Page 48 of When We Were Young
He crossed the room and slammed the window shut. November wasn’t usually this cold. Especially when thunderstorms were in the forecast. Not only was the air outside freezing, but it was bright and sunny, and the apartment was quiet. His head was pounding again, and his vision, blurry like before.
Emily and the kids should definitely be home by now. The party at the park couldn’t possibly have gone this long. He stepped into a pair of jeans near his bed and walked bare-chested into the cramped living room. There on the small end table near the ratty sofa was a three-foot drugstore Christmas tree.
Noah felt the room begin to spin. A Christmas tree? What was happening? Who had come by their apartment and set up a tree? They never decorated till after Thanksgiving. And if it was Christmastime already, then why didn’t they have a real tree?
They always had a real tree.
He walked to the small plastic shrub and looked hard at it. Eight red and green bulbs hung from the fake branches. That was it. Even the green of it wasn’t realistic. More like the color of an old Army Jeep.
Something was wrong: his family should be home and it wasn’t Christmas. He glanced at the counter, saw his phone and grabbed it. Fine. This would give him some answers. The code to unlock it worked on the first try.
At last. Noah exhaled. Something that made sense. It was five-thirty in the morning and in a few clicks he figured out that he was mistaken. It was December, already. The first Saturday in the month.
In the calendar square it said, “Aiden’s soccer game—9:00A.M.” Today. December the fifth. Aiden had a soccer game? When did Aiden start playing soccer?
Noah dropped to the nearest chair and let his head fall into his hands. After his beautiful dream, all he wanted was Emily. This confusion and headache... the amnesia... nothing made sense. Whatever was happening to his mind, he needed help. Clearly. The concussions were stealing his very life and he couldn’t remember a thing.
Entire months were slipping away. Years.
He needed to see a doctor as soon as possible. Maybe check himself into the emergency room. Noah looked around. He had to get his bearings first. He sat on his sofa and watched the sun come up, watched the morning light reflect on the ugly little Christmas tree. Or maybe the fake tree was a joke, something Emily had brought home to make him laugh.
He was always teasing her that she had too many Christmas decorations. Garlands across the windows, a nativity on the fireplace mantel, Mr. and Mrs. Frosty anchored by the front door. Noah sat up a little straighter. Wait.
Where were all Emily’s decorations? She might’ve brought the little tree home as a joke, but she wouldn’t have kept her other Christmas things in boxes. Even here in the tiny apartment. She would’ve at least wanted a happy atmosphere.
A shiver ran the length of his arms. Where was everyone, anyway? He walked down the hall again and peered into the kids’ room and then back at his own. In case Emily was still in bed and he’d only missed her. But the rooms were empty. He was here alone.
Maybe Emily had gone with the kids to her aunt’s house in Texas. Once in a while she would do that. But if she’d taken that kind of drive, why hadn’t he gone with her?
Noah had no answers. He returned to the sofa and when his phone told him it was eight o’clock he got dressed. Added a shirt and sweatshirt, thick socks and work boots. According to his weather app it was seventeen degrees outside. Which made sense now that he knew it was December.
When he was ready, he grabbed his keys off the counter and went outside to look for his truck. It would normally be in the garage, but this wasn’t his usual place. Where did he park it here at the apartment? He used the clicker a few times, but instead of the truck, an old Volkswagen parked twenty feet from his front door beeped in response.
Okay, so he drove a VW now. One more thing he had to get used to. Behind the wheel Noah felt things returning to normal. Landmarks began to look familiar. The Chick-fil-A was where it was supposed to be, the Hobby Lobby was across the street where it belonged.
Christmas garlands were wrapped around every post along Main Street. That was normal, too. Since it was Christmastime. He drove past the Texaco station and the car wash and then he pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the field. The place where youth soccer was played.
Noah was glad this was familiar, because he’d never had a reason to come here before. He’d only driven by.
The parking lot was full, but Noah found a spot near the back. Despite the freezing morning, the sun was bright. He shaded his eyes and tried to see which field might contain seven-year-old boys.
But they all looked like older kids.
Noah took a deep breath and held up his phone. He could call Emily. Wherever she was, she had to know where their son played soccer. After all, he didn’t even know Aiden was interested in the game. Her phone rang twice, then three times before she answered.
“Hello?” She sounded tired. Like she was frustrated with him. “Noah?”
“Hi.” He paused. “Is everything okay?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She let out a heavy breath. “Are you coming to Aiden’s game or not? He’s expecting you.”
“Of course.” Noah didn’t know what to say. “I’m here.” He rubbed his temples. If only his head would stop hurting. “Where are you? Which field?”
“Six. The one in the northwest corner. Where he always plays.” She didn’t sound quite as mad. “He’ll be glad you came.”
Noah had a hundred questions, but he couldn’t put a single one of them into words. “Emily... I think something’s wrong with me.”
She didn’t say anything. Just waited.
