More tears were sliding down Pam’s cheeks, and she wiped them away. “Mom, this is impossible. It’s absolutely…”
Pam had loved that gangly boy with her whole heart, with every particle of her body, and she’d been forlorn for the rest of that summer after he moved away. But thinking about it now, she realized why she’d never realized that Jim was that boy. After a few months, the sadness started to fade, and once Pam got to middle school, she tucked the single photo of him away in the back of one of her journals and tried to forget about him. And while she always remembered what it felt like when he smiled at her, and how he had inspired her to follow her dreams to be an artist, she practically forgot what he looked like. By the time she got to high school and met Roy, that gangly boy was long gone, hidden somewhere in the depths of her memories.
Of course, this explained a lot to her about Jim – why she’d felt immediately drawn to him, why they got along so well so quickly, why sometimes, when the first met, she would get a nagging feeling that she knew him from somewhere. And now, faced with actual proof, the photograph she had taken of the boy that had changed her world, she felt as though she should have been able to make up her mind easily about what to do. But for some reason, she was just more confused. If anything, the problem was worse now - her whole world had been turned upside down twice in two days, and Pam was never good with change.
“Mom,” Pam said shakily, wiping the back of her hand across her eyes, “I loved him. I loved him so much.”
“I know, Pam. I know. That’s why I brought it to show you. I actually found it a few days ago, in the back of one of your old journals, but I wasn’t sure if it was actually Jim. Jilly told me it was – I guess she’s seen him somewhere. Anyway, when you called me last night, I got out the album I put it in and I just couldn’t put it away.” She shrugged at her daughter’s questioning look. “I knew he was important to you then, and I thought you’d want to know. I’m actually a bit surprised you never made the connection.”
“I was too,” Pam admitted. “Until I thought about it. I mean, that was so long ago, and I didn’t remember what he looked like or really anything about him. I never even thought about it when I met Jim, you know?”
Her mom nodded, and Pam looked back down at the picture, tracing the edges of it with one of her fingers. “Can I…” she looked back up at her mom. “Can I keep it?”
“Of course, dear.” Pam slipped the photo out of its protective plastic in the book and closed the album, handing it back to her mom. Holding the photo cautiously, she studied it more closely, absolutely sure that it was Jim. She just wished she was that sure of what she wanted to do now.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
This chapter is shorter than the rest, but I thought it was a good place to cut it off for now, and besides, it makes up for how long that lat one was! ;) Enjoy!
This chapter is shorter than the rest, but I thought it was a good place to cut it off for now, and besides, it makes up for how long that lat one was! ;) Enjoy!
