestone. He didn’t know what to expect going to the cemetery. But there was one thing he knew for certain: he hoped he would not see his parents’ spirit. He would like to believe in Sam’s word, that they, free from worry, had already left this world.

  Then, what about Sam? What’s his concern?

  “Not now, Keith. You need to focus.” He softly slapped his face as a wake-up call. “Stop thinking of Sam already.”

  He looked at his own reflection in the mirror, and saw Sam standing behind, smiling. He whipped his head back to find no one. He shook his head and walked out the bathroom.

  Thirty minutes later, Diane and Keith left the hostel for a flower shop. There was one on their way to the cemetery. When Keith was asked what his parents’ favorite flower was, he couldn’t answer promptly. Pink carnations at Sam’s grave then flashed up in his mind. It became his answer.

  Waiting for his aunt, he looked around the shop. There were flowers of various species and colors; some in the box, some arranged on the shelf. The shop divided its flowers according to their colors: white, yellow, orange, red, violet, pink, and green, which served as the store’s vibrant decorations against the plain white interior. The store front offered a range of flower bouquets for customers to choose.

  Within less than 20 minutes, the owner finished their bouquet of choice. He received it from the owner and noticed there was a white lily included.

  It took them only five minu
tes from the store to arrive at their destination. It looked like a big public park. Odd feelings started bubbling in his chest as he followed his aunt into the cemetery. They walked up a low hill, past shady trees and rows of graves. The deeper he went, the faster his heart beat. He knew exactly where his parents lay even before Diane stopped walking.

  He stood before the gravestones, on which his parents’ names were written. He knew full well that they were already gone. But he hadn’t really admitted it. Not until he came to confront the truth before his eyes. Feelings stuck tight in his chest; words, in his throat. He couldn’t say anything. All he could do was to recall the last moment with his family. Again and again the scene before the accident replayed in his mind. Over and over, he heard. Dad and Mom cry out. Like a graphophone looping scratched records. His hands were shaking. His breath became erratic. Something welling up in his eyes. It felt hot and uncomfortable.

  Keith opened his mouth, but no word escaped. He pressed his lips together, crouching down to lay the bunch of flowers on the grave.

  “I…” He tried to reassemble those fragmented syllables, scattered throughout himself. “I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier.”

  The first drop of tears rolled down his cheek. With that he lost his strength to withhold it any further and poured it all out. He cried without restraint. It was painful he didn’t get to see their faces for the last time. It was painful he didn’t get any chance to say goodbye. It was painful that, after all of this, they would become but memories.

  “I’m sorry I disappointed you. I should have attended your funeral. I should have stood beside you.” He inhaled deeply, wiping his face with his hands. “Dad, Mom, how are you doing?”

  He knew it was absurd. But he wanted to say something to them. He asked them many questions and told them many things. Not everything, though. He chose to tell them only the good side of his life to make them not worry.

  “You don’t have to be worried about me,” he continued. The absence of their spirits confirmed that they had left this world without worry.

  He stood up and wiped his face. He took a tissue from Diane before stepping aside, letting her spend time with her brother. After he stopped crying, he heard a sob. He looked at Diane and it didn’t come from her. He then looked around and found a girl weeping in front of another grave. He stood there, watching her, aware that she was not a living. She was not that far away from them. It wasn’t possible Diane wouldn’t hear her crying. And if she did, she wouldn’t leave the girl by herself.

  It was a sorry sight, but Keith could do nothing more. He turned back to his parents’ graves. Diane was giving her parting words.

  “You okay, dear?”

  “Yes,” he replied, “thank you for bringing me here.”

  “You can stay here. I’ll be talking with the grave keeper. Will be back soon.”

  His eyes followed his aunt as she walked away. He crouched down. The sob was no longer heard, and that girl was no longer there. He stopped paying attention to the surrounding and focused on the gravestone.

  “I see what others cannot,” he said, “I don’t know why. But it’s been like that since the accident. I never thought it was a good thing being able to see spirits of the dead. They came to me, talked to me, but never wanted to get to know me. Sometimes they even hurt me. It was just a year, but it felt longer than that. I have to consult a doctor because they think something is wrong with me. I need to take meds so that my brain can function normally. But nothing makes me stop seeing them. I know it’s not just my imagination. It’s painful that I can’t do anything about it. It’s too much. I’m so tired…”

  He paused at his own thought.

  “I’m so tired I don’t want to live anymore. Why am I still here but you aren’t? I don’t want to live. Not like this.” Although he was not crying, his head started to ache. “If Doc Anderson hears about it, surely she would be concerned. She’s afraid I’ll hurt myself. It’s not that I have never thought of it. I just couldn’t do it. One time they thought I tried to hurt myself, but it was the spirit’s doing... I don’t know how to stop seeing them… But…”

  Sam’s face flashed up in his mind. A smile tugged on the boy’s lips. He began to feel at peace again.

  “He’s not like other spirits. He talks to me because he, too, is alone, and lonely. Because he wants to get to know me. And with the same reasons I talk back. Do you think it’s weird I already miss him even though we’ve just met this morning? I don’t understand what’s happening. I will do anything so that I will stop seeing spirits. But if I can’t see Sam anymore I…”

  His words were cut off by the sound of Diane’s step. He wiped his cheeks although he hadn’t cried. He rose to his feet and looked at her, relieved to see that she didn’t hear what he told his parents.

  “You ready?”

  “Yes.” Keith turned to the graves one last time. He bade them farewell in his mind and followed Diane out of the cemetery.

  They stopped by a roadside restaurant for dinner. Keith wanted to eat a burger, but Diane wanted him to eat other foods too, so they ended up in a Chinese restaurant. She ordered a variety of menus and encouraged the boy to try them all. They tasted different from those delivered at home. Perhaps it was the atmosphere.

  “It’s a shame John and Alice didn’t get to eat these. Super delicious,” she said. “I have no idea how those three are doing. I bet Hector orders pizza.”

  Keith didn’t comment on it, but also agreed with her. Speaking of it, he couldn’t help thinking about Hawaiian pizza.

  When Keith and Diane left the restaurant, it showed on the phone that it was 7 pm. The sky though was still as bright as day. So, they decided to go to Keith’s old home. He knew the path like the back of his hand. His pace slowed down as he approached it. He saw a mailbox, once written in white with THE DERRINGERS. It wasn’t anymore. The house front once lively with multicolor flowers was now a plain lawn. The house he used to live in had become so unfamiliar.

  “Shall we go to the warehouse tomorrow? You might find something you want to take along.” She put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s head back.”

  The boy took one last glance at his ‘house’. Everything that happened there would now become but a memory.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Summer Breeze and a Ticklish Question

  Summer breeze blew the sea scent into Keith’s face. The pleasant sound of waves crashing rolled into his ear. Cool sea water kissed his feet, sending a refreshing sensation throughout his body. The boy was alone, standing against the wind. A moment later, he heard footsteps approaching him from behind.

  “Take care, son. You’ll catch cold,” Keith’s mother caressed his head endearingly.

  He beamed at her and looked back to find his father sitting on the beach chair under the big umbrella, reading the newspaper.

  He never thought he’d get to come to the sea during summer break. It was worth waiting for the whole year. He followed his mom back to the table. She handed him a plate full of deep-fried shrimps and fries. A smile played across his face as he enjoyed the food, listening to his parent’s chat and laughter.

  He laughed so hard he almost cried. He raised his hand to wipe his face. When he opened his eyes again, he was seated in a car. Their last laughter suddenly came to an end. They never reached their destination. The impact of car crashing woke him up from his dream.

  He opened his eyes to darkness. He felt like there were tear stains on his face, so he lifted his hand to wipe them off. There was nothing there. He couldn’t breathe properly so he sat up. The room felt so unfamiliar. A vanilla scent hit his nose and reminded him that he was at the hostel.