I Was the One Erased

I stumbled back home in a daze, clutching the fake birth certificate in my hand.

I had just reached the front door and was about to pull out my keys when I heard voices inside.

"The renovation on the new house is all paid for. We'll be able to move in next month." It was my dad, Hank Zimmer, and he sounded almost relieved.

"Then what are we going to tell Josh?" My mom, Bertha Greene, sounded unsure.

"What's there to tell him?" Fred Zimmer, my older brother, asked sharply. "Mom, you're not actually planning to let him move in with us, are you?"

"The new house only has three bedrooms. One for me, one for you and Dad, and I'm using the last one as my study."

Mom sighed. "He's still your brother, after all."

"That's enough!" Fred scoffed. "If it weren't for him, would my classmates have spent all these years laughing behind my back because my younger brother was stupid?

"I wish he'd—"

"Fred!" Dad snapped, cutting him off. "Don't bring up what happened back then! If you hadn't pushed him into that river and left him with brain damage, he wouldn't be like this today."

Fred's voice rose. "Can you even blame me for that? It's his fault for stealing my toy and throwing my robot into the river!"

I stood outside the door, stunned. All my forgotten memories came crashing back.

I remembered now.

I hadn't fallen into the river because I had been fooling around.

It happened in the summer when I was six.

Fred had stolen my favorite toy car. He stood by the river and glared at me. "If you die, Mom and Dad will only have me to love. Everything good will be mine!"

I rushed over to get my toy car back, but he shoved me hard.

I remembered the icy water filling my lungs and the panic as I struggled to breathe. I recalled Fred standing on the riverbank, watching indifferently as I sank.

Once that memory returned, the rest of my past came flooding back.

Mom and Dad would only take Fred to the amusement park. When I later saw the pictures, they told me I had been asleep that day and hadn't gone.

Fred got new sneakers every season, while I was always stuck wearing his old clothes.

My classmates called me stupid at school, and Fred had joined in. Yet, Mom and Dad told me he always stood up for me whenever anyone bullied me.

Just then, the front door opened.

Mom stepped outside with a trash bag and found me standing there. My face was deathly pale.

She was startled when she saw me. Then she quickly put on a bright smile and took my hand.

"Josh, you're home! Why are you standing there? Come on, get inside. Hurry. I made all your favorite dishes today."

I looked at the loving smile on her face.

For the first time, Mom seemed like a stranger.