Looking Forward...

The cold wind blowing through the neighborhood reminds me that I really should be wearing a few more layers, but it’s not like this much will be enough to make me get a cold or anything like that. If anything, having a colder day like this after months and months of scorching heat feels like a release, like a very welcome change of pace.

Probably appropriate considering today’s destination.

These streets, I know them completely by heart—if you left me alone and blindfolded I’d still probably find a way to either my home or school without thinking much about it. But today I’m going in a slightly different direction, so I do hope I don’t get too distracted on my way there. She’s waiting for me, after all.

The park is also the same as always. I’ve kept coming fairly often, so I wouldn’t really notice the changes over time all that much, but even then I’m pretty sure it’s the same it was half a year ago. Six months is a long time, but it also really isn’t a lot when you stop to think about it. It looks a lot worse before it starts than after it ends.

It's definitely not enough for such an unimportant place as our town to go through any meaningful change. Though some minor stuff did happen recently—the old warehouse was finally demolished, in its place a station for an upcoming metro line connecting our town to the province capital.

Said line would be pretty useful for me today if it were open, but it won't be for at least another couple of years, so walking it is. Like in the good old days.

I stop for a second when I walk besides the ice cream shop I frequent, but I don't have time to eat anything right now so I don't stop to buy one. Also, I should probably stop eating so many snacks at random times of the day. I think I've gained some weight recently.

…

Before long, I've arrived at my destination.

The biggest clinic in town—it would be incorrect to call it a full hospital, but it was definitely bigger than the average building dedicated to primary attention for public healthcare. That's where they're both staying at right now.

“Welcome, James. Are you visiting the two of them again today?”

The lady at the reception desk asks me, already plenty familiar with me after all this time.

“No, today's a bit different. I heard one of them was getting discharged so I came to visit her and accompany her outside.”

“Oh, is that so? Is Emma done with her monthly tests…?”

She hits some keys on her computer until apparently she finds what she's looking for.

“Oh, so she's finally recovered… Glad she can go back to normal now. It's been what, half a year?”

“Slightly longer, but yeah, about that.”

“Feels like it was yesterday when she first woke up…”

“She's spent more time conscious than in her coma already, but it does feel like time has just flown by.”

“Well, to her it's probably been an eternity, so make sure she enjoys her first day out of this place.”

The woman I had come to know exclusively through interactions like these looks at me knowingly. It probably is pretty obvious now that I think about it, especially since she's a nurse who's also been attending the patient in question for some time.

Walking through these white and bleach-smelling hallways, I somehow feel them far less hostile than I used to. And with that thought still in my mind, I find myself standing right in front of her room.

Knock, knock.

“Come in…”

A familiar voice calls out to me from the inside. And sure enough, once I open the door she's right there, same as always.

“Hello, James, thanks for coming.”

“No funny quips to shoot at me today? Did you run out of comedy or what?”

“Not really, but I sure think I will if I stay here much longer.”

“Ah right. Well then, are you allowed to go yet? Or are you waiting for somebody?”

“Doctor Philip isn't here today, so another doctor came and told me I was free to go. Been waiting for you though.”

“Wow, now I feel bad for not waking up earlier.”

“Don't worry about it, I've only had to wait for a quarter hour. Let's go, shall we?”

“You go first.”

Walking together towards the front entrance, memories from that day at the start of summer come flooding back. God I hope that maddening heat doesn't come back anytime soon.

“How's Emma been doing lately? It's been a while since she came to visit me. Busy with school, or…?”

“Yeah, she's busy preparing for the national exams and all that. But that's not why she didn't come today, she just had her monthly checkups between today and tomorrow.

“Ah, yeah, she did tell me about that. Well, in any case, she should keep focusing on her studies instead of lazing around multiple days a week visiting half-dead girlfriends.”

“I will actually commit murder today.”

“I'd like to see you try.”

“Also, isn't it still waaaay too soon to start studying for the national exam?! It doesn't happen until mid-June…”

“And that's why she will get into whatever degree she likes and you'll have to make do with the leftovers.”

“What about you then? Have YOU also started studying already?”

“Of course not, it's way too son, idiot. It doesn't start until mid-June.”

“I give up.”

“A rare sight.”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

“Sure. By the way, I finished that last game you gave me.”

“Already?! It hasn't even been two weeks…”

“I had a lot of free time down there at the hospital, you know. Some forty hour game about foreigner swords is no match for my boredom.”

“Something has to change quickly or I'll run out of games before the year ends.”

“It's fine, you don't need to give me any more games. I'll live for a while. In fact, here, take this.”

She stops walking and pulls something out of her bag, a black DVD case.

“This is…”

“I thought you'd like it. I couldn't get you anything for your birthday after all.”

“But this is going way overboard, this is too expensive for…”

“A friend of mine happened to have it so they let me keep it when I asked. I hope you like it.”

“I really do, I really like it, but I don’t think I-”

I couldn't look her in the eyes. I couldn't even point my eyes anywhere that wasn't the present she'd just given me. Probably because I didn't want her to see me this red.

“…”

“T-thank you so much, Claudia, I don't—I don't really know how to say it…”

“You don't need to say anything, just take it and play it till you learn all the text by heart.”

I shouldn't have worried, she's just as red as I am. I can't imagine how people do stuff like kissing in public without dying of embarrassment.

“…”

“H-hey, James, look there. Isn't that…?”

A but out of the blue, Claudia points at somewhere in the other side of the street… there's someone sitting there.

He looks up from the book he's reading and smiles at us, waving his free hand—which immediately after gestures for us to go on our way. It seems he doesn't feel like stopping to chat today… Perhaps that's for the best. His parents still don't like me one bit, and knowing them, they could be lurking behind any corner.

I don't want to cause more problems for Oliver than I already have.

Claudia looks at me and seems to agree, so we wave back at him and continue on our way.

“What're you writing, James? Next week's shopping list? Or perhaps… a love letter?!”

“What an idiot. It's none of those things you just said, by the way.”

“Oh? Well then, what is it? Is it something you don't want to say, or?”

“Well, I'm taking note of whatever ideas come to mind; I've been thinking of trying to write a book.”

“Oh, really… Never took you for a writer.”

“I'm not a good one, I can tell you that, but at least I'll try my best.”

“I can read your stuff and harshly judge you if you want me to.”

“Sure, if you feel like it… I've decided I'll try to write a mystery book. The working title right now is S-”

“Don’t come up with a title before you even have a single word written! Come back to me when you have at least a few chapters to show.”

“Sure thing… I'll make sure to give the other two a copy too when it's done.”

“You should. It's thanks to them we're talking like this today, isn't it?”

“That's true… well, this is just one more step, I still have to keep working at it.”

“Yeah, yeah, well, you should stop worrying about it for now. You've been doing good.”

“Wow, patronizing much?”

“Hehe.”

But she's probably right. I can at least say I've definitely learnt my lesson.

I take out my notebook and write one more note on it before continuing my walk with Claudia.

SUPRANATURAL: THE END.