Lost Fan Fiction

What about the people in the tail section?

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Location: Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Part 365: An Ending and a Begining

July 26th, 2005

Shanna slowly opened her eyes. The sun was peering through the blinds and caressing her face. The redhead shifted over in her bed. She remembered what it was like to lay in bed, waiting for the clock to go off and head to school. Then afterwards, she’d be in a rush to get to her dad’s pharmacy, cause if she was late he would give her a lecture and she HATED his lectures. There were times when he wished he would beat her; cause it was less painful than a lecture.

Mia moaned on the other side of the bed. Shanna smiled at her best friend; happy they were able to spend these last two weeks together, especially in her own home. The redhead stood up and slowly got off her bed, letting the Lakota sleep. She gently stepped out into the hallway, letting her XXL Star Trek shirt flow around her. The redhead laughed, wondering what her old boy friend was up to and wondered if he still remembered that she had his shirt.

Shanna walked down the hallway and into the living room. Sprawled on the couch was Seth; slightly snoring away. Her cat, Carmen, was curled up in a ball on the side of Seth’s ribs, purring away as well. The redhead giggled as she picked up nearby disposable camera and took a picture of her sleeping adoptive brother with the cat. “Black mail photos,” she giggled.

“What are you doing?” Mia laughed quietly.

Shanna came back and they laughed together, sneaking back into the kitchen. The redhead felt young with Mia in her home. It felt like she was a teenager again, sneaking around the house in order to not wake up her father. The two friends giggled a little more before Shanna started to wince from her cold feet on the tiled floor. Mia helped herself to the coffee maker and started to brew some morning java. Shanna sat down at the kitchen table and placed her disposable camera in her purse. “I can imagine you growing up here.” Mia said.

“You can?” Shanna smiled, “Thank you.”

“I’ll bet Fall is beautiful here.” The Lakota stared out at the window.

“It’s almost as beautiful as Winter too.” The redhead sighed, “I’ll miss living here but I think I’ve gained a lot out of the deal.”

Mia joined her at the kitchen table. “I think you have too,” she smiled, taking her hand.

“Thanks for being a great friend, Mia. I don’t think I could have made this journey without you or Seth.”

“We couldn’t have made it without each other.” The Lakota smiled, “And soon we’ll have our new lives in California. I’ll have John and Seth will have Tanya . . .I want you to promise me you’ll come visit me.”

“Oh, I don’t suspect I’ll be that far away. I can imagine myself living in a nice little white picket fence house someone, just me and Carmen.”

“You want to be neighbors?” Mia giggled.

“Does that neighborhood have any available houses?” Shanna giggled with her.

“Morning, sisters,” Seth said, from the doorway.

“Hey, Sethie,” Shanna giggled, “Did Carmen keep you awake? Did you respect her in the morning?”

Seth pulled up the cat and held it close, letting it purr under his chin. “Don’t listen to her, baby doll,” he chuckled, “ She doesn’t understand the connection we have.”

“Don’t break my cat’s heart, Seth,” the redhead laughed.

“You’re right. I only have eyes for Tanya,” the singer hugged the cat, “ Sorry, Carmen. We’ll always have Paris.”

Mia laughed as she got up to go fix her coffee. She gently poured it into the big white coffee mug that said I DON’T LIKE MONDAYS and Garfield on the side. “It’s your turn to cook breakfast, Seth,” she mentioned.

“Oh, yeah, it is, isn’t it?” He said, calmly scratching his right buttcheek, “ What do you ladies want?”

“Can we have those apple crapes again?” Shanna patted her feet and cupped her hands together in a begging motion, “Please, please, please, please!!”

“Okay, Okay,” he laughed, “ let me get a shower and I’ll be right there.”

Mia brought over her coffee cup and one for Shanna too. Carmen purred on Shanna’s pale legs, allowing the redhead to reach down and pet her. The Lakota blew into her coffee and sipped on it. The kitchen corner was filled with boxes of all the personal stuff Shanna wanted to take with her. The redhead tucked her hair behind her left ear and sipped on her coffee. “You think your Uncle has sold the majority of the stuff?” Mia asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” Shanna whispered, “We’re picking up my check regardless. I am so anxious to leave.”

“What . . .about the grave?” her best friend whispered.

Shanna smiled, silently thanking Mia for her politeness. “Yeah,” she whispered, “We’ll go see it on the way out.”


After Seth spoiled them with their breakfast, he drove them toward her town square. The whole town was like something out of a Normal Rockwell painting. Most of the shops were made of brick and adorned with outside troves filled with rosy flowers. Mothers were taking their children down the sidewalks with their dogs in tow, on their way to the hardware shop. There was even a place where they sold typical hot dogs and hamburgers in typical small town fashion. Seth pulled the truck into the corner area where the pharmacy was located and it was adorned with signs that said GOING OUT OF BUSINESS.

Shanna got out of the truck and walked up to the sidewalk; her yellow and white sundress flowing in the breeze. She opened the door and heard the familiar cowbell above that she had heard the majority of her life. The shelves were almost picked clean from their liquidation. Her Uncle Kelvin was behind the counter in the back. When he saw her, he smiled and stood up. “Hey, Shanna,” he said, then turned around.

“Hey, Uncle Kev,” she said, joining him in the back.

The older man picked up a box and set it on the counter. He then picked up a long yellow check and handed it to her. “Your share of the liquidation.” He told her.

“Thank you,” she smiled, putting it in the box.

“Your Aunt thought you would run this place with your father gone.”

“This Pharmacy was my dad’s dream . . .not mine,” she said, bluntly.

“I am sorry to see you go, little hood,” he smiled, referring to her childhood nickname.

“Oh, don’t be sad, Uncle Kev,” she said, embracing him, “Be happy for me. I am surrounded by people I love and I’ll be back every Christmas.”

“You’ve grown up so much since I’ve seen you last,” he smiled, “ Take one trip to Australia and you come back stronger in spirit than you’ve ever been.”

“I met the right people,” she smiled.

“I’m sure you did.” He then patted the box, “I think I got all your personal stuff from your desk and your father’s in here for you.”

Shanna looked it over. She saw her favorite Alien squeezie. Not to mention the rubber ducky that was her dad’s favorite cause it was her real bath tub companion as a kid. Plus the various amounts of photos, pads and other stuff she had at the pharmacy. Shanna leaned up and kissed her Uncle on the cheek one more time. “Thanks for everything, Uncle Kev,” she smiled, picking up the box, “I’ll call often.”

“Take care, little hood,” he said, watching her walk away and then pointed, “You sure you don’t want to take the cowbell with you?”

“No, thanks,” she giggled, “The last thing I need is more cowbell.”

Shanna opened the door and walked out onto the sidewalk. To her surprise, Seth and Mia were no longer in the truck. The redhead calmly walked over and placed the box in the bed, then looked around to see where her two friends were at. Suddenly they appeared behind the corner and had small cups in there hands, eating ice cream. When Shanna looked closely, she saw that it was something else. “Dippin Dots!” she giggled.

“We couldn’t resist,” Seth mentioned, then held out her cup, “Vanilla, right?”

“Oh, my god, I could eat my weight in these things,” Shanna said, taking the cup, scooping the special ice cream in her mouth and closing her eyes at the taste.

“Did you get things settled?” Mia asked, slurping her strawberry Dippin Dots.

“Yeah, lets make a pit stop by the bank,” she said, getting in the back of the truck, “Then back home to pack.”



After a few hours of packing the majority of the bed with Shanna’s personal effects, they were getting ready to head back to Los Angeles. Seth secured the ropes to the boxes in the back so they wouldn’t wobble. He looked over to Mia who was walking along a side railing in the ground surrounding a flower bed with no flowers. She was on the cell-phone, giggling and playing with her hair. Seth smirked as it was no surprise who she was talking to. She then told the person on the other end that she loved them and hung up. “YES!” she smiled, hissing out the statement like a cheerleader.

“How’s John?” Seth laughed.

“He got the gym teacher job!” she leaped up and down for joy.

“John Riggs, from bad ass hunter to gym teacher,” the singer giggled, “That should be the name of his memoir.”

“I’ll let him know.”

Shanna then came out with her last and most precious package; Carmen. The cat meowed inside her pet carrier as Shanna turned and locked the house. She then placed the key inside a flower pot next to the door. “Your Aunt coming to get the key?” Seth asked.

“Yeah, she’ll come by tomorrow,” Shanna walked to the truck, “Let’s get going.”

“Any pit stops along the way?”

“Only one, “ the redhead whispered as she got in the truck.


The church was old. It was smaller than average churches go. On the outside of the church was various trees and surrounded it was various tombstones of the buried dead. Seth pulled the truck into one of the parking lots, as the church was clearly empty. It was one of those places that only saw activity on Sunday morning. Shanna gently tucked her finger in the pet carrier to let Carmen lick the tip of it. Then she got out and closed the door behind her. Seth pressed the button to let the window slide down and gently handed her the flowers they bought. “Thanks, Seth,” she smiled.

“You want us to come with you?” he asked.

“No,” she sighed, “This I have to do on my own.”

Seth and Mia watched their adoptive sister walk along the parking lot and then stepped onto the grass. She calmly walked over to where her father’s grave was, next to her mother’s. The tombstone was still gray and the flower pot was on top of it. She calmly removed the dead ones and replaced it with the flowers she and her friends brought. She kneeled down and picked off some of the dead leaves from the white gravel that covered the grave site. “Hey, dad,” Shanna whispered, “It’s your daughter.”

The wind blew slightly. The redhead chuckled as if she might have been expecting to hear something but knew full well, she couldn’t. “I . .uh . . .I miss you,” she said, “I wish . . .I wish you were still around. I wish you were still here so I could tell you what I really feel and give you the chance to respond. Now . . .our conversations are going to be one sided.”

Shanna stood up, and walked a few paces, then turned to face the tombstone. “I wish our last words were not spoken in anger, dad,” she sighed, “I’m not sorry I had to travel half away around the world to find myself because I did find myself. Plus some friends that will stay with me when it’s my time to go. You’ll never get the chance to hear me say that I am bi-sexual and I am not ashamed of that. I met someone . . . .a nice man . . .his name was Brendon and he taught me to love people that I want to love. And I loved him very much. And now . ..that you are no longer here in Cornelius Pass . . .I am free. I am free to be who I am and be with my friends. I’m making my life elsewhere, dad.”

The redhead kneeled down to stare at the tombstone. “I guess I’ll never get to hear you say you disapprove of my lifestyle,” she whispered, “And I guess I’ll never get an answer. Cause the question I have to ask is one you’ll never answer. Why, Dad? Why did you give up? Why . ..why couldn’t you have held onto your faith and waited for me to come back?”

A small yellow butterfly fluttered past Shanna, making her gasp a little. She wasn’t sure what to take of that but she dismissed it. She slowly stood up. “I’m going, dad.” She whispered, “I’ll always miss you and I’ll always love you. I hope . . .where ever you might be . .. that you are at least proud of me. And don’t worry about me. I am no longer alone and now . . . .I am free.”

Shanna kissed her fingers and then leaned over, placing them on the tombstone. She turned around and began to walk back toward the truck. Seth immediately turned on the engine, as it was their signal to leave. Shanna got in and took one last look at the tombstone. She then patted the back of Seth’s seat; a way of telling him it was time to go.


The highway stretched onward as they were one day away from Los Angeles and their respective homes. Mia had her head leaning out the cracked window. Shanna was resting her head against the back seat, feeding small treats to her cats. Seth had his left arm propped up against the door and gently pushed up his sunglasses. He was anxious to get back to Tanya and enjoy things like dinner, movies and other things with her. Then a very familiar song came over the radio. Seth started to laugh at it. It was almost poetic. The singer then immediately started to sing along with it.

I’m sailing away,
set an open course for the virgin sea


Mia looked to him, smiling brightly. Shanna leaned up and grinned at her best friend. They both understood why Seth was enjoying the song. It was like their journey had come to an end but at the end of every journey: a new one begins. They laughed as they started to sing with him.

I’ve got to be free,
free to face the life that’s ahead of me
On board, I’m the captain, so climb aboard
Well search for tomorrow on every shore
And I’ll try, oh lord, Ill try to carry on

I look to the sea,
reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had
We live happily forever, so the story goes
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold
But well try best that we can
to carry oNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN


Shanna started to bang her hands on the back seat, doing her best drums impersonation. Mia giggled as she did an air guitar. Seth laughed as he tapped his hands on the steering wheel, then waited for the repose.

A gathering of angels appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said
They said


Mia and Shanna quickly sang with him.

Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me


Mia and Shanna laughed so hard their lungs hurt. Seth held out his hand and the Lakota girl immediately took it. Shanna laughed as she cupped both her hands around them. They were on their way to their new lives but deep down they knew they would never be apart from each other. They had formed a bond that couldn’t be broken by death, nor loss, nor strife. They were sad that Brendon wasn’t with them to share in their laughter and love for one another.

But in a special way, he’ll always be with them.

Part 364: Cecil's Son

July 11th, 2005

Mia sipped on her coffee inside the massive diner in Alabama. She sat at the bar, waiting for everybody to get ready to make one of their final stops in their long tour of America. The Lakota girl was wary of all the men in dirty baseball caps walking by her and making suggestive glances. Whenever the situation occurred, she just reminded herself of the loving husband she had waiting for her back at home. Shanna came back from browsing from the shop of the Iron Skillet diner. The redhead giggled as she had been making a habit to purchases as many souvenirs as she could get as they traveled from state to state. She was still wearing the black cowgirl hat she bought in Texas. “How is the coffee?” she asked.

“It just keeps getting better as we go farther south.” Mia giggled, “But after this we are heading back up.”

“You bet,” Shanna sighed, “ Back home to Cornelius Pass.”

“I know the loss of your father make not make this trip any easier, Shanna,” the Lakota girl told her, “But it will help you put these in perspective.”

“I know. I just . . .I want it done. I want to get on with my life.”

“And you will,” Mia smiled.

The waitress came over and poured some coffee into Shanna’s cup. The red-head looked at her and smiled. “Excuse me,” she said to the waitress, “We are out of town here.”

“I couldn’t tell,” the waitress giggled.

“I was just curious . . .is it always this hot around here?”

“No,” the waitress laughed, “In August, it gets worse.”

The two young women giggled as the woman walked away. “Yowza.” Shanna sighed.

“Thank God we won’t be here in August.” Mia said, sipping her coffee.

“What is Seth doing?” the redhead pointed.

Mia looked toward her right and saw Seth staring at an old, wooden carved sign on the far wall. He calmly turned around and began to walk toward his friends. He leaned on the counter with a very perplexed look on his face. “Interesting sign, Seth?” Mia asked.

“You know the name of this town?” he asked him.

“Yeah, OP, Alabama.” Shanna said, “I think it’s cute.”

“You know what it’s original name was, according to that sign? It was called Opportunity, Alabama.”

“Really?” Mia said, with a raised eyebrow.

“Why did they change it?” Shanna asked.

“Because they couldn’t spell Opportunity.” Seth scoffed.

“No way. Are you serious?” the Lakota asked.

“Apparently so, “ the young bookstore worker turned to the waitress and cooks, “You people are idiots!”

Mia and Shanna then froze at what their friend just said. The waitress who helped them earlier came over as the cooks were staring at Seth. “What did you just say, boy?” the waitress asked.

“I mean, seriously, this town became OP because you guys couldn’t spell Opportunity?” he coughed, “ Do you morons realize you are fueling every single stereotype about the South? No wonder all movies about the South suck!”

Mia then quickly dropped a ten dollar bill on the counter, grabbed Seth by the wrist and ran for the door. Shanna giggled slightly, waved to them and ran after them. The waitress grunted and took the ten dollar bill which more than paid for the two cups of coffee. She didn’t know much about the Yankee boy but at least the girls he was with where polite.



Seth slowly drove the truck down the suburban street. Kids were playing all around; mixtures of black, white and Mexican. Dogs would occasionally bark from their leashed tags in the middle of yards. Two little girls, one redhead and one blonde were carrying a box that said COOKIES, 50 CENTS. Seth sighed at the serene peacefulness of it. “So this is the South?” he whispered, “It’s not so bad.”

“You still think all of them are idiots, Seth?” Shanna asked.

“Well, show me one and I’ll ask him,” the bookstore worker smiled.

“You know, I half liked you better when you didn’t speak your mind,” Mia giggled.

“Yeah, likewise.” He laughed.

“WHOA!” Mia pointed, “Here is it!”

Seth then stopped the truck. They were about five feet away from a mail box and on the side of the numbers 108, it read WALKER. At the side of the yard, was a grown man playing with two kids and a woman nearby, pregnant. Mia blinked; she never realized Cecil was a grand father. How could he have acted knowing what kind of family he had? “You want us to wait?” Seth asked.

“Yeah, “ she smiled, opening the door, “ I don’t think this will take long.”

Mia closed the door behind her as Shanna and Seth got out of the truck to wait outside of it. The Lakota girl walked over through the sidewalk and over to the front yard. The sound of playful laughter could be heard as she walked closer. She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell this man his father was dead but she made a promise to Cecil and Mia always kept her promises. The woman that was sitting on a nearby stool, watching the children finally noticed her. “Hello.” She said, politely.

“Hello,” Mia smiled back, “James Walker?”

“Jimmy!” the woman called, “There is someone here to see you.”

The man turned around and looked at Mia. The Lakota girl were thrown back for a few seconds, as she saw that this man looked incredibly like a young Cecil. James stopped playing with his kids and walked up to the young woman. “Hello there.” He said, “What can I do for you?”

“I am sorry to bother you, Mr. Walker,” she said, extending her hand, “My name is Mia Riggs. I was wondering, . . .have you heard of the story of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815?”

“Oh, my goodness, I have,” the pregnant woman said, standing up.

“My wife Gloria is a stay home mom,” James smiled, “She’s probably going to know about it more than me. Why? Is this a survey?”

“No, I was just coming to tell you . . well . . .I was on that flight . . . .and . .so was your dad.”

Gloria paused when she heard Mia say those particular words. James’s winced up his cheeks slightly and looked at the ground. He then turned back to Mia. “Cecil . ..was on that flight?” he asked.

“Yes, sir and I regret to say . . .he’s dead.”

“Cecil died in the crash?” Gloria asked.

“Actually, no . . .he died afterward. I had a few weeks to get to know him and he requested I give you this, should he not make it.”

Mia then handed James the wallet. The stout man then took it and opened it up. He immediately saw the picture of him as a baby, posing with his father and mother; a mother he didn’t remember. He smiled briefly, before letting a tear fall down his cheek. “I . . .I promised I wouldn’t cry for that man when he passed,” he slightly chuckled, “ But hear I am crying anyway. Did he . . . .did he tell you this was the only picture of my mother?”

“Yes, he did,” she sighed, “I think that was the reason he wanted you to have it.”

“Well, “ he sighed, wiping his eyes, “At least the old bastard did something good. Mrs. Riggs . . .how did he die? Did he suffer?”

“He was suffering from lung cancer but . . . .in the end . . .he took his own life.”

“Oh, my Goodness.” Gloria gasped.

James then closed both of his eyes, letting the tears flow easily. He covered his eyes shortly, just enough for his kids to see he was weeping. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “Most people in this situation . . “ he coughed, “Might tell the person that their loved one died a hero or something.”

“Yes, I suppose they would,” Mia sighed.

“Thank you . . .for your honesty.” He said, shaking her hand.

“I hope I haven’t upset you too much,” she smiled slightly, “I know what kind of man your father was but he was respectable enough to request this of me and I wanted to make sure it happened. I wish you all the best. Farewell.”

Mia turned and began to walk back toward her friends. When they saw she was coming back, they proceeded to get into the truck as well. “MRS RIGGS!!” James called to her.

The Lakota girl turned and looked at him. “Yes?” she inquired.

“While he . . .while my father was on that Island with you . .did he do anything good? Anything at all?”

Mia looked at him. When he asked the question, she was reminded of how Cecil wrestled the gun away from Sawyer. He then warned him that he had the chance to turn his life around, before he shot himself. Had he not spared Sawyer, then the redneck never would have been able to help them against the Liberation, and even become fast friends with the majority of the people on the beach. He wouldn’t have had the chance to grow. “Yes, he did do one good thing,” she smiled, “He may have taken his own life . .but before that, he saved someone else’s.”

James then shook his head and proceeded to cry; a silent way of saying thank you. Mia watched him rejoin his wife as she embraced him. Even his kids came over; not knowing what was happening but embracing him nonetheless. The Lakota girl turned around and felt good about their future. Cecil may have been a despicable con man but he had a son who made up for his mistakes by creating a loving family. In the end, it was enough.

Mia got in the truck and Seth drove them away. They had one more stop on their long journey but it would indeed be the last stop.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Part 363: True Brothers

June 26th, 2005

Claire gently rocked Aaron to sleep. The room that she was in belonged to Charlie but it in a different fashion; it was just simply where he stored his junk. However, he cleaned out the bulk of it to make room for Aaron. The young blonde was so thankful to Charlie for turning it into a nursery. She even watched him throw all of it away. The dumpster outside was nearly filled with fan letters, photos, magazines interviews, awards; all from his hay day with Drive Shaft. But he got rid of it all for them. Claire was so proud of him. He had come so far and now someone was threatening to bring him back into that life.

“Liam, you can run Driveshaft if you want,” Charlie told his brother, “But I am not coming back.”

“It’s not the same without you, baby brother,” his older brother told him, “You need to come back. This is your time to reclaim your glory.”

“I WILL reclaim my glory . .in my own time,” the musician sighed, “I’ve got better things to worry about, Liam.”

Claire rested her head on the doorway arch, listening to the two brothers in their conversation. Liam was doing his best to convince Charlie to return to Driveshaft but he wanted nothing to do with it. Charlie was content to take care of her and her baby; not to mention wait for when Seth and Shanna were ready. However, Liam was nothing if not persistent. “Charlie, listen to me,” his brother pleaded, “I’ve already told everybody else that you are coming back. They are expecting this.”

“Then you can do me the favor of disappointing them,” Charlie immediately replied, “You never should have told them that; not without consulting me. But then again . .you’ve never needed my say in anything anyway.”

Liam blinked. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“You were the one who forced me into the band in the first place. On your terms, Liam, not mine! It was all about the music and you corrupted it with the drugs! I told you when it was too much we’d walk away but you didn’t listen.”

“That’s in the past, Charlie.”

“NOT FOR ME!” the musician bellowed, “ I’ve had to live with it for the near past year, Liam. Why didn’t you come see me sooner?”

“I’ve already told you, baby brother. I was in massive press tours, Driveshaft is a big hit in Japan.”

“Then there you go, Liam. You don’t need me.”

“I was doing this for you, Charlie. All of has been for you.”

“OH, BOLLOCKS!” Charlie stood up and paced around, “You’ve never done anything for me. NEVER.”

“Charlie, calm down,” Liam held up a hand.

“Look, just forget it, Liam. When Seth and Shanna are ready, we are forming Turboshaft. We’ll be better than Driveshaft every was. You might want to get use to the idea.”

“Oh, Charlie, would you please stop that sodding non-sense?” the tall singer buried his face in his hands, “Turoshaft has got to be the stupidest name I’ve heard of, not to mention you can’t carry a band with only three people.”

“Watch us,” Charlie warned.

“Charlie, come back with me. Give yourself a chance before you embarrass yourself. And get wrapped up in the drugs again.”

“Excuse me?” Charlie hissed, “What the HELL makes you think I will get back in the drugs again?”

Liam walked over and placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “Baby brother, lets face it,” he whispered, “you couldn’t take care of a cat. How do you bloody hell expect to take care of this twitch and her kid?”

“HEY!” Claire screamed from the doorway.

Charlie quickly moved away from his brother to intercept Claire but she fought go get closer to Liam. “HOW DARE YOU!” she pointed.

“Claire, I got this.” The musician tried to assure her.

“You don’t have the right to judge, Charlie,” she barked, “He fought the drugs on the Island and became clean from them. He’s free of them! Not only did he take care of me and my son, HE SAVED MY SONS LIFE!!”

“Claire, please, go outside.”

“THE NEXT TIME YOU GOT A HAIL OF BULLETS ON YOU, THEN YOU GET THE RIGHT TO JUDGE CHARLIE!!!”

Charlie continued to walk Claire toward the fire escape. He slowly opened the window big enough for her to walk out. “Claire, please.” The musician whispered, “I’ll handle Liam.”

“He’s got no right to talk to you that way, Charlie.” She said, crossing her arms.

“I know,” he slowly smiled, “Thank you . . .for defending me.”

Claire’s eyes flashed toward the musician. It was that special look she reserved only for him. She leaned up on her toes and kissed him. Charlie held onto her for a few seconds and then they gently parted. The young Australian stepped out onto the outside stairway and sat down. Charlie didn’t close the window, giving her enough respect to hear the conversation as it continued. The young Australian tucked her hair behind her ears as they continued their shouting match.

Claire rubbed her eyes. She was thankful for so much from Charlie. Giving her and Aaron a place to stay considering she had nothing to go back to Australia for. The Australian woman slowly hugged her knees and as she did, she saw a truck coming down the street. She blinked and raised her eyes; realizing it looked exactly like the two trucks she and Charlie got from the corporations after they came home. The truck had a large orange tarp covering over a big object in the back. As it came to a stop, a young man got out of the drivers side and a young woman got out of the passengers side, then shortly followed by another young woman. Claire’s eyes lid up with joy considering she knew all three of them. “SETH!!” she laughed, “MIA, SHANNA!!”

“Hey!” the young singer smiled, covering the sun from his eyes as he looked up, “What are you doing up there, Claire?”

Claire didn’t answer immediately. She was just too happy to see them. She quickly made her way down the stairs on the metal staircase joined to the building and then immediately ran into the awaiting arms of Mia. The Lakota girl laughed as she and the Australian turned in their friendly hug. As they parted, Shanna hugged her as well; kissing her on the cheek. Then she hugged Seth who laughed, playfully picking up her. “Whoa, Seth,” she laughed, “I thought only those kinda hugs came from Hurley.”

“I guess the big man rubs off on me.” He smiled.

“It’s so great to see you, Claire,” Mia smiled, “Where is Charlie? We’d love to see him.”

“I know he’d love to see you guys but . . .I don’t think now is a good time.”

“Why not?” asked Shanna.

“His brother Liam is up there and they’ve been arguing about getting back into Driveshaft.”

Seth slowly looked up and sneered. “Is that right?” he whispered.


Within moment, the friends had road the elevator up toward the third floor and followed Claire down the musty hallway. She got to the door and opened it with her key. As they walked in, Charlie and Liam were still arguing but then they paused as the three new friends walked in. The bassist’s eyes lit up at the sight of his three favorite friends from the Island. Seth immediately walked into and headed toward Charlie. The two friends quickly embraced, with quick pats on the back. “It’s good to see you, Seth,” Charlie laughed.

“Seth?” Liam coughed, “Are you him?”

Seth looked at the taller man with a slightly bent eyebrows. “Yeah, I am Seth,” he immediately said, then looked toward his friend, “You gonna let me say my peace, Charlie or should we just tell Liam to leave?”

“You honestly think you can take my place with my brother?” Liam glared.

“Wise up, dumb ass,” the singer hissed, “I HAVE taken your place.”

“Guys, don’t do this!” Charlie protested.

“Nothing is stronger than the ties of blood, you twit!” Liam barked back at him.

“Let me clue you in, boy,” Seth retorted, “I was there with him. I was there in the muck and fire, helping him survive. There was a plane full of drugs that has crashed landed on the Island. I set it ablaze to take away his temptation. THAT’S . ..what a true brother can do, blood or not!”

“There is nothing you could do that I couldn’t do!” Liam yelled.

“Oh, yeah? How about correct your mistakes?” Seth said coldly.

Liam paused and then winced. “What are you talking about?” he reacted.

“Hey, Charlie,” the musician patted his friend on the back, “Come downstairs with me. I got something of yours.”

“Something . . .of mine?” the bassist said, following him.

Claire quickly got Aaron from his bed and brought him down with them. Mia and Shanna looked at Liam briefly then followed them out. The tall musician wondered what was going on so he reluctantly followed them.

After a minute, they finally made their way to the lobby of the apartment building and walked outside. The summer heat beat down slightly on their faces as they walked out into the street. Seth walked over to the back of the truck and started to undo the ropes that held the giant object down. Charlie looked to Mia and Shanna for some help in uncovering what the item was but they just shrugged their shoulders; smiling. Seth then grabbed the tarp and pulled it away. The bassist looked at it and saw that it was clearly a piano. Then he started to hyperventilate.

He looked like HIS piano.

Seth took his friend by the arm and guided him over toward the tailgate. He pointed to the side of the musical instrument, showing the crack in the side that resembled a small crater. “Is that it, Charlie?” Seth pointed, “You said, one of Liam’s friends were so happy Liverpool won the game, that he kicked his soccer ball so hard, it cracked the side of your piano.”

“It . . .can’t be.” Charlie was nearly moved to tears.

The bassist then grabbed the tailgate and helped himself up toward the piano. He quickly flipped open the key cover and looked to the far right. There was a small black burn mark, where his mother had accidentally let her cigarette drop. Charlie held his chest, trying not to cry. He then played a small note, letting his fingers fall to the C Note key. It played one cord and then it stuck. The bassist held his eyes; the key ALWAYS stuck. “It’s my piano,” he wept, “It’s . . .it’s my sodding piano.”

“Seth?” Claire gasped, knowing the full story, “ Where did you find it?”

“It was in a pawn shop in the valley.” Seth said, “I’ve had Mr. Chiles looking for it every since we got back.”

Charlie jumped down from the truck and immediately embraced Seth. The two friends held on each other, as the bassist wept on his shoulder. Liam looked at the piano and looked at them. All it did was remind him of his own shame. He sold the Charlie’s piano to get a plane ticket to Australia but what made him even more ashamed was the fact that he didn’t regret doing it. It gave him the means to save himself and in the end . . .that’s what this was all about. Liam slowly turned and proceeded to walk toward his car.

Charlie then parted from Seth and ran toward him. “Liam!” he said, catching up to him.

Liam paused and looked toward him. “Baby brother. . . .Driveshaft . .are you in or out?” he asked.

The bassist stared at his older brother as he wiped his eyes. “I’m out, Liam.” He whispered, “Unless you can apologize for selling my piano and not getting out of the band when we should have?”

Liam stared at him and then closed his eyes, allowing tears to form over his cheeks. Charlie shook his head, fearing that was indeed going to be the answer. He leaned over and hugged his brother. “Go home, Liam,” he whispered, “Be a father to your daughter. And let go of your glory. It’s gone. Please . . .please . . .don’t get in the way of mine.”

Liam continued to say nothing. He then kissed Charlie on the top of his head and then walked away. The bassist watched his brother get in his Sedan and drive away. He took a deep breath, and let it out as Claire came over with Aaron. The little baby grabbed Charlie’s sleeve and gently tried to eat it. The musician smiled as he kissed Claire and then Aaron. He then cracked his neck as he got ready to get the piano up the three flight of stairs to his apartment.


After the struggle, Seth leaned against the piano; sipping on the Gatorade. Charlie brought over a chair from the kitchen and sat it down. Mia, Shanna and Claire were laughing over pizza that they had ordered. Charlie slowly let his fingers glide over the keys; remembering what it was like to touch them. “Thank God this isn’t a normal piano.” Seth chuckled, sipping his Gatorade.

“You okay?” Charlie asked him.

“I think my arms might be sore but other than that, I’ll be okay.”

“Seth . . .I fear you may have burdened me with a debit I can never repay.”

“Oh, shut up,” Seth said, standing up, “ Just write a song about me and we’ll call it even.”

“Play us a song, Charlie,” Claire smiled.

Charlie looked to the love of his life and smiled. The way she said for him to play us a song it sounded just like the way his mother said it. It had nothing but love behind it’s statement. Charlie then closed his eyes and began to play a tune. It was soft and free flowing. Seth sat down on a nearby couch and watched as his friend played the tune. It was a special tune that Charlie wrote for Liam.

But today, he was playing it for Seth.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Part 362: Legacy for a Friend Part 2

The next morning the trio made their way down the street to the restaurant. Mia held the brief case to one side as she led the way with Shanna and Seth in tow. When they got there, the door was already opened. There was young Asian woman standing by a table. As they approached, she politely bowed to them. “Good morning.” She smiled.

“Good morning,” Mia replied, “Has bidding on the restaurant begun yet?”

“The appraisers on inside, and the buyers are allowed to walk through the building,” she perked up, “You wish to take part in the auction?”

“Yes, absolutely, without a doubt,” Seth stammered.

The young Asian girl then giggled and presented Mia with some forms to fill out. The Lakota girl handed the briefcase to Shanna as she quickly filled out the documents to take place in the auction. After that, the woman gave them sticky badges to wear on their shirts. The trio then walked into the restaurant, blinded by a slight sense of must. The other buys were dressed in suits, and there were various men and women walking around with calculators, looking at everything.

Seth walked over to the counter, looking around. There was a bronze Buddha sitting next to the empty fish tank. The musician then blinked when something on the far wall, caught his eye. Amid the frames forms for restaurant licenses, was typical photos but Seth thought he recognized one of Brendon. He took a closer look and saw that it was Brendon, posing with a pissed off younger kid. The musician could only assume it was his brother; the one that betrayed him. Shanna then noticed what he was looking at and saw it too. It almost brought a tear to her eye but Seth embraced her for comfort.

Mia then strode out the restaurant looking at the many tables, and buffet areas. Inside the walls were deeper sections of the wall and inside each grove were various sculptures of dolphins, tigers, dragons, samurai and buddha’s made of complete ivory. The Lakota girl was nearly moved to tears from the beauty of it. As she walked along, she then saw that large rectangle box from yesterday. A man was sitting on it, talking on the phone. Mia then blinked when she noticed the corner of the large box had a postal mark on it. “Excuse me,” she politely tapped on the man’s shoulder, “Would you mind getting up from the box, please?”

The older man scoffed at her, labeling her rude. He got up and walked over toward the buffet area. Mia then twisted around and at the box. It was indeed a large package that was mailed by the US Post Office. What then got her curious, was the post mark was Australia. It was addressed to Brendon and what Mia even more curious was that she had read her friend’s journal many times. She immediately recognized his hand-writing. “Psst! Guys,” she motioned to Shanna and Seth, “Come here.”

The two friends quickly walked over and met up with Mia at the big box. She then motioned for them to kneel down and look at the written address. “When we were back on the Island,” Mia said, “Brendon was only concerned about his one case that contained his sword.”

“Then . .this must be the stuff he mailed to himself from Australia.” Shanna concluded.

“We can’t let them have this.” Seth whispered to them.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” an older Asian man said, “The appraisers are done with their findings of this lovely restaurant. Please gather ride so we may commence with the bidding.”

Mia, Seth and Shanna quickly walked over toward the small crowd. Mia raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly under-dressed with all the business suits and dresses standing around her. The older man then took a clipboard from one of the appraisers and bowed his head. “Mr. Kitano has completed his appraisal.” The older man looked at the clipboard, “He has estimated the restaurant, all it’s equipment and furniture inside to have a complete net worth of 239 thousand dollars. All in favor of a total bid?”

Several people raised their hands, including the trio. “Very well,” the older man smiled, “We will commence for the bidding of the entire restaurant and all it’s contents. Do I hear a 245?”

Mia and this older Asian woman raised their hands at the same time. “Wonder,” the auctioneer smiled, “Do I hear a 250?”

The same older woman and Mia then raised their hands again. The Lakota girl scowled the woman briefly. “Do I hear a 260?” the older man smiled.

“Two sixty!” another man said.

“THREE HUNDRED!” Mia squeaked.

The crowd gasped at her response. However, the older man and the younger woman representing the bank were all smiles. “We . .we have three hundred,” the older man giggled, “Do we have 310?”

“Three ten!” the older man said.

“Three twenty!” Mia countered.

“Three thirty!”

“THREE FIFTY!!!” the Lakota girl grunted.

The older man from the bank looked like he was having an orgasm. The other man was wiping his forehead. He then pulled out his calculator and then checked it again. “Three sixty!” the man then said.

“SHUT UP!” Mia yelled, “Three seventy!”

“Three eighty!” the man replied.

He looked at Mia, who was squinting her eyes at him and pointing at him. “If you don’t back off,” she warned, “I’ll go four hundred just to embarrass you.”

“You’re bluffing,” he retorted, “You don’t have four hundred thousand dollars.”

Seth smirked as he held up the briefcase. “We got cash, hombre.” He laughed.

The crowd gasped that someone wanted the restaurant badly enough they brought cash. The older auctioneer dabbed the sweat from his brow and smiled at the young lady. “So, miss?” he grinned at Mia, “Are you willing to go 400 thousand dollars?”

Mia glared at the other man, then smiled the auctioneer. “Yes,” she laughed, “Four hundred thousand dollars.”

“You are insane,” the older Japanese woman hissed, “You are buying this restaurant for twice than what it’s worth!”

“No, “ Shanna said proudly, “ It’s worth way more than that.”

“Four hundred thousand dollars, going once?” the old man laughed, “Twice? SOLD to the young trio over there.”

Seth, Mia and Shanna then burst out laughing as they embraced each other and they jumped up and down for joy. The Chinese and Japanese business men plus women shook their heads wondering what was so special about this one establishment. The truth was, Mia, Shanna and Seth could spend hours trying to explain it.

But something told them, these people wouldn’t get it.



Mia finally finished signing the remaining of the papers with the gentleman from the bank. The young woman was taking a last stock of everything to make sure it was properly sighed. Plus, she had gotten a special money bag to place the 400 thousand dollars in cash for safe transport back to the bank. The Lakota girl giggled, knowing the reason they were both happy. It was going to be one Hell of a commission on their next paychecks. “Thank you for this wonderful day, Mrs. Riggs,” the older man handed her the keys to the restaurant, “ You are now one of most cherished customers. Here is my business card. I offer my services to you in case you have any questions for business reasons.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chu,” she bowed to him, “I just might take you up on that one day.”

The two members from the bank then proceeded to leave to the restaurant. Mia leaned back in the chair she was sitting at one of the many tables. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the carpet and various smells around her. The young woman then stood up and walked toward the counter. She immediately looked at the photos behind the cash register. She gently picked up the one with Brendon and his brother. Mia then turned and found the item she was hoping to find. She gently picked up the scissors and then proceeded to cut the photo in half; between Brendon and the brother that betrayed him. As she let the part of the photo of the brother fall to the ground, she then put Brendon’s picture back up. “This is your legacy, Brendon,” she smiled, kissing her fingers and then placing her fingers on the photo, “We weren’t going to let it get away.”

Mia then turned and saw Shanna in the back of the kitchen area. She then walked back there to join her, seeing the young redhead washing dishes. “Uh. . Shanna,” she giggled, “What are you doing?”

“Seth told me to find some glasses,” she said, drying them, “I don’t know why. However, they were dirty so I washed them.”

“Where did he go, anyway?” Mia then turned toward the lobby only to see him walk in at that very moment.

“SISTERS!!!” he laughed, as he held up the bottle of champagne, “THE BATTLE FIELD IS OURS!!!!”

“Oh, my god,” Mia giggled.

Shanna laughed as she took the three glasses and walked into the lobby to join her adoptive brother. Seth laughed, sticking his tongue out and popping the cork on the bottle, sending it toward the ceiling and then bouncing toward the floor. The bookstore worker then poured the champagne into the glasses Mia and Shanna were holding, then poured him one. He took the glass and held it up. “Mia, Shanna . .here is to Brendon,” he smiled, “May his light never stop shining.”

“To Brendon,” Mia and Shanna said in unison.

They giggled as they sipped the champagne, and the bubbles tickled their noses. Seth took a big swig and nearly spit it out, it was bubbling to fast. Mia took one more sip and then looked over toward the nearest table. The big package that Brendon mailed to himself rested with an almost omnibus presence. “You ready?” she asked the others.

“Yeah,” Seth gulped the last of his champagne, “Let’s do this.”

Mia walked over and proceeded to rip off the covering of the package. It was truly a normal foot-locker, slightly cracked in certain areas. To their amazement, the foot locker wasn’t locked. Shanna did the honors of opening it and then sliding the lid open. Inside was various pieces of Brendon’s stuff. Mia smiled as she ran her fingers over his books, which consisted of A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Watership Down, Poetry by Robert Frost and the Art of Zen. Shanna smiled as she picked up one of his shirts, placed it to her nose and took a deep inhale. Seth then looked at the lid which held some journals and a giant pad. He pushed the wiring out of the way, then looked at the giant pad. As he opened the pad, there was a beautiful picture of a young naked woman flanked by a dragon. “I forgot he was an artist.” Seth smiled.

“The journal he gave me was filled with little sketches like that.” Shanna smiled.

“He was an expert swordsman, a poet, an artist and a noble spirit,” Mia said, rubbing the jade Buddha necklace he gave her, “He truly was . . ..a samurai.”

Seth continued to flip through the pages of the giant sketchbook. He marveled at all the pictures, and he was about to suggest to them they frame a few for the restaurant, but then he froze he when he stopped at a particular picture. Seth then backed and an collapsed in a nearby chair. His two sisters looked at him with immediate concern. “Seth, what’s wrong?” Shanna asked.

He held up the pad with trembling hands. “How . . .how . . .. “ he stuttered.

Mia and Shanna then immediately walked over toward him. In unison, they both looked at the pad, looking at the unusual drawings. Shanna’s eyes slowly widened, while Mia leaned in to take a better look. She had no idea why the drawing was there.

But it was not hard to mistake all of them from the plane.

“Brendon . . .drew all of us?” the redhead pointed, “From . .our meeting on the plane?”

“That’s not possible,” Seth whispered, “How . . .I mean . . .look at the date on the drawing.”

“August 5th, 2004,” Mia whispered, “A whole month before the flight of Oceanic 815.”

The Lakota picked up the pad and looked at it. She then flipped the page around and saw some writing on the back of it. She twisted it around and read it. “The dream has returned to me.” She whispered, “I don’t know what it means nor do I know these people. All I know is that with them, I feet safe and warm. May Buddha grant me the opportunity to meet these incredible people. My soul tells me . . . .they will be the truest friends I have ever know.”

“He . . .saw us . . .in a dream?” Shanna gulped, feeling overwhelmed.

Seth wiped his tears as they started to flow freely. “Oh, My god . .” he whispered, “Mia . .Shanna . . .remember . . .when we were all on the plane, laughing and having fun?”

“Like it was yesterday,” Mia smiled.

“Do you remember . .the way Brendon looked . . .when he finally came to sit down with us?”

Mia smiled, at that moment crying as well. “I remember . . . .he looked . .happy.” she grinned.

“It’s because he was happy,” Seth laughed, wiping his tears, “He was happy to see us. He had a dream about us and when he saw us in the flesh for the first time, he felt he had come full circle. He had felt he had found . .the friends he had been looking for.”

Shanna smiled, gently putting her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “He did find us, Seth,” she smiled, “he did find us.”

Mia gently rubbed her hand over the faces on the drawing. She wiped her eyes, thinking it was like a gift from Heaven. “Fate,” she whispered, “Protects children, fools and it watches over . . .The Brat Pack.”


The next day Seth was tying the footlocker secure in the back of his truck. They had gathered all the personal belongings they wanted from Brendon. Shanna had already bought a small cheap personal album that she put all the photos of Brendon in. Mia made sure to put the sketch pad up from with them. Now, all they had to do was wait for the two people who would be taking care of The Battle Field for them.

The Sedan then slowly pulled up toward the restaurant. Shanna smiled and giggled with glee at the sight of their favorite Korean couple. Sun laughed as she embraced the redhead. Jin walked over and shook hands with Seth, then hugged Mia. “How are you both?” Jin asked.

“Whoa!” Seth laughed, slapping his arm, “Look who’s talking English all of a sudden.”

“Slowly . .but surely,” the Korean laughed, finding the right words.

“He’s an excellent student,” Sun smiled, “Now . . .what’s going on? Why did you want us to see this place?”

“Come inside,” Mia motioned.

The group walked into the restaurant, while Jin and Sun looked around. The Korean couple were curious but merely shrugged their shoulders. “Nice place,” Jin said, “Who does it belong to?”

“It’s belongs to us, Jin ol’boy,” the musician laughed, “And now . . .we want you two to run it.”

“What?” Sun gasped.

“Didn’t you two want to set up your own restaurant?” Mia laughed, pulling out some papers.

Jin then started to speak in Korean briefly but grunted, trying to find the English words. “How . . .how did this become to be?” he asked.

“This restaurant belonged to a good friend of ours,” Shanna giggled, “And we couldn’t just let strangers buy it, so we did.”

“Now, we think it deserves to be serving the citizens of China Town,” Mia giggled, “And we agreed . ..it should stay within the family.”

Jin smiled as he embraced his wife, making them both laugh. Seth and Shanna grinned at each other, knowing the Korean couple were the best choice to take care of their restaurant. Jin then started to talk with Seth about all the choices he wanted to place on the menu. The young musician made a joke, wondering if he was going to include shark on the menu. Sun then talked with Shanna and Mia briefly. “Is there any request you want to do with the place?” she asked them.

“Only one.” Mia smiled, “Please don’t change the name.”

“Yeah, “ Shanna agreed, “We want it to stay up to honor our friend.”

“Your friend . . .who was he?”

Shanna then opened the small photo album and pulled out the photo of Brendon, handing it to the Korean woman. “His name was Brendon Battle,” she smiled, “He was our good friend. We lost him on the Island, like Boone, Bernard and Rose . .but we’ll never forget him.”

Sun looked at the photo. She held in a gasp at the sight of the handsome young man that she immediately remembered he was the one who took up for her in the airport. Even though they had only met for a few minutes, his honor and nobility left a lasting impression on her. It made all the sense in the world that he survived the crash and made such good friends. She then smiled, handing the photo back to Shanna. “Yes, “ she smiled, “I am sure you will never forget him.”

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF! STRADDLE THE LINE IN DISCORD IN RHYME

Mia and Shanna abruptly looked toward the sound of music only to see Seth fight to turn off his cell phone’s ring-tone. He smiled, as his cheeks flushed red. The musician quickly walked away as the girls giggled at his silliness. “Hello?” he sighed, “Oh, hey, Chiles. . . yeah, we are in China Town . . ..What? You found it?”

Seth then immediately ran toward the counter and grabbed an old food check book and a pen, “Where is it? Okay . . .okay . . . .Yeah, I can be there in two days. I appreciate my friend. Yeah, we are done here. I’ll send you your check, thanks again.”

“We got a new location?” Shanna giggled.

“Yeah, Chiles found what I was looking for,” Seth grinned, “We are heading to San Diego.”

“Good bye, guys,” Mia said, hugging Sun and kissing her on the cheek, “ I know we are leaving this place in good hands.”

“We can’t thank you three enough,” Jin smiled.

“Here is Hurley’s phone number,” the Lakota girl gave them a card, “He’s standing by to give you financial backing, food supplies, whatever you need.”

Sun gasped and then remembered his remarkable all the way back from their time on the boat, after they had cooked the shark steaks for him. “No, he . . . .he was joking!” the Korean woman gasped.

Mia then smiled brightly. “No, he wasn’t.” she giggled.

Jin and Sun laughed as they embraced each other yet again. Mia looked them briefly then walked outside to join Shanna and Seth. The Lakota girl looked forward to returning here one day to enjoy their cooking in a restaurant that belonged to her beloved friend. For the Korean couple, it was their life long dream to have their own restaurant and be their own bosses. As they drove away, Mia felt a great warmth wash over heart for her two friends.

Some dreams deserve to come true.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Part 361: Legacy of a Friend Part 1

June 12th, 2005

Mia sipped on her juice, as she stared at her finger. She gently used her other finger to make the ring slide from side to side. It had only been two days and she already was missing John. But she had made her promise to her good friends; more sister and brother now than anything. At the moment, they were resting in a Winkies Diner, waiting on their breakfast. They had traveled up to San Francisco to find Brendon’s Restaurant that his Uncle left him. They hoped it would be still there and maybe the present owners would let them into the establishment. Sadly they wouldn’t know till they got there.

Shanna sat next to Mia in the booth together. She was looking through the photos that her sister brought with her. The redhead giggled as looked at the pictures; mostly of the old house that she and John now live it. She laughed at the pictures of John holding out the camera, so he gets both him and Mia in the shot. There was another picture with John, McKay and Tony; with what looks like them all together in the living room watching a ballgame. The redhead sighed, remembering Tony could only listen. Then she saw a very cool picture of Mia in her typical bandana over her head; however she was on her knees on the ground, planting something. “Mia, are you making a garden?” Shanna smiled.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve dug my hands in the Mother Earth,” the Lakota smiled, “I felt I owe her some growth.”

“Oh, please, let me have some of whatever you make.”

“It’s a given. Besides, you are welcomed any time.”

Then inside the Winkies diner music began to play over the loud speakers. It was “And we Danced,” by the Hooters. Mia’s eyes when wide when she saw Seth by the jukebox. The young man was tapping his hand on jukebox to the rhythm and then much to her dismay, starting dancing. Seth stuck in tongue out, and swung his arms from left to right; mimicking Bruce Springsteen. The Lakota quietly buried her face in her hands. The redhead by her side smirked, resting her head on her right hand. “We can’t take him anywhere.” She whispered.

The girls in the dinner started to cheer on Seth as he danced, and swung his body in a twirl. The waitress just shook her head smiling as she brought them their plates of food. The bookstore worker then bowed and smiled, as the surrounding women clapped for him. “Thank you, ladies, thank you,” he smiled, “Now that I have appropriately embarrassed my two sisters, I will enjoy my breakfast. Have a great day.”

Seth slid over on his side of the booth and picked up the syrup to place on his waffle. He then looked up to see Mia staring at him disapprovingly, as she ate her omelet. Shanna giggled as she spread jam on her toast. “Don’t glare at me, Mia,” Seth said, eating his bacon, “Admit it; I dance pretty good.”

“Must you make a scene EVERYWHERE we go?” she hissed.

“Uh . .let me think . . .YES!” he laughed.

Mia just shook her head, trying not to laugh. She wasn’t going to give Seth the satisfaction. Then she found him leaning his head down to look at her with that idiotic grin he always gave. The Lakota eventually giggled. Seth was satisfied as he continued to eat his bacon and waffle.


After breakfast, Seth walked out first and held the door for Shanna and Mia. The musician then walked over and pressed his key-chain; unlocking his Avalanche. Seth got in the driver’s side while Shanna got into the back and Mia road shotgun. The bookstore worker cranked up the truck and then put on his seat beat. He then pulled out the napkin with the phone number on that was given to him by one of the women in the diner. Seth sighed and crumbled it up; throwing it back. Shanna giggled as she picked it up. “Looks like Marie was too quick to notice the ring on your finger.” She laughed.

“Yeah,” Seth said, pulling them out of the parking lot and onto the road, “ She was cute though.”

“Why did you even take the napkin?” Mia questioned.

“WELL, I gotta be polite, don’t I?” he shrugged his shoulders.

Shanna giggled in the back. Mia just smiled as she looked at the long road ahead. It was good to be back with them. She wanted Brendon to be there but it wasn’t meant to be. Being with Seth and Shanna was enough. And hopefully in an hour or two, they would be able to find a piece of Brendon they didn’t know about.


Seth drove through the Chinatown area. The shops and stores were decorated in various Chinese, and Japanese emblems. There were near hundreds of restaurants, various departments stores and gift shops. “I want a Kimono.” Shanna laughed.

Mia then thought briefly about the dream she experience with Brendon in the theater. She watched on the big screen as Seth and Brendon were samurai warriors, while she and Shanna were dressed in traditional Japanese garb. The fact that her best friend wanted one now almost brought it full circle. She leaned back and winked at her. “We’ll get us one.” She smiled.

“Are we near it?” Seth asked.

Mia checked the map again and then looked at the street. “Yeah, it should be up this corner,” she pointed, “Right next to that bank.”

Seth then pulled up the street, then turned right where Mia was pointing. When they got at the location, they saw the restaurant. It was boarded up and it wasn’t hard to miss. It’s name was The Battle Field; Japanese buffet and sushi bar. Seth clicked on his blinker and then pulled into the side street. The three friends immediately jumped out of the truck and ran across the street toward it. Mia walked up toward the door and peered in. The lights were out so she could barely see anything. In the distance, she saw the multitude of chairs and tables, plus the buffet area in the back. To the cash counter was various Japanese decorations and a giant empty fish tank. There was a very large rectangle box in the middle but she couldn’t see what it was. “SETH!” Shanna screamed.

Mia then turned around and saw her good friend picking up a trash can and holding it above his head. By the way he was moving, he looked like he had every full intention of throwing it through the window. “SETH!” Mia stomped her foot down.

“What?” he said, innocently,” You want in or don’t you?”

“NOT LIKE THAT!” she pointed, “Put that down!”

Seth rolled his eyes and put the trash can down. Before Mia could berate him further, Shanna quickly tapped her on the shoulder. “Mia, look,” she pointed.

The Lakota woman turned to look at the sign posted on one of the windows. She walked over and read it.

FORECLOSURE BY BRAND BANK
AUCTION SCHEDULED
JUNE 13, 2005
PLEASE BE IN ATTENDANCE
10:00 AM.


“Oh, my God,” Mia whispered, “With no left to own the restaurant, the bank foreclosed and now they are going to sell it off.”

“Mia, that’s tomorrow!” Shanna sniffed.

“We got to do something,” Seth grunted, “ We didn’t come this far only to have the last piece of our friend taken away from us.”

Mia then turned and looked down the front of the street. Then she looked down toward the other side of the street. In the far distance, there was signs for various restaurants and a Best Western. “Let’s go get a room for the night,” Mia pointed, “I got to make a phone call.”



Inside their room, the trio had already settled in for the evening. Seth sat at the table, munching the remaining crab Rangoon. Mia had already settled over on her bed with Shanna. The Lakota was writing in her diary like she always did. Shanna was leaning on her side of the bed, propped up against the head board. She was flipping through the channels to find something to watch. She paused when she thought it was a decent cartoon but she stuck her tongue out when she saw it was Voltron. “You got a problem with the big V?” Seth said, sipping his Dr. Pepper.

“Voltron sucked major ass.” Shanna grunted, “I get sick of that formula. The super groups with the token female, token nerdy kid and token fat guy, surrounded by two hotties.”

“No, Voltron kicked major ass,” the musician countered, “You only jealous cause it was a better show than Pretty Pony.”

“I so did not watch Pretty Pony.”

“Jem?” Seth smiled.

“No,” Shanna stuck her tongue out at him.

“Care Bears?” he grinned again.

“I was always into Batman, thank you very much.”

“I was partial to the G.I.Joes myself.” Seth said proudly.

“Let me guess . .you were in love with SHIPWRECK!” Shanna pointed.

“MIA!” the bookstore worker said in a child’s voice, “Shanna is picking on me.”

“Both of you shut up,” Mia said without missing a beat, “Or you’re both going into time out.”

The trio laughed. Mia smiled at the joy filling the room. It almost felt like being back on the Island. They were hanging out again and cutting up. Seth and Shanna were always the trouble makers while Mia played the Den Mother role and kept them in line. The only thing missing was Brendon. The Lakota girl smiled when she thought she was going to cry but didn’t. She had high hopes that Brendon would return to her life, in some form or another. Seth crunched his Dr. Pepper can and then threw it into a nearby trash can. Then they heard a knocking at their door.

Seth got up and checked the eye-hole on the door. He then turned and smiled toward his sisters. He opened up the door and their large friend smiled at finally finding them. “HURLEY!” Shanna laughed as she ran up and hugged him.

The big man laughed and hugged her in return, placing the brief case to the side. He shook Seth’s hand and hugged him briefly. Then Mia laughed, walking up to him with her arms wide. Hurley then embraced her and then picked her up, making her laugh. Seth and Shanna laughed as his near famous hugs that he constantly gave. “Dudes,” Hurley smiled, “I am so glad you called me. I missed you guys.”

“ We miss you too, big man,” Seth said, crossing his arms.

“Thank you for coming here, Hurley,” Mia smiled, “I can’t tell you how much we needed this.”

“When you told me over the phone that this restaurant belonged to Brendon, I had to help,” he said, sitting down, “I never knew the guy but I didn’t have to. I can tell by looking at your faces that he was very important to your life.”

“He was,” Shanna smiled.

“So how much did you bring?” Mia asked.

The large man picked up the brief case to and handed it to her. “It should be more than enough, plus interest.” He smiled.

“Interest?” Mia blinked, “Hurley, what are you talking about? How much is in here?”

“A million.” He smiled.

Mia then froze, feeling her knees wavered. Her hands started to tremble and then she gazed over at him. “A mil . . .Hurley . .you said . . .ONE MILLION DOLLARS IS IN THIS BRIEF CASE?” she finally demanded.

“Absolutely.” He smiled, “I wanted to make sure you would absolutely without a doubt get this restaurant. Plus, you’ve more than earned it.”

“Earned?” the Lakota was still confused, “What . .what did I do?”

“You saved me, Mia!” Hurley laughed, “When you told Watchman to reset my electromagnetic signal. All my bad luck had turned into good luck.”

“Whoa, “ Seth smiled, “I GOT to hear this. Hurley, what do you mean?”

“The numbers cursed me and my family,” he told them, “ The moment I won the lottery, no matter what I did, no matter how many things I bought for myself; my family started to die around me. My mom was the only one left when I went to Australia and crashed with the rest of you. Then Mia re-set my . . .thingie . .that causes this and now good things happen to me. But I have to do good things too.”

“What do you mean?” Mia asked.

“I used to own a shoe making factory in Florida. About two weeks ago, it blew up. No one knew what was happening. I sent a private investigator to figure out why and as it turned out, the manager of the warehouse was using kids and keeping them in piss-poor conditions. I then called the police down there and promptly had him arrested. The very next day, a check arrived by courier and it was for ten million from the insurance company.”

“Wow.” Shanna smiled.

“But that’s insurance, Hurley,” Mia countered, “That stuff is typical.”

“You don’t understand, Mia.” The large man grinned, “I didn’t take out Fire Insurance on that place.”

Mia then froze when he said that. The thought of the magic of the Island following them made Seth jump up for joy, then grab Shanna and twirl her around the room. Mia laughed at them then looked back to Hurley. The gentle giant wiped his tears and smiled at the Lakota girl. “You saved me, Mia,” he smiled, “You saved my mom. You helped give me the chance of a better life with Joe by my side with just the push of a button and with that . . .I OWE.”

“You are the kindest man, “ Mia the hugged him and kissed him on the forehead.

“You guys are the ones who totally rock.” He said.

“Hurley, you want to stick around. We got plenty of food left.”

“Actually, I need to be heading back. I promised Joscelyn I would go with her and her two nieces to the park tomorrow.” He said, “I want to beat the traffic.”

“Things are looking up for you and Joe, eh?” Mia asked.

Hurley blushed slightly, pushing his hair back over his ear. “Yeah, I hope so,” he smiled, “Good night, guys.”

“Take care, big man,” Seth patted him on the back as they left.

Mia stared at the briefcase, and then opened it up; hard to comprehend she was staring a million dollars. Seth even placed his pinky on his lips and did his best Dr. Evil impersonation from Austin Powers. The Lakota girl had become so excited about the prospect of the purchasing of Brendon’s restaurant, she decided to have some fun. She got three hundred dollars out of the briefcase. She then grabbed Shanna, saying they were going to do some shopping and get those Kimono’s. Seth agreed to stay behind.

After all, someone had to guard the brief case.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Part 360: Perchance to Dream

March 8th, 2005

Barbara gently sipped on her coffee. She continued to review the papers that were given to her by her CEO. She had to make sure the financial growth continued to actually grow and not decline. Plus, she had to make sure that her other business opportunities that her late husband set up for her did not wane. The redhead gently pinched her nose and tried to relax. On top of all these things, she had to also worry about her son. His lack of rest was worrying her greatly and she felt the need to get Tony and Marita involved. She looked at her watch wondering when they would get here. Then, almost as if on cue, their was a gentle knock at the door.

Barbara got up from her kitchen table and walked the distance of the living room toward the front door. She gently opened it and smiled at the two newlyweds. “There you are.” She giggled.

“Evening, Barbara,” Tony said, as he came in and kissed her on the cheek,” I hope we didn’t come too late.”

“No, that’s the point, Tony,” the older redhead said, as she hugged Marita,” Now is the appropriate time to talk to him.”

“So . .he’s not going to sleep?” the Latina asked.

“He does get sleep but only after he is exhausted. Maybe four hours a night. I am so worried, Tony.”

“Don’t be.” Tony gently touched her hand, “I suspect I may know what has happened to him. That’s why I brought some things that should help him sleep. Which room is he in?”

“Up the stairs, first door on the left. I’ll lead you up.”

Tony smiled holding up his hand, “That’s okay. You stay down here with Marita. She’s got some pictures from our wedding to show you.”

Barbara giggled at the prospect of seeing the wedding photos; she always considered herself a sucker for weddings. The blind doctor then felt of the railing and began to walk up the stairs. When he reached the top, he gently felt of the side wall until he came toward a door. He slowly opened it and peered inside. “Eddie?” he called.

“Tony?” the young boy turned around and gasped.

Eddie had been sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out the window. He quickly ran around his bed and embraced the man he considered his new father. Tony smiled, and patted him on the back. “It’s after 11, Eddie,” Tony said, “Why are you still up?”

The boy sighed. “Mom told you?” he asked.

“She’s worried about you, Eddie. We all are.”

Eddie walked over to his side dresser and pulled up a stool, knocking the comic books off of it. He helped Tony to sit down, then sat back down on his bed. The doctor placed his bag to the side as he heard the boy shift around in his bed. “Can you tell me why you can’t sleep?” Tony asked him.

Eddie shifted up his pillow and leaned his head deep within the soft cushion. “I can’t stop thinking about the Island, Tony.” He whispered, “I can’t stop thinking . . .about her.”

“Bunny?”

“Yeah,” he said, reaching over toward his night stand.

Placed gently on a picture of his mother and father was the locket necklace the dying redhead girl gave him. He gently rubbed it in between his fingers. Tony took a deep sigh and rubbed his chin. “Do you often think about Woogie?” he sighed, “And what you had to do to him?”

“No.” he said, bluntly.

“I know you wanted to save her, Eddie. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I miss her. I miss Walt. I miss Sebastian. Do you think . . .I’ll ever see them again, Tony?”

“I can’t speak for Sebastian but I am sure your mother wouldn’t mind you heading out toward New York to spend a week with Walt. I am sure Micheal and Yolanda would love to see you.”

“I know, but . .I can’t leave momma,” he whispered, “Without Daddy here, who will protect her?”

Tony started to understand what was going on in Eddie’s head. It was the Island and the two and a half months he spent there. He was forced to kill a teenager, he held a dying girl in his arms, he was kidnapped, saw his mother forced to live in a bunker and because of all that, he truly felt the danger wasn’t over. “We are home, Eddie,” Tony whispered, “Nobody is going to hurt your mother. We left the Liberation and all that insanity behind.”

“You don’t know that, Tony!” he protested, “None of you know that! They’ll come back to us, they will!”

“Simmer down, boy,” the doctor quietly held up his hand, “You don’t want to alarm your mother.”

Eddie sniffed, and laid his head back down in his pillow. “I just . . . I just want to be safe, Tony,” he cried.

Tony reached over and took his hand, gently squeezing it. Eddie held onto it as he whimpered softly. “You are safe, Eddie,” he whispered to him, “But being safe and feeling safe are two separate things. Maybe . .maybe if you felt safe, you’d be able to get some sleep.”

“How . . .how can I feel safe again, Tony?”

The blind doctor smiled as he gently picked up the bag to his side. “Where’s your CD player?” he grinned.


---------------------------,

Barbara continued to breeze through the wedding photos. Her favorite was the 8 X 10 of Marita and Tony, posing together in the beautiful Mexican church. She smiled at the quiet photos of Mia and John, and then laughed at the wild photos of Taylor, McKay, Mandy and Alexander. Then she burst out in hysterical laughter at the photo of Seth and Tanya, holding up a toast but they were surrounded by Klingons. “Those crazy kids,” the Latina grinned.

“It looks like you had such a fun time.” Barbara said, wiping away her laughter tears.

“Look at these photo booth pictures of me and Tony.” She pointed.

Barbara looked close at the classic photo booth pictures. Marita was sitting on Tony’s lap in the first one. Then in the second one they were kissing. Then in the third one they were still kissing. Then it the fourth one, Tony was raising up his sunglasses and looking at the camera as if he was trying to find it. The picture also showed Marita laughing about it. The last one, they were blow puckered up and blowing kisses at the camera. “You both look so happy.” Barbara smiled.

“We are happy,” the Latina assured her.

“Oh,” Barbara turned, “I recorded your appearance on Oprah. It was so nice to see you up there.”

“It was so crazy!” Marita laughed, “My mom called me, telling me how proud she was of me. She said she always wanted to be on the Oprah show but when she saw me up there with Tony actually talking with her, she said her dreams had been fulfilled by seeing me up there. Needless to say, she was blown away when I brought her back an autograph of Oprah for her.”

Barbara laughed at the punchline. Marita smiled, sipping her coffee. She was happy that the older redhead still remembered to smile every once and a while. Barbara gave her back the scrapbook and sighed. “I am so happy to see you two,” she smiled, sipping her own coffee, “You don’t know how much you two mean to me and my son.”

“Oh, I think we’ve got a pretty good guess,” the Latina giggled, “What about you, Barbara? How you are holding up?”

“Oh . .busy, busy, busy. I’ve got to keep my CEO happy and the conglomerate still looks to me for answers. I have to sometimes work 10 hour days and Eddie is forced to fend for himself. But then again . . . he always has.”

The redhead stifled a tear. Marita reached over and took her hand. Barbara looked at her, trying not to cry. “There are nights when I still cry myself to sleep,” she said, dabbing her eyes, “My huge bed . . .feels even more huge. Edward hadn’t even touched me in months before . . the plane crash and now . . .I wish he was here.”

“I wish I could tell you that the pain will fade in time but I am sure it’ll always be there, Barbara,” Marita then hugged her, “But don’t ever forget, when the times feel bad, you’ll always have us there by your side.”

“I know, I know,” she returned the hug and parted from them, “Eddie is already trying to become the man of the house. He . . .cooks his own meals, he cleans up his room and he even files the bills away for me to look at later. He . .he never did that before the Island, Marita.”

“I know,” she said sympathetically

“Edward . . .was good to Eddie. He didn’t have to want for anything but . . .he was never the father he needed to be for our son. I don’t want to speak badly of the dead but it’s true. Tony, John and McKay were more father to my son in those short months than Edward was his whole life.”

“I’m honored you should say so.” Tony smiled from the bottom of the stairway.

“Tony,” Barbara got up from the couch and walked over to greet him, “Tony, thank you. How is he?”

Tony smiled brightly. “He’s been asleep for the past twenty minutes.” He grinned.

“He has?” the mother gasped.

“So . .the items worked?” Marita smiled.

“Like a charm.” The blind doctor replied.

“What items? What are you talking about?”

“Shhhhhh,” Tony smirked as he put his index fingers over his lips, then motioned for them to follow up the stairs.

He calmly walked up with them, allowing Barbara and Marita to go first. Once they reached the stairs, the redheaded woman opened the door slowly to Eddies room and paused when she heard the sound of the ocean. She opened the door and looked at her son. The CD player was playing the sound of the ocean, just as she remembered it from the Island. Eddie was slightly snoring away and the woman had to covered her mouth as she saw what was in his arms.

A stuffed toy kangaroo.

“It’s called Reflection Therapy,” The blind doctor gently rubbed her back, “Eddie was not being able to sleep cause he didn’t feel safe. He felt the safest when he was back on the Island, sleeping with me and Marita while John and McKay were nearby. These items reminded him of that feeling.”

Barbara slowly closed the door to allow her son the first restful night he’s had in weeks. She then turned around and embraced Tony. She quietly wept in his arms. “Tony,” she sniffed, “Thank you. I’ll never be able to repay you for this.”

“Well,” he smiled, “How about you make me some of that great smelling coffee and we’ll call it even?”

Barbara giggled as the three adults made their way down into the stairs. Eddie continued to sleep and he was filled with new dreams. Dreams of MOLE on a distance planet. Running with Walt and Sebastian as they chased Vincent through the water. Laughing with Tony, John and McKay at a ball game.

Dreams of a young girl he left behind on the Island. Gone but never far away from his heart.