Lost Day

“Elise Bennit!” Her voice calmly trailed off as I looked up to see my professor looking at me with a glaring intent, in her icy blue eyes shielded by her Marie Claire eyeglasses that perfectly rested upon her curved nasal bridge that held the slightest constellation of freckles “Have you been listening?” my eyes darted over to the board to see what's written, “Yes ma’am, the gravitational orbit of the moon pulls and pushes the tides to high and low four times throughout the day” with a grimacing face, “Correct”. She turned and faced the board as her fiery red hair flung around her body with a twinging anger avid with intellect associated with the cosmos. Though my professor believes I am not paying attention to the astrological functions of the galaxy, I’ve already grasped the immense gratitude of the stars and planets beyond comprehension of the average college student. 

I look to my right across the room at Dante and I mouth to him, “Arcade” and he nods to me with the quick nod I’ve grown to love. Dante is the guy next door that everyone seems to have a thing for, his lips are a perfectly burnt pink, and plump. His eyes, warm like the best summer day and welcoming like someone you’ve known and loved over all the years; his voice slides down your eardrums like butter, low and smooth, I couldn’t be happier to call him my best friend. Dante and I grew up together and though I haven’t always been the most popular compared to him, he has stuck by me throughout it all. As the sun rays peek shyly through the blinds and gently caress his beautifully brown skin, the light pierces his emerald green eyes as he glances at me, then flashes me with one of his laudable smiles with his pearly whites. 

As the bell rings to let us out of school for the day I meet Dante at his parking spot; Dante’s parents are some of the nicest people, they work in the tech industry and have more money than they know what to do with. Dante is humble even with his parents being as wealthy as they are; they surprised Dante with a new car for his 16th birthday and he has kept it in pristine condition ever since. Dante is the most respectful, kindhearted person I’ve ever met, and the amount of love I have for him, I’m not sure I’ll ever have for anyone else. Dante’s mother, Vera, has been like a mother to me ever since my mother passed away ten years ago; she helps me with my hair, and with my outfits for dates, she has the most welcoming smile, and the softest voice, she is the angel I prayed for when I was grieving. As we drive to the arcade all I can think of is when we graduate this year, will our friendship transcend into adulthood and further? The fear of losing my best friend crept inside me and buried inside my soul as my hand was taken by the wind swiftly moving in between my fingers, hands, and grabbing all the way up my arm. The soft growl of the silver Audi resonated with my eardrums, and reverberated in my body. As we walk into the arcade we always say hello to Frank the arcade manager, he has seen us there so many times he knows us by first and last name. We spend hours playing our favorite games, we race on the top track, shoot hoops, and hunt all for the top leaderboard scores. Our competitive nature comes out when we play together, because we know just how well the other is going to do in the game. After we have dominated the virtual world, we say our goodbyes to Frank and head back to the car. 

I look at Dante soberly as he starts the car “Do you think we will ever come back here and make sure our names are at the top of the boards still, when we finish school and get on with our lives?” Dante gives me a quick smirk and says, “El, we’re too good to ever be beaten.” As we drive down the road we see this ominous cumulonimbus storm cloud. This storm is one of the biggest I’ve ever seen, it’s dark black quality surrounded our entire bodies. A soft devastating whisper crept up my spine. As lightning blasted with a roaring light and the next thing I know, The storm is right on top of us. The winds howled at us, pushing Dantes car like a bag twirling in the wind, flinging us forward and back. Lighting flashing now all around us, Dante looked at me and I at him the barking of the thunder rumbled and vibrated the car from the wheels to the hood. As quickly as it came the storm had vanished, gone without a trace. Dante looked at me with the slightest tinge of fear behind his eyes “That was really weird huh El?” I smiled softly, grabbed his hand and said, “Yeah, I’m just glad it was a quick storm.” as I pulled my hand away from him, he clutched it and looked into my eyes. He smiled then drove me home under the soft winds that now brushed the car gingerly. As we pull into my driveway I say my goodnights to Dante, give him a loving embrace and tell him I’ll see him tomorrow at school. He gives me a solid nod and says goodnight. As I walk up to my doorway, I get an eerie feeling and look back at Dante heading to his house in that beautiful Audi and give him one last wave goodbye. I lay in bed thinking of college and Dante and how life would be in the future, it wasn’t long before I let nights’ sweet embrace whisk me away to be in the arms of Morpheus.

I wake to my alarm clock screaming at me to wake up at 5am. I showered and brushed my jet black hair that curled up like a spring, put some chapstick on my cerise colored heart shaped lips, and cocoa butter on my caramel colored skin. After I put in my contacts I put a small wing liner on my lid and looked into my dark brown eyes that when the light shown on them just right were pools of honey, glorious masterpieces waiting to be discovered and spellbind it’s beholder. I went downstairs to eat breakfast with my father, just as I turned the corner he jumped and said with wide eyes, “El, you startled me sweetheart. Can’t be creeping up on your old man that quietly, you’ll give me a heart attack. Pancakes and bacon are on the table, be sure to grab some before you leave for school today baby, I have to go to work now but you be safe driving to school.” I gave him a confused look, “Drive to school?” he shoots a confused look back at me, “ Yea El, your car, the same one you’ve had since you were 16 years old. Are you feeling okay honey?” I begin to furrow my brow, what in the world is he talking about. “Yeah, I’m alright pop, I’ll be careful, see ya later” I give him a quick kiss and head out to catch a ride with Dante thinking, my dad is such a goof trying to pull that joke over on me, he knows I’m riding with Dante. 

As I run out the front door I look over and see a beautiful silver Audi in our driveway, Dantes Audi, oh, he’s already here. I try to open the door and it’s locked, the engine isn’t even running, what’s going on? I look inside the car covering my eyes, blocking out the sun,  so I can see inside, there’s no one inside. I go back inside and just as my dad is getting his shoes on to leave and I say to him, “Hey do you know why Dante’s car is outside in our driveway?” he looks at me puzzled, with a hint of concern in his eyes “Who’s Dante? Is your Audi not out there?” I was starting to get upset, I didn’t think this was funny anymore “Dante, my best friend, Vera and Charlie’s son. What do you mean who’s Dante?” my dad's eyes became concerned, the same way he looks at me when I tell him I want to move to europe one day. “Vera?” he said with confusion in his voice and written all over his face “Oh, you mean the neighbors, they don’t have a son, but I don’t really know them all too well. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Where’s this coming from? Do you need to be driving?” “I’m fine, I’m fine.”  I shot back at him quickly. “I don’t know what’s going on with you today but I’m going to be late to work if you keep this up young lady.” He grabbed two sets of keychains from a bowl and handed me one, and put the other in his pocket, “El, I love you sweetheart, please drive safely.” he kissed my forehead and left for work. I looked at the keychain: one house key, one “E” keychain, and one Audi key. Okay I have to get to school but this is definitely weird. 

I got to school and I looked around in this car that felt oddly surreal; uncannily uncomfortable. In the glovebox I found a Parking spot ticket for Dantes spot, but the paperwork had Elise Bennit written where Dante Forte’s name used to be. Something about today feels off and wrong, I get to class and Dante is nowhere to be found, his name was not called at roll and at lunch when I went to talk to some of the girls I knew had crushes on Dante and asked, “Do you know what's going on with Dante?” The girls looked at eachother with excitement and they all began chittering like birds, after a few moments, Lydia says with her eyes locked onto mine, “Okay, spill the tea. Who’s this Dante? What’s he look like? How’d you find out we were getting a new student here?” I stared at her as she spouted out question after question as quickly as a reporter that just found a juicy new story. “Lydia, stop. Nevermind, he’s nobody.”  my heart began to pound outside of my chest, What is happening? How does no one remember him? How has he just vanished? Where’s Dante! 

I had to get out, I ran to the Audi, sat on the asphalt and breathed deeply and heavily for a few long moments trying to process what was happening around me, so many questions unanswered, I have to keep it cool. I thought to myself as a soft breeze brushed through my hair, Mr. Deeds would remember Dante. I get in the car and drive to the arcade where Frank had just opened up for the day, “ Hey Frank!” I shout as I walk from the car over to the front doors “Oh, hey kiddo, are you here to play games?” he says with a nice smile “No sir, I just wanted to ask if you ever remember seeing me here with Dante my friend?” he turns away from me slightly and says, “Sorry hon, I don’t really remember everyone that comes in here, lots of kids you know?” I can’t believe this! We came here everyday for years after school. I thought to myself. Vera wouldn’t forget her son, Charlie wouldn’t forget his son. I leave the arcade disheveled. 

I get back to our neighborhood and see that the Forte’s are home I go to knock on their door and charlie opens it with a warm kind smile, “Hi there.” he says to me almost like he remembers me, “Hi, I was just wondering if I could speak to you and your wife?” The last flicker of hope for them to remember their child was all I had left in me before this drove me completely mad. Charlie smiled and said, “one second kiddo,” turned to face the living room and yelled, “Vera honey, Elise is here, she wants to talk to us about something, are you decent?” “Yes my love.” she says with a slight giggle. As I sit across from them I think to myself, do they remember me from being with Dante so much? my eyes drift from wall to wall, There are no photos of Dante, not a single family photo of the three of them. Shit. “So, what did you need to talk to us about?” Vera says with a nice smile. “I just wanted to know,” my heart pounding in my chest, kicking my sternum with a twinging force. “What happened to Dante?” my eyes pooling up with unintentional tears. The bewilderment in their faces told me everything I needed to know but for some reason I needed them to remember, I couldn’t take this anymore they had to remember, someone has to remember him other than me. “Don’t look at me like that, you have to remember him, he’s your son, you both loved him so much!” As the tears rolled down my now flushed cheeks, Vera looked at Charles and they looked back at me with a sad, concerned look, and Vera said softly, “We never could have a son sweetheart, I know it’s been really hard for you lately, but this is kind of cruel El.” The disbelief punched me in the stomach and kicked me in the face at the same time, I couldn’t help but begin to sob into my hands. “I would never lie to you, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings Vera.” I kept my head down as I sniffled, then said with a heavy heart, “I’m going to go home, I’m sorry for upsetting you both.” the Fortes looked at each other then back at me, “Goodnight El, it’s okay, just be safe honey.”

As I open my eyes all I can see is white, a sterile room. Monitors beep at a continuous rate, I slowly move my eyes around and everything hurts, there are monitors all around me. I began to breathe harder as fear sunk in my belly and the monitor followed with an increased beeping sound. I see IVs in my arms and as I lift my head my neck feels stiff as I let out a small whimper of pain. The next thing I know I hear a flush, and water, then footsteps, “Oh..my god, She’s awake! Page the doctor,” then my father touched my warm cheek with his cold trembling hand with tears flooding his eyes, “My baby, you’re okay, it’s okay now. Don’t you worry, stay calm.” my eyes tear up as I muster up enough strength to weakly ask, “What happened?” My father looks at me and says, voice shaking, “Sweetheart, you and Dante got in a really bad car accident.” DANTE? “Dante…” “No sweetie don’t try and talk too much, just try and relax” I could tell my dad was scared, he never cried, not even when mom died, at least not in front of me. “Okay” 

After one very long week in intensive care I moved to a regular bed in the hospital, I was able to get up and move a little better, my dad saw Vera and I asked him to ask about Dante, after some time Vera came down to my room, she looked very sad, she radiated a down cast, murky gray shadow wisped over her eyes and soul. “Hello El,” her voice shook, “I’m glad to see you’re doing better dear.” she gives the slightest smile. “Yes, a little. Where’s Dante?” Those words rang in my ears with a fear she was going to tell me something I did not want to hear. “Dante is still in intensive care,” her eyes saying what her words are not. “Can I see him?” tears now blocking my vision “Only family in the ICU sweetheart, I’m sorry. I will tell him you are thinking about him” as she begins walking out the room I say, “No, tell him, I love him, and this isn’t his fault.” she looks at me with a deafening sadness, “Okay El” she left as quietly as she came, and two days later Dante died.

It’s been a few months now, and everyday all I can think about is that night, that storm. How could this happen? All I could think about was how real everything felt. I fill up with resolute anger. The only person I’ve ever bonded with was tragically taken from me and I don’t even know how, he had all the promise in the world, to go anywhere and be anything and you take him for what? It should’ve been me. I often go to his grave, sometimes I just sob quietly into my palms, other times I sit under the trees and talk to him about things I neglected to say when I had the chance, “I loved you more than anyone on this planet, you had such a kind soul, the world is a less beautiful place without you in it Dante.” I walked home spiteful as the darkness slowly engulfed our neighborhood. It should have been me. You took an angel before his time. I can’t believe you could be so selfish. Thank you God. Thanks an awful lot.