Memories of a Reincarnation

"AHHH," Oscar woke up screaming. Oscar had been having a very vivid nightmare. The dream seemed just like a distant memory so he shrugged it off and got out of bed. Oscar was not looking forward to today, it's not that Oscar hates Mondays, he just hates any day he has to be in a building with bunch of dreadfully dim-witted people who hated being in that building just has much as he did. Yes, of course this building is Oscar's school. Oscar believes that his life is boring and unappealing and dreads almost every day of it, but he powers through it always thinking, "Things will get better, eventually". He sighed. A dark blue polo, white undershirt, blue jeans, and red converse, nothing fancy just something to get him through another day. Oscar walked down the hall into his bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Oscar wasn't the most muscular guy, the tallest guy, the best looking guy, but there was one distinct characteristic that he had. His eyes, they were perfect, perfect size, perfect shape, and there color was unique, they were silver, a silver that gleamed in the light, that if you looked close you could see that there was just the smallest hint of blue right around the pupils. These were eyes that if you stared in them long enough you would be trapped forever in their gaze. The only problem is that he had to cover them up with black horn-rimmed glasses. He parted his brown hair the way he liked it, and walked out of the bathroom into his living room. There was no one home right now, his father left the house roughly around six to go downtown and his mother leaves at about five to drive two hours to some college that he can never remember the name of. He didn't really mind, it gave him some silent time in the house. It's not that there was too much yelling in his household, there was just enough. Oscar just could stand that constant clicking of a keyboard or the scratch of a red pen across paper as if college students get every problem wrong. Oscar was going to be late if he made breakfast so he grabbed a granola bar, his backpack, and walked out the door, closing and locking the door behind him. The sun was up and it was shining over the small suburban homes as Oscar retrieved his bike from the side of his house, got on, and rode off down the street in the direction of his high school. Oscar's brown hair fluttered in the wind, and his silver eyes seemed to gleam from the shine of the sun. At almost the exact same time as Oscar left his house, a couple of blocks away a young girl, who had just gotten a brand new car for her birthday a couple of days ago. Now this girl was skinny, she was around five nine, with long blonde hair that seemed to fall just so perfectly on her shoulders, and her name was Charon Hallowits. She was wearing dark blue skinny jeans, and a white t-shirt with, "Pay Attention to the World Around You," written colorfully on the front of it. The keys in her hand jingled as she walked to her brand new car. She got into her new 2008 Toyota Camry, turned the key in the ignition, and drove off down the road just a little over the speed limit because she was late for school. She drove down a few blocks until she came to a four way intersection and stopped. The phone in her pocket vibrated, she looked down and checked it and saw it was a text message from her boyfriend, Jim. Charon excitedly started to text back while speeding up out of the four way intersection, once again a little too fast. Just as she began to drive off, Oscar rode onto the street in front of her car. Oscar was coming down the street on Charon's right, and didn't look before riding through the intersection. The front of the 2008 Toyota Camry crashed into the side of the bike, and Oscar's left leg. There was a thud and then a crack as Oscar flew on to the hood of the Camry, hitting his head, and a loud screech as what was left of his bike skid down the rode in the opposite direction. Now maybe if Oscar had taken some time to eat breakfast that morning, or if he had left his house earlier, or if Charon had taken longer to put on her "Pay Attention to the World Around You," t-shirt, or if Jim could have waited till school to talk to the Charon, or maybe if Charon hadn't been speeding, or if Oscar looked before riding through the intersecting. He wouldn't have been hit by Charon's car, he wouldn't have hit his head on Charon's hood, and he might still be awake.

Fluorescent lights lit up the small hospital room for one. The two parents sat in chairs, the mother crying and the father comforting her as the doctor told them that their only son may never wake up. The boy in the bed that was only slightly hearing everything around him was Oscar. There were bandages around his head, a cast and a sleeve holding up his broken leg, and all sorts of wires and tubes going in and out of his lifeless body. The doctor finished talking to Oscar's parents and left the room. Oscar's mom walked over to the side of his bed and whispered I love you in his ear as a tear dropped onto his pillow. Oscar's father put his arms around Oscar's mother and led her out of the room to get coffee. Down the hall and through the glass doors, was the waiting room, and in that waiting room was a couple, Charon and Jim. Charon's face was red, and buried in Jim's chest, her long blonde hair was a mess, and her makeup smeared. The doctor came into the waiting room and told them that Oscar was stable. They walked down the hall leading to his room together. When Charon saw Oscar, tears began to swell up in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

After a few minutes of sobbing she finally spat out, "I'm so s-sorry! I didn't me-mean to."

"He can't hear you honey"" Jim said as he rapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I know, b-but just maybe he will hear, and it will help him wake up or just an-anything." Little did she know as she left that small hospital room, Oscar did hear her, and he had already forgiven her. Oscar couldn't open his eyes no matter how hard he tried. He tried to move his arms, his legs, his toes, fingers, but just nothing worked. Trying made him tired, so tired, and he was so very cold. The darkness consumed him and he fell asleep in that little silent hospital room.

New York, New York 1920

The sun shined over the bustling city of New York, cars honked in traffic, crowds of people walked shoulder to shoulder trying to not be late to work, and at a harbor filled with goods being shipped in and out, one particular boat was just about to sail out and on to the seemingly endless ocean. This is where Mr. Peterson, an aspiring writer, was headed to, to discover a whole new world of possibilities across the North Atlantic. He had his backpack filled with whatever he thought he would need on this voyage, mostly only consisting of clothes, money, notebooks, and things to write with. His silver eyes gleamed with happiness, as he smelt the salt of the sea, and the winds flew through his dark brown hair. He stopped and smiled as he saw the gigantic ship in front of him being loaded with all different shapes and sizes of crates containing various items.

"Oscar James Peterson." Came an angry woman's voice from behind Mr. Peterson. Oscar sighed, as his smile became a frown but back into a fake smile, and he turned around to see the woman. Oscar nervously but somewhat excitedly answered, "Ooh, hey Rose! What are you doing here?" The woman had a very angry expression on her face that did not change with Oscar's attempt to be cheerful.

"You know damn well why I am here!" Rose yelled at Oscar while stomping over to stand in front of him. Even though she was a good couple of inches shorter then him, she was almost standing over Oscar because he was bunching up, afraid that she might hit him. Oscar opened up slightly and said in the same nervous but cheery way, "No I don't, w-we talked about this, I am leaving today."

"And you weren't even going to say goodbye to me after last night?!" Rose angrily answered.

"Well you were asleep and I had to get here or they would have left without me" look I'm sorry, you know I wouldn't have left without saying goodbye to you."

Rose sighed, and said as she began to calming down, "Yes, you're right, I'm just really going to miss you" I mean its four years without you."

"Yes I know, but come on, cheer up. I'll be back before you even know it, and you'll have college to keep you busy while I'm gone."

"Okay, just don't forget me while you're there"" She said as tears began to swell up in her eyes.

"I will never forget you!' he said, as he pulled her to his chest. "Now no tears, you know I will always love you right, and you will always be my Rose" She nodded, as she held him back.

"Okay now don't be falling in love with some European girl." She said as they let go of each other.

"I won't Rose." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Bye honey." He said as he started to walk towards the bridge leading to the boat.

"Goodbye Oscar." Rose said as she watched the love of her life that she won't see for four years board the boat that will take him away from her. Oscar was astounded by the mass of the deck, he walked down some stairs and went lower into the boat, he was directed where to find his room by a few sailors. He opened the hatched door and walked into the small steel room with two bunk beds on the right side, one port hole, and one lantern lighting the whole room which was actually kind of dark. From the top bunk cam a man's voice with the deepest British accent Oscar had ever heard, "'Ello, you that bloke goin to London?" the man said as he jumped down from the bunk and faced Oscar eye to eye.

"Umm, yea that's me"" Oscar replied a little surprised by the question.

"Well my name is Henry, Henry Wickers the third, but everyone calls me Wicky." Henry said cheerfully as he grabbed Oscar's hand and shook his arm clean out of his socket.

"Uh, I'm Oscar James Peterson."

"O.J. ay, well O.J. let me give you the tour of our room, those our the beds, yours is the bottom one, that's the window, and that's the light. Well that's about it. Nice to meet ya O.J.. Get some rest, it's a long ride to London." Wicky, said with a smirk as a crawled back up to his bunk and turned over. Oscar settled into his bottom bunk still a little blind sighted by his new friend, but still happy he knew someone on the ship. He lied down on the uncomfortable bed and despite the rocking of the ship and the lumpiness of his bed he fell fast asleep.

When Oscar and Wicky arrived in London, they stayed at Wicky's family's house, and Wicky showed him all around London. For one year Oscar stayed in London, doing different jobs to get money, all while writing about everything he did in detail and while getting new idea for exciting novels about city life, love, lost, and anything that came to mind. Wicky tried endlessly to set Oscar up with a woman, but Oscar refused each time still faithful to his love. After that year Oscar and Wicky hopped on a ship and sailed over to discover other parts Europe. Oscar and Wicky discovered all new beautiful places and towns, hills covered with precious flowers, towns busy with country work, forests with trees that seemed to have been born the day of Earth itself, sights that would make the mere poet weep trying to describe their beauty. And Oscar wrote and wrote, he wrote about everywhere they went, he would describe their hikes through forests, when they would stay at towns converting with locals, he would write down everything. As Oscar saw the beautiful sights he began to forget his life back in America, day by day he would be engulfed in the extravagant beauty of the places they would visit. He even forgot about Rose. When Wicky tried to set him up with a woman, Oscar would do it, he would have countless loves across the land, from town to town. They were not deep loves, just slight flings, and spurs of the moment. Every once and a while he would think about Rose what was back home, and as it came closer to time for him to go back to America, he would think about her more, and more. He would start to see her face when he looked at other women. He saw her face in clouds, and in his dreams. When the time finally came for the boat ride home, Oscar didn't sleep. All he thought about was Rose, just Rose. What she had been doing, how she had changed, if she had changed. What bothered him most, when he really thought about it, was if she had forgotten him, or

if she even still loved him.

In the hospital room laid Oscar day in and day out. Years past as he laid in that bed, the world changing around him but him having no part in it. His parents visited every day, then a couple times a week, then every two weeks, then every month, then every couple of months. It seemed as if they started to give up hope just a little bit at a time every time they saw him laying so very still in that bed, never moving, never changing in any way shape or form. Friends came to see him the first couple of weeks but they began to stop coming, everyone just getting on with their lives. No one can blame them, when nothing changes it's hard to keep coming back. Oscar would sleep for days, then for weeks then longer and longer as time pasted. Even he began to lose hope.

The twenty-two year old man walked down the busy street of New York dressed in a new blue suit, and holding a dozen flowers. This man walked up and into the apartment building on the corner of the street. He climbed the stairs to the second story and down the hall to room number eleven. Just as the man's knuckle was about to hit the wooden door, a woman's voice came out from behind the man, interrupting him mid-knock.

"Oscar James Peterson. Four years and I don't get one lousy letter?"

"Oh umm, hey Rose, I-I-I was actually just coming to see you. I'm really sorry I didn't write." Oscar's voice had the same nervous yet cheerful sound it had four years ago.

"Yea, I'm really sure you" Are, Are those for me?" she said looking at the beautiful flowers Oscar was holding.

"Oh yes they are." Oscar replied just now remembering he was holding them. Rose snatched the flowers out of his hands and smelt them.

"Oh Oscar" I can't believe you remembered that I liked white tiger lilies, but why is there one Rose?"

"Well, it's because you are different then all of the rest and just so beautiful, kinda like the Rose."

"Aw Oscar you are so sweet!" She said jumped over to him and held him tight smiling the biggest most beautiful smile. Oscar put his arms around her returning the hug with a big smile on his face as well.

From behind Oscar came a deep voice saying, "Rose is that you?" The voice belonged to a tall dark handsome man with black hair and green eyes that was standing in the doorway of apartment number eleven.

"Oh yes honey it's me." Rose responded letting go of Oscar and going over to the handsome man, and kissing him. "Oh Henry, this is my friend Oscar. Oscar this is my fiancà Henry."

"Oh well congratulations. When's the wedding?" Oscar said hiding his true feelings with a small smile.

"It's in two months." Henry said with a smile, holding Rose a little closer.

"Oh an August wedding, that's nice..."

"Honey, will you give us a minute?" Rose said breaking the awkward quite.

"Yes of course." Henry said retreating back into the apartment. Rose closed the door and turned to Oscar, not looking him directly in the eye. "We met two years ago, and well it just happened""

"Oh yea, no I understand. I wish you both the best of luck, but I have to go meet my friend. So I should actually get going." Oscar said as he turned and started to walk down the hall, tears building up in his eyes.

"Oscar!"

"Yes?" Oscar said, sucking up the tears in his eyes then stopping and turning around as Rose quickly came over to him.

"Just know, I loved you, I just couldn't wait forever. I'm really sorry. I'll never forget you""

"Don't be sorry Rose, I understand"" He said before he turned back around, walked down the hall, down the staircase, and out of Rose's life. He would never admit it, but a single tear escaped his eye as he climbed down those stairs. Rose looked down at the floor before turning around and saw a slip of paper. She picked it up and began to read it.

Dear my lovely Rose,

I have been gone for four years. I am not sure if you have moved on or not, but if you haven't please accept these Roses as an apology for never writing you and come to the address below, I still love you, and want to be with you again.

Sincerely and always yours,

Oscar James Peterson

As Rose read the last bit of the letter, she began to cry. She did not go to the address to rekindle her love with Oscar that night, and Oscar didn't expect her to, and went out with Wicky that night to, as Wicky said, "Pick up some relief." And Oscar and Wicky had a wild and fun night that night, but Oscar couldn't get Rose out of his mind, and declined when Wicky offered one of the women to come home with him. So he went back to his lonely room, lied down on his bed and waited for a new day to come.

"AHHH," Oscar yelled as he sat up in his hospital bed. "Where am I?!"

"Doctor, get in here hurry!" yelled a nurse passing by Oscar's room. The doctor ran in and said, "Oh my god, Oscar! Lay back down. You are in Lenox Hill hospital. You were hit by a car almost four years ago."

Oscar yelled sitting back up in his hospital bed, "Four years?!"

"Yes, you have been in a coma."

"Where are my parents?"

"They are on their way we just called them."

"Okay, umm th-thank you." Oscar said trying to absorb the information he had just been given. The doctor left the room and Oscar sat there just thinking until his parents came rushing into the small hospital room. His mother quickly grabbed hold of her not so little boy and began to kiss his head over and over again. A couple of hours later, after all had calmed down, Oscar was sitting in his bed and his father was sitting at the foot of the bed. Oscar cleared his throat and said, "Dad, can I ask you something about grandpa?"

Oscar's father replied, "Yes of course, what do you want to know?"

"Well tell me about how he met grandma."

"Well he met her when he was twenty-three, he always said that was the day he got over the girl of his dreams and met the love of his life. He was walking down the street in New York City, when he turned the corner and just ran right into her. They both said that that was the happiest pane of their life."

"Do you know anything about the other girl, the "girl of his dreams"?"

"Yes, actually, her name was umm Rose something. Wilkenston! That's it, Rose Wilkenston. Why do you ask about her?"

"Just wondering about it, what happened to her?"

"Oh well your grandfather came back from Europe and he was going to ask her to marry him, but she was engaged to someone else."

"That's terrible."

"Well yes, but if he had married her we would probably be a lot different, and I don't know about you but I like the way we are right now." Oscar's father said with a smile.

"One more question dad. How did grandpa die?"

"Well, your grandmother died a couple years before that, and the doctors really couldn't find a reason, but I say it was grief. He couldn't live without her. You know you were born exactly one year after he died?"

"No, you've never told me that."

"Yea well, you remind me so much of him though, I think that's why we named you after him."

"Well thanks for telling me dad."

"Anytime son, anytime. I just want you to know though, it's really good to have to back, I love you son."

"I love you too dad." Oscar said as him and his father embraced. Oscar made a full recovery after a couple months of physical therapy. He enrolled in college a year after he woke up. Two years after he woke up, Oscar is walking down a some what busy street in New York City, when he turned a corner not paying attention to where he was going, and ran right into a beautiful girl. She had beautiful long brown hair, and breathtaking blue eyes with just the smallest hint of silver around the pupils.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Said Oscar to the girl, as he helped her off the ground.

As Oscar helped her up the girl said in the most beautiful voice that soothed Oscar's soul it was so nice, "Oh yes yes, I'm okay. Sorry I wasn't really paying attention."

"I wasn't either, sorry. Well, hello, my name is Oscar James Peterson." He said putting his hand out for a hand shake.

"Oh hi, I'm Ashley, Ashley Rosalyn Wilkenston." She said shaking Oscar's hand.

Oscar said smiling, "Ashley Rosalyn, hmm, I really like that name."

"I like yours too, Oscar" She replied, gleaming the most beautiful smile back at him.

"Umm, would you like to go get some coffee?"

"I would love to." She said as they both walked off down the street.

Every love story gets a second chance, even if it's in a different lifetime.