One Summer

ONE

I'm still holding on to everything dead and gone
I don't wanna say goodbye 'cause this one means forever
Now you're in the stars and six feet's never felt so far

NORA

My mother's gone, and she's never coming back. I sit here today to celebrate her life. I am numb and zoning out the crying from the others. She was all I had, all I've ever known to be completely honest...

I am her only child. I have a father, of course, he just never...never wanted to step up I don't know much about him anymore....well, up until now, he's remarried and has a daughter younger than my 17, and he's a businessman that makes millions a year

Once I turned thirteen, he upped and left. I haven't heard a word from him till now. It took my mother's death for him to give a shit. No, fuck that, he probably wouldn't have cared if he wasn't forced to come here, or his business would've been in trouble

He's acting like the caring father for the tabloids; did he forget about us? And Mom, I? Why did he leave? Was it worth it on his part? Does he regret anything? Did he ever care for my mother, his wife, and me, his firstborn daughter?

He didn't even properly divorce my mother; he sent her a letter with divorce papers in it a year after he left

'Ellie, it's me, Ritchie. I know this might surprise you, but I am not dead. I am alive and well with a daughter... not our own. Your Nora, I am also to be married in a few months. I have been seeing Jules, my soon-to-be wife, for two years now. You know I was never a faithful man, but for Jules, I will change and learn from the mistakes I made to you. I will learn to grow up and be a man for my sweet Rosie, our daughter, and Jules. I am finally happy, and I don't want you and our daughter ruining it, so I'm sending you these divorce papers. I would appreciate it if you could sign them. Within a week, I would like them to be returned to the address listed at the top of this letter. Don't come looking for me. Don't try calling me. I don't want anything to do with you and YOUR daughter... I have a new family now, so you are no longer needed. SEND TO THE ADDRESS ON TOP OF THE LETTER WITHIN A WEEK, or else I hope never to see you again

Sincerely, Ritchie Allister'

Then he sent the tabloids to our home when he didn't get an answer. I mean, can you blame my mother? Your husband goes missing, and a year later, you get a letter from him saying he replaced you and your daughter with a new woman. Like, what would you do in that situation

I made it hard for her, I mean, I wasn't perfect, no one is. When my mother got sick, I called my so-called father and told him, but instead of listening, he hung up in my face, and now I have to live with this man and his replacements, but you can never beat the originals

I want to have a smooth rest of the year. It's rocky at the moment, but we all go through hard times. This one hurts. I am basically parentless, and my mother was my everything. She was all I had in this fucked up world. What am I supposed to do now that I have no one

When I am stressed and need someone to talk to, who should I turn to? My mother was the sweetest woman I've ever met. I have to toughen up and not let these tears fall because she wouldn't want me to cry

I zone out remembering what she told me hours before her death 'My sweet Nora this is your chance to restart this is a new chapter in your life don't let my death control your decisions don't sit around and cry have fun take this as a chance for new beginnings and I want you to promise me not to let what I and your father went through control your love life and how you look at love, Love is a beautiful thing but it can be painful at times but don't let that stop you it will all be worth it, in the end, I promise just cause it didn't work out for me doesn't mean it won't for you I love you and I'll always be watching over you' A sigh leaves my lips

I get up since the funeral is over, I place roses on her casket, say a small prayer, wipe the tears from my eyes, and begin to walk away

It's time for a new start. I am now inside Ritchie's car with his daughter, Rosie, and his wife, Jules, who are laughing about something. He looks so happy, and that angers me so much, but I don't ever speak up when things hurt me. I keep it to myself

That's the only thing I don't like about myself, I can't defend myself, I just shut down and move on, but when the sun sets and the dark settles in, it all comes back to me, the cruel words and my fucked up childhood

I zone out their talking, then the car pulls into a huge driveway. I almost gasp; you can't even call this a house - it's enormous. I bite my tongue, taking a deep breath. I mean, he could've sent money, like check up on me, he has all this money and couldn't pay child support

I...you know what, never mind, it's not like he would care, he never did, to begin with, that's why he left. I never asked to be here, and what makes me feel worse is that he begged my mother to have me

He begged and begged for her to give him a child. He stayed thirteen years, then decided he was tired of it and wanted something new, but again, he was barely around when we lived together as a 'family' or whatever you call us

Once he's out of the driving seat, he runs to open the door for his replacement, Julie or Jules, whatever her name is, then grabs his daughter Rosie, planting her face with kisses. She giggles, and I am sick to my stomach

If I watch any longer, I will break down sobbing, full sobbing, so to save myself from the embarrassment, I grab my packed luggage and make my way into the mansion I will be living in for the next year or so

An old, short blonde lady walks up to me, "Dear, let me take these to your room." Her voice was sweet. "No, it's fine, I got it, thank you, but can you lead me to my room?" My voice is somewhat audible, so I clear my throat

She stands and stares at me for a little while before a bright smile touches her face. "Okay, this way, Ma'am." I cough, "Nora...My name is Nora. Please call me Nora." Her smile brightens

"Okay, Nora, I am Mary, short for Marygold, not the typical name, yes, a little weird, but then again, I am old." A small snort escapes me, but I cover it up with a cough. "You don't look a day over 40, Mary." She lets out a soft laugh, which brings a smile to my face

"Okay, here it is," she says, opening the door to my new bedroom, and I am hit with a weird feeling that this is real and I am never gonna see Mom again. I will never live with her again, see her smile, cry, or laugh again

I sigh, analyzing the room. It's mostly dark brown and white; there's not much color in the room, but it's okay now. All I have to do is unpack. Instead of doing that, I decided to lie a little, but once my head hit the pillow, I was out

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(CHAPTER IS UNEDITED SO IF THERE ARE ANY MISTAKES PLEASE IGNORE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE PLEASE AND THANK YOU)

(Edited with Grammarly)
✅

Bye👋🏾