Me, Mike, and Amnesia, chapter 6
Mike, Tre, Billie Joe and I sat quietly for a while.
"You guys wanna do something?" I asked.
"Yeah," Mike said sarcastically. "Why don't we find someone to help me get my memory back?"
Billie Joe sighed. "Mike, it looks like we just can't do that right now. Why don't we do something fun to get our minds off it?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"How about the park?" Tre suggested.
"That's a fantastic idea, Tre," I said, leaping out of my chair. "Whoever gets to the front door last buys the others ice cream!" I ran to the door, flung it open, then began powering down the stairs, laughing. Before long I heard the guys charging down the stairs after me, yelling things like "I'm gonna beat you fucker!" and "My grandmother could kick your ass!" etc.
All three of them flew out the front door to find me leaning against the wall, blowing on my knuckles smugly. "You ladies JUST got here? My, my." I shook my head with mock pity. They laughed and pushed me in the direction of the park.
"Remind me to shove your head in the toilet later," Tre said.
"Now, why would I do that?" I asked.
"Because if you don't, I will tickle you until you piss your pants."
"Yeah, yeah. You're all talk." I boasted.
"Oh, REALLY? Would you like me to prove it to you?" Tre raised his eyebrows.
I sighed. "I would, but....you're too much of a wimp."
"Oh, that is it." Tre started running after me, but I was faster. I arrived at the park first and hid behind a bench. Everything was deathly quiet except the sounds of my shallow breathing and my heart pounding against my ribcage, until...
"GOTCHA!!!" Tre pounced from behind me, tickling my sides like a madman.
I screamed, then began laughing uncontrollably. "Stop! Get off me!" I screeched in between giggles. He finally stopped, got up, and offered me his hand. I took it, and he helped me up. We stood there for a moment, both of us panting, looking at each other. He reached up to brush a hair off of my face.
"Jesus Christ! How were we supposed to keep up with you two, fucking marathon sprinters?!" Billie Joe called from behind us.
I laughed. "Well maybe if you actually exercised once in a while instead of sitting on your ass playing guitar all the time, you could keep up with the likes of me."
"I will have you know, Miss Queen of the Universe, that playing guitar is a perfectly respectable form of exercise and ART, but you wouldn't know anything about that, being uncultured as you are."
"Shut the hell up, Billie Joe." I laughed. "Now, who's buying me ice cream?"
"Well, it's certainly not me." Tre said smugly.
"It's not me!" claimed Billie Joe. We all turned to look at Mike.
"What are you looking at me for? I was first!" We continued to stare, not believing him. "Okay, it's me." He admitted. "Uh...but I don't have any money. Do I even have a job?" Tre, Billie Joe, and I were silent for a minute, having no idea what Mike was talking about. Then the truth of his amnesia came back to us with full force. I guess we had been having so much fun laughing and joking around with each other like we did when things we normal, we forgot all about it.
"Yeah, you have a job, Mike." Billie Joe said quietly. "Oh, shit! Your job, Mike!"
"What? Where do I work?"
"At a restaurant," I told him.
"Does your mom still work there, Billie Joe?" Tre asked.
"Yeah, she does." Billie Joe was quick to change the subject. "But Mike, how are you supposed to go back to work tomorrow? You won't remember anything."
"Yeah, that's true."
I knew what we were all thinking, but Mike said it first. "I...guess I'll have to quit."
"Yeah," Billie Joe admitted. "I guess you will."
As it turned out, we all bought our own ice cream, so Mike wouldn't feel bad about his lack of money. We ate it as we walked back to the apartment, trying not to think about how the next day Mike was going to have to call a job that he had had for as long as any of us could remember and quit for no apparent reason.
Also as we walked we discussed how the four of us were supposed to live off of the income of two part-time jobs. Billie Joe worked at a guitar store, and Tre at a record store, and I had been claiming depression ever since my parents kicked me out and had never really thought about getting a job. We decided this was probably best, as someone needed to stay home with Mike so he wouldn't do anything dumb, or get lonely.
We arrived at the apartment and trudged up the stairs. Tre dug out his key and unlocked the door, and we all entered. By then it was about eleven.
Mike yawned. "I'm exhausted. Waking up with amnesia takes a lot out of you."
"Yeah, I have that problem." I joked.
Mike made a face at me. I laughed. "Well, good night, my favorite amnesiac." He nodded at me.
"Good night, Billie Joe. Night, Tre." I said.
"Good night, Violet." They replied.
I wandered down the hall to my room and crawled into bed, thinking about how screwed up amnesia could make one measly day.
"You guys wanna do something?" I asked.
"Yeah," Mike said sarcastically. "Why don't we find someone to help me get my memory back?"
Billie Joe sighed. "Mike, it looks like we just can't do that right now. Why don't we do something fun to get our minds off it?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"How about the park?" Tre suggested.
"That's a fantastic idea, Tre," I said, leaping out of my chair. "Whoever gets to the front door last buys the others ice cream!" I ran to the door, flung it open, then began powering down the stairs, laughing. Before long I heard the guys charging down the stairs after me, yelling things like "I'm gonna beat you fucker!" and "My grandmother could kick your ass!" etc.
All three of them flew out the front door to find me leaning against the wall, blowing on my knuckles smugly. "You ladies JUST got here? My, my." I shook my head with mock pity. They laughed and pushed me in the direction of the park.
"Remind me to shove your head in the toilet later," Tre said.
"Now, why would I do that?" I asked.
"Because if you don't, I will tickle you until you piss your pants."
"Yeah, yeah. You're all talk." I boasted.
"Oh, REALLY? Would you like me to prove it to you?" Tre raised his eyebrows.
I sighed. "I would, but....you're too much of a wimp."
"Oh, that is it." Tre started running after me, but I was faster. I arrived at the park first and hid behind a bench. Everything was deathly quiet except the sounds of my shallow breathing and my heart pounding against my ribcage, until...
"GOTCHA!!!" Tre pounced from behind me, tickling my sides like a madman.
I screamed, then began laughing uncontrollably. "Stop! Get off me!" I screeched in between giggles. He finally stopped, got up, and offered me his hand. I took it, and he helped me up. We stood there for a moment, both of us panting, looking at each other. He reached up to brush a hair off of my face.
"Jesus Christ! How were we supposed to keep up with you two, fucking marathon sprinters?!" Billie Joe called from behind us.
I laughed. "Well maybe if you actually exercised once in a while instead of sitting on your ass playing guitar all the time, you could keep up with the likes of me."
"I will have you know, Miss Queen of the Universe, that playing guitar is a perfectly respectable form of exercise and ART, but you wouldn't know anything about that, being uncultured as you are."
"Shut the hell up, Billie Joe." I laughed. "Now, who's buying me ice cream?"
"Well, it's certainly not me." Tre said smugly.
"It's not me!" claimed Billie Joe. We all turned to look at Mike.
"What are you looking at me for? I was first!" We continued to stare, not believing him. "Okay, it's me." He admitted. "Uh...but I don't have any money. Do I even have a job?" Tre, Billie Joe, and I were silent for a minute, having no idea what Mike was talking about. Then the truth of his amnesia came back to us with full force. I guess we had been having so much fun laughing and joking around with each other like we did when things we normal, we forgot all about it.
"Yeah, you have a job, Mike." Billie Joe said quietly. "Oh, shit! Your job, Mike!"
"What? Where do I work?"
"At a restaurant," I told him.
"Does your mom still work there, Billie Joe?" Tre asked.
"Yeah, she does." Billie Joe was quick to change the subject. "But Mike, how are you supposed to go back to work tomorrow? You won't remember anything."
"Yeah, that's true."
I knew what we were all thinking, but Mike said it first. "I...guess I'll have to quit."
"Yeah," Billie Joe admitted. "I guess you will."
As it turned out, we all bought our own ice cream, so Mike wouldn't feel bad about his lack of money. We ate it as we walked back to the apartment, trying not to think about how the next day Mike was going to have to call a job that he had had for as long as any of us could remember and quit for no apparent reason.
Also as we walked we discussed how the four of us were supposed to live off of the income of two part-time jobs. Billie Joe worked at a guitar store, and Tre at a record store, and I had been claiming depression ever since my parents kicked me out and had never really thought about getting a job. We decided this was probably best, as someone needed to stay home with Mike so he wouldn't do anything dumb, or get lonely.
We arrived at the apartment and trudged up the stairs. Tre dug out his key and unlocked the door, and we all entered. By then it was about eleven.
Mike yawned. "I'm exhausted. Waking up with amnesia takes a lot out of you."
"Yeah, I have that problem." I joked.
Mike made a face at me. I laughed. "Well, good night, my favorite amnesiac." He nodded at me.
"Good night, Billie Joe. Night, Tre." I said.
"Good night, Violet." They replied.
I wandered down the hall to my room and crawled into bed, thinking about how screwed up amnesia could make one measly day.
