The Missing Piece

The photograph showed someone who shouldn't have been there. But, there he was. Nico definitely hadn't been invited to my birthday party. What was the reason again? Oh yeah, he had just died the year before.

It all had started this morning. Everything seemed normal, even if ever so slightly different. The walls in my room were definitely a lighter shade of gray. I was sure of that because I had painted them myself. I had a pretty hard time choosing from among fifty shades. Mom, dad and Koly, my little sister, were all the same as usual. But, their hair lengths were all different from last night. Koly was even rocking a long pink strand. It was all weird, but I just dismissed it as me being too distract to notice the recent changes, after all, I barely left my room these days. That was until I saw myself in the bathroom mirror. I looked thinner, healthier. The vampiresque paleness and the dark circles around my eyes had both disappeared. And apparently, so did my hair. It looked like it had been freshly buzzed, which was impossible since I had been growing it out for months now. To be honest, I had let myself go since the accident.

And then, there was Nico. My best friend. I knew he was the reason behind of it all. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down as I dialed the familiar number. We had known each other forever, and we called and saw each other all the time. I felt closer to him than to my own family.

— Nico speaking.

My eyes watered immediately and, for a moment, my mind was blinded by the memory flashes: his mom calling me to give me the news, his wake, his funeral, the grief, the void. The feeling that I had lost a piece of the puzzle of my being and that I would never be complete again. Yet, here I was with my dead friend on the other side of line.

— Uh, hi, Nico. It's me, Nestor. How are you doing, buddy? I managed, as if I was talking to someone in their deathbed.

— Hey, Nestor! All good, man, what's up? Everything ok?

— Yeah, yeah. Uh, listen, I know it's sudden, but do you think you could meet me at the park in about half an hour or so?

— Yeah, sure, but what's going on, Nestor? You sound weird. Are you going to announce that you're pregnant or that you have cancer? You're worrying me a bit here.

— Haha! Man, you're really a goofball! I missed you! Yes, I have cancer and I'm pregnant and you're the father! I shot back at him.

— Ha! Ha! Funny, but not. And what do you mean by "I missed you"? We just spoke last night!

— Nah, man, I just miss seeing your mug, that's all. Carpe diem and stuff, you know.

— Okaaay, now you're really getting me worried. Do you have a fever or something? Are you on drugs, Nestor?!

— You idiot! See ya in a bit.

— Ok, bye!

That had always been the nature of our friendship. He would tease me non-stop and make me laugh all the time and I absolutely adored him for that. That was Nico, through and through. I had no doubts about it. He was alive and I would see him again.

On my way to the park, I thought about it all. What was I to say to him? That I had just got the pictures from my birthday and as I looked at them, suddenly, I noticed that he was just standing there, right next to me, after being dead for almost a year? That I wished hard on my birthday candles that he were there, and now I was in a parallel universe where he's still alive? He certainly would think that I had lost my mind, and with good reason. I couldn't just dump it all on him. I couldn't even prove anything at all. It all felt like a dream. How do you prove a dream is real?

By the time I got to the park, Nico was already there, sitting on a picnic blanket at our usual spot from where we had the best view of the sunset. The moment I saw him, my decision was made for me. I knew exactly what I was going to do: dream on!

I stared at him for a while trying to level my emotions and thoughts. Then, I finally approached him.

— Late as usual! At least, that seems normal, he fired.

— Ha! Ha! Very funny. Easy to say when you live two blocks away.

— So, get out with it, what's going on?

— Nothing, really. Everything's fine. I just wanted to show you my birthdays pictures and enjoy the sunset with my bestie.

— Sure, sure, not suspicious at all.

He knew me like his own reflection on the mirror. He gave me a look, reading my soul as only those really close to you can do. He knew that whatever was going on, I wouldn't tell him another word.

— So, show me those pictures. I wanna see how handsome I look in them.

— Hey, they're just pictures, not miracle workers, I provoked.

We sat there checking the pictures and talking about the party as the suns set. Wait, the suns set? Yup, all two of them.

— Uh, hey, Nico... have we always had two suns? I asked intrigued.

— Nope, they're pretty new, only a couple billion years old. Seriously, man, what's up with you today? Next, you're gonna ask me about life on Mars.

— Nah, man, you know me, just making sure I got my facts straight. The more suns, the better, that's what I say. But what was that about life on Mars again?

Sure, I had to live in a parallel reality — and catch up with basic sciences. But so what? My best friend was alive and well, and my puzzle was finally complete again. I was happy.