Hello, @inkwell. I hope I'm not late for this contest though. This is my entry to the prompt, Lost
After ten years, Jay finally had the courage to trace back a familiar route. A letter from an institution he received triggered him to do so. It took him a while to think about it as hatred from the past is still fresh in his mind and hidden deep within his heart. He kept it for a decade. But somehow, someone he met after the incident helped him heal the wounds of the past over time.
Into the West, he's traveling by car following the route still drawn in his mind. While passing by familiar places, memories start to flash back one by one. Some are good, some are sad, and the last one was bad in that he was once buried in oblivion. But it seems like a buried seed that now starts to sprout.
Image from Unsplash by Alex Belogub
At a huge white building, he stops and takes a deep breath before he steps out of his car.
"Are you ready?" A woman holds his hand and curves her lips upward.
"I'm not sure. Maybe." Jay answers his wife.
"Maybe? Maybe it's time to forgive her, Jay. The long time was enough to heal the pain in the past." Anne replied.
After a while, a woman in a white dress greeted them.
"You must be Jay. I'm Doctor Roberts, the head of this institution. I'll bring you to her room."
They pass through a white hall with rooms lining up on both sides. Different laughter, wails, screams, and whimpers, are filling up the silent hall. The door of each room is open and they could see whoever is inside it who seems to be forgotten over time, and the body seems to be deteriorated by an unknown illness.
Jay grips his hand tighter as he spotted a familiar name printed outside the last room's door. Anne just gives him a smile of reassurance and caresses his hand gently. Doctor Robert on the other hand, tells them to brace themselves as the woman sometimes gets hysterical when seeing unfamiliar faces.
Inside the white room is a woman facing her back while sitting in her wheelchair.
Doctor Roberts greets the woman. "Good morning Mrs. Wright. How are you today? I want you to meet two friends today. Do you want to meet them too?"
The woman navigates the chair's lever to turn front, she remains silent as she looks at two new visitors in the room. Her calm mood surprises Doctor Roberts. Jay, on the other hand, covers his mouth in disbelief. His mouth starts to tremble and cold liquid starts to form in his eyes.
Image from Unsplash by Danie Franco
He barely recognizes the timeworn face of the woman with smoky gray hair, and wrinkled skin. Her limp body seems to be crumpled by illness. She couldn't seem to stand and just attach her butt to the chair. And she looks like her time will end sooner.
Her weary eyes stare at him and she locks them for a while. She seems to be familiarizing the faces but to no avail. Suddenly, she starts screaming and tapping her hands on the armchair.
Doctor Roberts tries to calm her down and Jay comes nearer to help her. "Mother, stop it." The woman stops as she hears his voice and she slowly raises her hand to touch his face. Jay's tears start to roll down. "I'm Jay. I'm back.*" Says Jay's trembling voice.
"No! No!" The woman gets hysterical again and wagging her hands in the air.
Jay backs out and stays outside per the doctor's advice. He sits down on the chair outside the room. And from there, he's hearing screams from his mother. After a while, screams start to fade as the doctor tries to calm her down. Anne just hugs him and tries to calm him down as well.
"I was supposed to get mad at her, Anne. But looking at her condition, I couldn't!" Says Jay.
"Things are different now Jay. Move on, forget about the past, and just forgive her." Says his wife.
Doctor Roberts comes out and starts to tell them stories.
"10 years ago, Mrs. Wright approached me and she wanted to admit herself to this institution. She found out from her doctor that her Alzheimers was getting worse and she might just hurt and forget you soon. You're a guy who was full of dreams, and she does not want to become a burden and hindrance towards achieving your dreams. She didn't mean to abandon you, but to protect you from her. She brought you to a place and she left you there because she thought you'll be safe. She opted to keep her condition from you and let you start a new life without her. All her assets were sold and sent the big percentage to you, anonymously, and the remaining were donated to this institution. That's how you were able to support your life with the help of someone she sent to look after you. She only has a few remaining days, Jay. That's the main reason why I sent you the letter to at least reconcile with her before she passes away and learns the real story. She got a stroke last year, that damaged some parts of her brain, and her ability to speak well."
Before the doctor turns her back, she says, "by the way, she recognized your voice and name, but not your face. And before, when she can still remember you, she mentioned that she regretted leaving you in that place and she wanted to see you again, but more illness developed that made her be stuck in this room. As long as she knows that you are in a good condition, she chose to stay so she wouldn't be a burden to you, and just forget you." The last words she uttered.
Jay starts to shed more tears and couldn't believe the stories he's hearing. All this time, her mother didn't really abandon him and opted to stay away just to protect him. When he calms down, silence covers the room, and a few moments later, he opts to walk back to the room and stands calmly beside the bed where his mother is looking out of the window blankly.
"When you brought me to the South, I thought we'll have a vacation. I yearned for that, remember? But you left me without notice. I was too young, I got lost, but I met Laura. She took care of me like a real mother and sent me to school. I met Anne, my classmate, who became my wife."
Mrs. Wright's hand twitches as she heard his voice. Her head turns a little to see who's talking. This time, she's calm and in a good state of mind.
"I finished my studies with flying colors and now working in a prestigious company with a high position. That was my dream, right? I tried my best to achieve it so that someday, I could prove to you that even though you abandoned me, I managed to achieve my dreams without you. That was supposed to be my revenge."
Mrs. Wright's tears freely fall as she listens to Jay's stories. She doesn't talk to nor face him. She just stares at the window blankly.
"But everything should have been better if you were with me. I wouldn't mind if you'll get ill because you'll never be a burden to me. You're my mother for Pete's sake! You should've told me everything. You should've been the one with me throughout my journey. But where were you? Hiding in these four corners."
He pauses and there is silence.
"I hope I could turn back the hands of time. I hope I could have read your mind that day. Probably, things won't fall like this. We should have been happier. But...should I still call you a mother now that I am lost in your memories?"
Jay stands and is about to walk out. But Mrs. Wright turns her head to face him. They look at each other for a moment. There's a sense of longing in each other's eyes. Her mind may seem lost, but her heart isn't.
"Goodbye, mother. Thanks for your time today."
She opens her mouth in an attempt to speak out, but no words come out. Jay was about to step out of the door when she utters words inarticulately. Her speech seems to have been affected by the stroke she had last year.
"Jjjjay...Aaaaim sorry..."
As he hears those words, Jay runs back to her and hugs her mother. The next scene made everyone emotional, yet happy.
The end...
Sorry for making this sad story. I just wanna be emotional as well 😅.
