Extra - Remember me

September 2027

Rose Green is 37; Cory Green is 50; Melissa is 17; Shane is 2


Cory looked nervously out the window. Melissa was home now. Any moment, she'd come through the front door and.. and... this wasn't going the way he'd imagined it would...

But then things never did, when Sharla was involved. Why had he ever given her a chance to... no, no it's not about Sharla, he reminded himself. It's not about giving in to her or letting her off the hook or anything like that. It's about what's best for Melissa...

But what if he were wrong? What if it wasn't what was best for her, what if all this did was open up old memories? What if - "

The front door slammed.

Rose smiled reassuringly.

"Come here," she called to Melissa. "There's someone here who wants to see you..."

"Okay, but I don't....

"... Shane?!

She dived down and scooped the little boy up in her arms.

"Look at you...you're so big now! Do you even remember me?"

"You do remember me..."

She looked up at Cory and Rose. "How did he get here?" she asked.

"Your mother brought him over." said Rose.

Melissa froze. "Is she here?"
 "No," Cory said quickly.

"She dropped him off and left. She'll be back in a couple of hours or so. She's going to call first, and if you want, you can say goodbye to Shane and go up to your room before she comes. No one minds if you do that."

"I... I think I will."

"Ok. So you guys enjoy yourself." Cory said. "If today works out well, he can visit us every couple of weeks."

But Melissa wasn't listening anymore.

"Come on," Rose said softly.

She and Cory left them alone.

----

Cory waited until Sharla's car had pulled away, before knocking lightly on Melissa's door.

"It's unlocked"

"They've gone now," he told her from the doorway.
Melissa turned away from the window. "I know. I saw," she said, gesturing for him to come in.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah... It was so great to see him again! He's so big now... did you see? I think he remembers me!"

"So, I guess you want to make this a regular thing?"
 "Yeah, I do, but... but.. I still don't understand... Why was he here?"

"To see you, of course."

"No... I mean... who's idea was it and... and how did it happen? Because no one said anything, and I haven't seen him since... since I left Mum's house. Then suddenly he's here. I don't understand."

"We didn't say anything because your mother couldn't make up her mind which day she could come... and then she just called to say she was coming today. And he was here because he's your brother. You and Sam grew up in different houses, but you still had the chance to get to know each other. It should be the same for you with Shane. And for Sam with him too, if she wants."

"Thanks," she said. "You don't know how much I missed him... "

"I think maybe I do... I've heard you talking about him, and I've seen the way you look at Emily... and I kind of know what it's like to have to leave a child you care about... "

"Yeah, it must have been hard to leave Sam when you left Mum. "



 "It was, but it wasn't Sam I was talking about. I left two daughters back then... you were only about the same age that Shane is now.. "

"Me?"

Cory nodded. "I never stopped missing you. And unlike Sam, I never got you back.

"But... but I'm not your daughter. Everyone knows that..."

"I thought you were, right up until I left... "
"But - "

"Look, I know its really unlikely, but imagine you found out that somehow you weren't related by blood to Shane. Would that change the way you felt about him?"

"No... no it wouldn't... "

"Then you understand... "

Cory didn't know what kind of response he'd been expecting from her. Certainly not one he got.

Maybe, just maybe, he was wrong...

Maybe he'd got her back after all...

 ----

Back in business again, with a mini-update to get started. Just as well, because I had to write it twice, after Blogger ate the original!