Ephemeral

February 5, 2021

[A/N: Trigger warning: please read with care. Some content may be unhealthy for some readers.

PS. I used English language in this story to practice my vocabulary. Should you notice some grammar errors, I'm very willing to be corrected. Teehee.]

Story begins here:

~~~~

February 5, 2021.

I remembered snoozing my alarm early in the morning and cursing it before going back to sleep; And now, I woke up late.

But instead of getting up and getting ready, I choose to stare at the ceiling as I deal with some hangover I had from yesterday.

"Well, I don't know your whole story. All I know is that you don't want to take care of yourself... So, can I do it for you?"

A scam.

She can't even go outside without sneaking. How can she take care of me, then?

I grabbed my phone and stared at her phone number for a minute or two. Shall I text her?

Just then, a maid knocked to let me know that breakfast is ready.

I get up and was ready to give my new family a chance. I decided to open my eyes on them.

I went down with my sleepwear and a halfly brushed hair. Unlike the usual days when I make sure myself is presentable during breakfast, today, I decided to show myself as a normal son who just woke up and will have his breakfast before going to school.

"You look like some lazy jobless person, DJ..." Dad said as he saw me walked into the dining room.

He sipped on his coffee and was waiting for my reasonable answer why I was wearing what I'm wearing at this time of the day.

"I... I'm sorry, I was kind'a not feeling well so I woke up late..." I reasoned out. I stooped down not wanting to meet his gaze.

I can't tell him I snoozed my alarm for more sleep, can I?

"Is that so?" He grabbed the newspaper and opened it wide that I couldn't see his face. "Make sure to drink your medicine and avoid showing up like that in breakfast."

My stepmom gave me a worried smile and stooped down.

Looks like I have forgotten why I despised this family at all.

I looked at my empty plate for I don't know how long and everything was becoming blurry.

My father told me way back when I was a kid that grandfather was an active politician aiming for the mayor spot and he wanted him to be a politician as well. He wanted dad to be a perfect son that he would even beat him to pulp if he disobey anything he wanted him to do.

And then he met mom; dad was so willing to do everything for her that he even walked away from home just to be with her. And then, I was born.

Everything was normal when I was a child. I live normally like how children lives. By that time, grandfather was already the city mayor.

We were living happily and peacefully as a family, until my grandfather was shot dead during an election for his last term. Thinking that she had no one left, my grandmother committed suicide.

Father felt the need to avenge for his parents, so he ran for the city mayor election but lost. This was when dad started killing the father I used to know.

He became obsessed with the word perfect, that he put all the pressure to me and mom to have that perfect family. Perfect wife and perfect son, as if there were no rooms for failures. He often blames himself and mom and said that if only he had followed grandfather's order, any of this would not happen.