...

He remembered.

She would smile fondly and shake her head as he rambled on an on about the little nuances in his life. Even as she nodded off sleepily and her pencil rested on her math binder, she would still smile and listen to his words.

He remembered.

Mother was always too busy to listen, too busy to help him understand everything everyone said to him during the day. Father had left them when they were young, and all that remained was a gold chain that she wore around her neck.

He remembered.

They would spend each afternoon after school ended walking and talking together. He was always complaining, she always listening and soothing his fears. Brother and sister would laugh when laughing was needed as they made their way home.

He remembered.

The teacher read them a quote by Bill Wilson that day. The words danced around his head...over and over... "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."

He remembered.

That day, they went home a little later. He walked along, happy and carefree for once in his life Mr. Wilson's quote still in his head, skipping quickly down the concrete sidewalk. She told him to slow down, watch his step...but he didn't listen.

He remembered.

The road...cars...stop light...red light...red light...RED LIGHT. It was red...the car......she had pushed him aside...taken the blow...and he screamed...screamed...cried...sank to the ground...and died on the inside...

He remembered.

How could he live without...her...the one who listened...who smiled...who cared for him when there was no one else...and she...the one who was the whole world in his eyes...who wore the gold chain... He ran...

He remembered.

Running down the sidewalk...away from the blood...the lifeless eyes...the gold chain...away...crossing the same street over and over...never realizing that the gaps between the cars he was crossing through were getting smaller and smaller...

He remembered.

Weaving...ducking through the cars like a drunken man...not noticing that drivers began to honk and yell at him...and then he crossed too soon...all he felt was pain...pain...and then nothing. The last thing he remembered was a gold chain...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the world you may be one person,
but to one person you may be the world.

- Bill Wilson -