Andrew's strength - Chapter 5
"Hello?"
"Is this Andrew? From the cruise ship?"
"Yes. Who's there?"
"I'm Nick's mother."
"Did something happen?" I asked.
It was already the second week since we were home. I'd been checking my e-mails every hour the first days. Tanya was a bit surprised by my sudden computer obsession but didn't say anything.
My father and Jessica came home one day after us. With huge smiles on their faces. They had a great time with passionate love making, swimming and exploring the island. They looked younger, so in love and perhaps I was a little jealous.
They'd told us some of the things they saw and we also told them of our vacation. Julian mentioned Nick and our parents looked happy that we found a friend. And when they heard how good Julian was at dancing, Jessica asked if he wanted to attend regular classes. Julian nodded with a huge smile.
The next day Jessica surprised us all when she prepared dinner. Even though it was good, I wondered a bit why Tanya let her cook but she just smiled. The next days Jessica was often with Tanya in the kitchen.
After one week I finally got the courage to write Nick. I had written a few mails but never really had the courage to click 'send', never really satisfied with the mail.
Julian came running into my room and asked me to play hide and seek. I agreed with a smile. We'd been playing hide and seek the whole time since he and Jessica moved in. And it was always me searching.
"One hundred, ninety-nine..." I said as I closed my eyes. I heard how he left my room. One hundred was way too much but once I tried to cut it down, he shook his head vehemently and insisted on counting down from one hundred.
The house was really much livelier with him here. Jessica was also often home. She wrote for some magazines and worked from her bureau.
"Seventy-two, seventy-one, seventy, sixty-nine, sixty-eight..."
I opened my eyes and saw my computer. And that was the moment I decided to write Nick. It was driving me crazy not to do anything. And I had still more than sixty seconds.
'Hi Nick. How are you?' I wrote. 'Right now I'm playing hide and seek with Julian. What are you doing? How's it going at home?'
"Fourty! Thirty-nine! Thirty-eight!" I then yelled, just so Julian knew I didn't forget him and then continued writing.
'I really miss you and the lazy lifestile on the cruise ship. In two weeks we'll go to University. Are you looking forward to it? I wish you only the best and would love to hear from you. Andrew'
"Twenty!" I yelled and read it again. Should I really send it?
"Seven! Six!" I moved the mouse to the send-button and counted to zero, then clicked it. I got up and went to search Julian.
I looked everywhere but couldn't find him. In the end I went into Jessica's bureau. She was writing an article on her computer.
"Hi Andrew."
"Oh, sorry. I didn't want to disturb you. I was just looking for Julian."
She smiled. "He's not here."
I smiled back, seeing Julian's legs under Jessica's table.
"You want to sit down? I need a break." Jessica said and I agreed. We began talking and I could see how it got more and more uncomfortable for Julian.
After some minutes I thought he'd been tortured enough and bent down.
"Oh, you're here after all!"
"You! Why did you talk so long with mom?" He asked and came forth, rubbing his legs. Jessica and I just grinned.
She was really friendly and I came to like her. I didn't really know her that good and somehow I couldn't see her as a mother since she was only a bit more than ten years older than me. But even though she was a lot younger than my father, I sometimes saw how much she cared for him. And he surely did for her. He was home much more often, went out with her in the evenings, watched movies with Julian and also talked to me more.
On Saturday he looked at me with a serious face and said: "Andrew, can I talk to you?"
I nodded, wondering what was so important. The last time he talked to me like this was to tell me about Jessica. We sat in his room and he hesitated a bit before he began to talk.
"How do you like Jessica?" He asked.
"She's okay."
"I'm glad you like her. But I... you... is it impossible to see her as a new mother?"
"Erm, she's too young to be my mother and if someone was my mother, it would be Tanya. She was always there for me these last four years."
"Oh... yes." He said, avoiding my eyes.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.
"Well... we're now a family... Jessica, Julian... and we... and, well... you know..." He hesitated.
"What is it?"
"This is hard for me to say and will probably be hard for you, but I think..." He looked up and somehow I thought I didn't really want to know anymore what he had to say. "I know that Tanya was like a mother for you. She was here and cooked, cleaned the house and all. But I talked to her, and we both think that it would be better, if she went..."
"You... didn't do what I think you did, right?" I asked.
"I..."
"You did! How could you? Do you even listen to anything I say? I just said she was more of a mother than anyone else. And you just want to get rid of her?"
"Andrew, I'm not trying to get..."
"You are."
"No. Andrew, it's not that..."
"You planned it all along when you let Jessica cook, right? But I don't care what Jessica can. You can't just fire Tanya after all she's done for me. Things you'd have never done, never did! She was here while you were... you were always gone!" I yelled and wondered a bit where all this anger was coming from.
"Andrew!"
"It's true!"
He sighed. "I know. And I'll try to make it better from now on. But Tanya said that she was glad we were now a happy family and she also said that it was convenient for her because her sister was sick and she wanted to take care of her."
I stared at him and tried to understand the words. Without saying anything I got up and left his room.
Tanya, my only friend in years would go? Just like that. I couldn't believe it.
---oOo---
After many hugs and goodbyes Tanya went into the taxi and drove off. I had spent the whole Saturday evening thinking about what my father told me. Later Tanya had come to me and explained me everything.
And if I liked it or not, I had to accept it if it was what she wanted. But it was still hard to do. The house wasn't the same when she wasn't there.
The next two days my mood wasn't very good. Tanya was gone and I still hadn't heard anything of Nick. Julian was the only one that could make me smile. He had a real talent for that.
And then, one week before I had to go to NYU, the phone rang. I picked it up, not thinking anything. But then I realized it was Nick's mother and wondered why she would call me and not Nick.
"Did something happen?" I asked.
"Yes." Her voice trembled and then she told me what happened. I shook my head, not believing it, not wanting to believe it.
"May... may I come?" I asked.
"Of course. He told me a few things about you and then I found your phone number and called."
"Oh... then... I'm coming now."
"Yes. Thank you."
"See you later."
I ran upstairs, got some things and just wanted to leave the house when my father stopped me.
"Andrew, where are you going?"
"I have to see a friend. I'll be gone for a few days."
"But..." He said. I didn't say more, didn't want to explain that Nick was in the hospital, fighting for his life. I got in my car and drove off.
Two days after Nick got home to his parents, he went to drive with some friends and they got into an accident. All of them were injured but not as severe as Nick, who was still unconscious.
My hands shivered a bit and I forced myself to calm down. I shouldn't get into an accident as well. I breathed in deeply and slowly calmed down.
I knew that Nick didn't get on with his parents very well but I didn't know why. He only said that he wasn't as lucky as me.
Soon I arrived at the hospital and went inside.
"Hello. Could you tell me where Nick's room is?" I asked at the reception.
"Nick what?"
"Oh, erm... Nick Strobel."
"Sure." She showed me a map of the hospital. Why did hospitals have to be so huge and complicated?
"Go to the fourth floor and turn right, then left and then you'll come to his room." She wrote down the number and gave me the map.
"Thank you." I said. The room wasn't that hard to find and when I knocked, a woman opened the door.
"Hello. Are you Andrew?"
"Yes. And you're Nick's mother."
"Right. Come in."
I slowly entered the room. There were two beds inside. In one lay an older man and in the other was... I swallowed when I saw how Nick looked. His head was wrapped in bandages and his face had bruises. I couldn't see his body because of the blanket but I was sure his body was just as hurt as his face.
"Nick." I whispered and sat down next to him. The last time I saw him he was so full of energy, smiling and full of life. And now?
My hands trembled and I thought about how short life was. Just seconds could change everything forever.
"It's really nice you came. When he talked about you, his eyes sparkled and even though he was really looking forward to go to Florida, I knew he regretted a bit that he couldn't stay near you." Nick's mother said and I wondered if she knew.
"Of course I'd come. He's a great guy and we had a lot of fun on the ship. How bad is it?"
"The doctors say the longer he stays unconscious the smaller is the chance for him to wake up. But the chance for it is still quite big. They say."
I nodded and then turned to Nick. "Nick, wake up, please. Andrew's here and wants to say hello." I always heard that there were many people that heard people talk even when they were in a coma. So why not Nick?
Later I talked a bit with his mother. She seemed to be really nice. In the evening she asked if I had to go back, but I reassured her that Nick was more important and she invited me to stay at her place.
I called my father to explain my rushing out of the house without telling him what happened and he understood. I wondered if I should tell Julian but somehow I didn't want to tell him bad news and decided to wait.
Nick's mother, whose name was Angela told, me to sleep in Nick's room. I wondered a bit why she trusted me so much but gladly accepted.
Nick's father was nowhere to be seen and I asked myself, if that was what he meant when he said, he wasn't as lucky as I was.
When I lay in Nick's bed I could smell him and suddenly remembered all the nights we spent together. How I missed it. The time we spent on the cruise ship was so nice, exciting and now...
I had a lot of trouble to fall asleep but when I did, I dreamed of Nick. About what we did on the ship, how exciting it was. I woke up with a smile and then fell asleep again. Two hours later I awoke, having dreamed of Mike. Why did I dream about him? I hadn't thought about him anymore.
I fell asleep again, feeling a bit confused. This time I woke up with a start. What the hell... did I just dream of... And why did I have such strange dreams in just one night? That moment Angela came into the room.
"Andrew! They called. They say he woke up!" She said and her voice was trembling in anticipation of seeing her son again - awake.
I was up in a flash. "Really?"
"Yes."
We drove to the hospital and a doctor was waiting for us.
"Miss Strobel."
"Yes? How is he? Is he alright?"
"Yes. He's healing nicely. But... I should warn you, he has amnesia. He doesn't remember a thing. But his memory should come back."
"He... doesn't remember..." She whispered. Then she slowly entered the room. I could hear Nick's voice. It sounded happy. Then I saw that he was talking to a nurse. A male nurse. Gosh, a male, young, handsome nurse. And it looked as if Nick was flirting with him. For a moment I wanted to go but I knew I had no right to feel like this.
"Nick. You're awake." Angela said.
"Hi. Are you by chance my mother?" He asked.
"That's right. How do you feel?"
"My body hurts. But George says I'll feel better soon, right?" He smiled at the nurse.
"That's right." He said and then got up. "I'll leave you with your mother now. See you."
"Bye."
George left the room and then Nick looked at me. "Oh, hello. Who are you?"
"I'm Andrew. We're friends."
"Nice to meet you. Are we in the same class or are we neighbors?"
"Neither. You're going to Florida in a week. We met on a cruise ship and became friends."
"Oh wow. I was on a cruise ship! Gosh, I wish I could remember."
'Me too.' I thought. Nick seemed to be much better and he talked a lot even though his voice was a bit raspy. A lot of nonsense. I wondered where it was all coming from. Probably the medication. But even though he didn't remember anything it was fun. We talked and his mother told him a few things about his life.
Later the nurse George came by and sent us out so he could examine Nick. I couldn't help but notice the looks he sent at Nick and wondered a bit, if what George felt was more than he should feel for a patient.
Angela also looked more happy now that she didn't have to worry about his life anymore. Compared to that, his memory loss was a small thing.
When Angela went to the toilet I went back into the room and then saw how Nick and George looked at each other. There was attraction and there seemed to be fire. I turned without them noticing me and left the room.
"Is the examination finished?" Angela asked when she came back.
"No. Erm, I think I should go back home now that he's better."
"Already? Don't you want to stay one more day? You're welcome to."
"No, thank you. But I have to prepare some things for University and it seems that Nick is much better. I'll call."
"Okay." She looked a bit unsure.
"I'll say goodbye. And thank you for calling me."
"No problem. I'm thankful you came. It was nice to get to know you."
"You too." I said and then went inside the room where I caught the two of them kissing. Luckily the old man was sleeping because this surely wasn't what George was paid to do. When they noticed me, they both blushed.
"Oh... erm... I should go." The nurse said and left the room.
"Sorry to interrupt." I said.
"It's okay. Did you know I was gay? I didn't even know... but he sure is cute, right?" Nick asked.
"Yes." I answered. Yes to both questions.
"Was I out to my parents?"
"Gosh, I have no idea! I didn't know you that well."
"You're a great guy. I mean, you came here and we didn't even know each other well?" He asked and looked me in the eyes.
"That's what friends do, right?"
"Probably. But I haven't met my other friends yet."
"They're probably on vacation. And some of them were in the accident as well."
"Right. But I heard they were already released."
"Well, I'm sure they'll come by. And if not you should get some better friends."
"Right again." He said and his smile told me he thought of George.
"Nick, I have to go home now. I'm really glad you're better."
"Yes. Thank you again for coming."
"No problem. Bye."
"I'll call you as soon as I have my memory back."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye." He said and I left the room. I gave Angela a hug, not sure why I did it but it felt right. And then I drove home.
"Andrew, it's time for a new start." I told myself and decided to let everything, every bad experience I made until now, behind me.
I wouldn't act like it never happened. Sensei had taught me that one should treasure the good memories but not forget the bad ones. Of course one shouldn't make them too important but they could teach, help and even though bad memories sometimes hurt, it made one stronger if one overcame them.
And I'd start a new life. There shouldn't be that many people that knew me at NYU and I would find new friends and probably even a boyfriend.
I didn't really know how life would be on campus but I'd make the best of it.
---oOo---
"Andy, I don't want you to go!" Julian said and hugged me.
"I'm coming back. In a week. I'll be home on the weekends, Jules. I'm not that far away."
"But..." He looked at me with huge, teary eyes and I felt my heart melt. Gosh, I didn't want to go without him! He was just soooooo cute!
"I'll be back. And then we'll have a lot of fun on the weekend, okay?" I asked.
"But... why can't I come with you?"
"You're not old enough yet. But soon you will be going to University as well."
"But daddy is going, too." He said. Daddy? He called my father daddy?
"He's just going to accompany me. He'll be back this evening."
"So why can't I come?"
"You're invited to your friends birthday, remember?"
"Maaan." He said but then he smiled a bit. "Is it true that University people are always having parties?"
"Erm, some of them."
"Cool. When I'm at the University I'll party every night!" He said and I grinned.
"I hope not. See you, Jules." I kissed his cheek and he hugged me once more.
"Bye, Andrew."
I also said Jessica bye and was a bit surprised when she hugged me. But we were family now, right? My father drove me to campus - in my car. He said he'd get home with a taxi.
"I hope you won't party every night like Julian said." He said and chuckled.
"I won't."
"Good. I thought you weren't the type to drink mindlessly and party until... who knows what."
"Don't worry."
"I don't. I can see what a good young man you are. Friendly, considerate, nice and my son."
"Erm... thank you."
"No need to blush." He said and I wondered a bit why I blushed at the compliment. I always thought I wasn't someone that blushed easily.
"The women are going to come after you. Just don't come home with a pregnant girl." He said.
"Dad! I wouldn't..."
"I know. Just kidding. I know you'll do great. You can call if there is a problem or you need something."
"Okay. Thank you."
When we arrived on campus I wondered how I should find my way on that huge area. We found the room where freshmen got their time tables and some information about life on campus.
We then got to the rooms I'd live in. With three other guys.
"Do you want me to come in with you?" He asked.
"No, it's alright."
My father nodded, hugged me goodbye and then left and I stood before the door of the rooms where I'd live for a while.
I knocked and heard a voice. "Come in." I opened the door.
"Hello. I'm Andrew."
"Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Nathan. Call me Nate. I just came here yesterday. There are two other guys. Sophomores."
"Cool."
"Yes. Well, this is our room." Nate opened a door where I saw two beds. All in all there were two sleeping rooms, a small kitchen, a study and a bathroom. It was quite big and I wondered if my father's money had something to do with such a nice room.
"Nice."
"Right. Are you hungry?" Nate asked with a smile on his face.
"Yes."
"I could show you where you can get some food. I don't know where everything is yet but the guys showed me a few things."
"Cool."
We went to grab something to eat and I knew I wouldn't have found my way without getting lost. Nate was a pretty cool guy and very talkative. When we ate I looked at him a bit more closely and realized he had a nice build, looked a bit like a swimmer. His eyes were brown just like his hair and made him look really friendly.
I was glad to have Nate as my roommate. I mean, I read books about college and many weren't that lucky and had to live with guys that listened to loud, annoying music or ignored one all the time. I admit I didn't know if Nate listened loud, annoying music, but somehow I didn't think so.
He then showed me around a bit - as well as he knew his way around.
"This is the medical school department." Nate said and pointed at the building. And a little later: "This is the most popular frat house. I only heard what kind of parties they throw!" He said when we passed a big house.
"Cool."
He looked at me with a strange look on his face. "You don't sound enthusiastic. Whatever. Okay, and when we go this way, we come to the..." He thought a bit, looked around. "Oh, we have to go there and then to the right..."
"Are we lost?" I asked, trying to hide a smile.
"No! Erm, no. We're right." He said, looking around and after a few minutes I couldn't hold it anymore and laughed out loudly.
"Okay. I admit, we're lost." He said and grinned at me. Cute grin.
"Great. We should just ask someone. I'm sure we'll find our way back."
He nodded and really, soon we were back in our room. But this time there were two other guys there.
"You the new guy." One said and grinned at me. He had freckles all over his face.
"Hey, I'm Andrew."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tyler."
"Hi." The other one said. "Call me Bo."
"Hi."
Both of them looked like jocks. They had good bodies and were probably working out a lot.
"You do sports?" Bo asked.
"Yes. Martial arts. Are there any training rooms?"
"Of course. You can find everything on campus."
"Cool."
"We can show you tomorrow. Right now we're a bit tired."
"Ok. Thank you."
The next few days they showed me the rooms and they were really big and had a lot of equipment. But the coach wasn't there yet and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to join the club.
There also was an information day and then came my first day. I found my class without problems. I hadn't decided on a major yet but there was this idea in my head to get into medical school later. In the last two years I had learned a lot about the human body and it was really interesting. Gosh, that sounded a bit dirty.
There were already some people sitting in the room, some of them talking. I just sat down next to one of the guys and said hi. The cutest guy in the room of course. But he completely ignored me, didn't even look up when I sat next to him. I wondered a bit, of course. I mean, was it normal to just ignore someone?
Soon the teacher came inside. He seemed to be nice. Actually, everything was nice right now. I had nice roommates, a nice friend in Nate, a nice family...
The day went by incredibly fast and I went to bed feeling exhausted. The next morning I woke up because of my phone.
"Hello?" I asked, still half asleep. Who called me that early in the morning?
"Hi Andrew. This is Nick."
---oOo---
Okay guys, that was chapter five. It is the start of something new... I hope to hear from you. You can contact me at azulasn@yahoo.com
Azula