Till Eternity

chapter 2: COURAGE

Lorrie woke up with a sudden gasp and an indescribable pain in her neck. She took in her surroundings, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Wiping away the drool sticking to her chin with the back of her hand, she groaned, "Did I fall asleep on the floor again?". She got up from the carpet and squinted her sleepy eyes to check the time which read 7:00 am. She then went to her daughter's rooms to wake them up for school. Her body ached from last nights sleep on the hard surface and she could barely stand up. As soon as she went to their room, she spotted Zoey crying. At first she stood there, trying to comprehend what was going on and soon she ran to her little girl and found her elder sisters all hugging each other, tears in their eyes. Seeing her mother's concerned expression Zoey blurted out ,' MOM I MISS DADDY!, I MISS DADDY!, I MISS DADDY!' and all her sisters instantaneously hushed her, trying to calm her down because the last thing they wanted was their mother crying, yet again, after yesterdays depressing night when they could literally hear her wailing and had spent a sleepless night consoling each other to revert back to sleep. Right then, Jessica looked right in her mother's swollen eyes, that exhibited the pain she was going through, and spoke her heart out, 'mom, we all need to be strong alright. What we're going through is an extremely sensitive phase but we need to have the courage to deal with it. Yes, daddy left us but we need to make a new beginning because we just can't live like this. It's the rule of the world mom, remember? that's what you taught your girls when grandma passed away!,' she then paused for a moment and then continued in a croaky voice, clearly trying to hold back her tears,' Dad will always have a special place in our hearts mom', she said addressing everyone in the room ,'he's our hero'. Hearing this, they all realized that the notion of betrayal, hatred and abandonment could only end in their hearts if they all held hands and trusted each other. They had never felt this close in their entire life. 'At least I still have them', Lorrie spoke to herself with tearful eyes and a slight smile on her face.

She locked her self in her room while the girls got ready. She stood in front of the mirror, trying to apprehend what just happened. She was bewildered. Suddenly she screamed at her reflection saying,'I HAVE A DAMN FAMILY TO TAKE CARE OF. I CAN'T JUST TREAT MYSELF LIKE RUBBISH AND FEEL BAD ABOUT MYSELF. I NEED TO GET MY HEAD RIGHT AND DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR MY FAMILY'. She screamed until her throat went dry and she felt like her voice box was going to explode. She felt the urge to do something, not for her self but for her family. She could feel the sudden burst of adrenaline in her body which caused her heart rate to abnormally increase and her eyes to dilate. Without knowing it, she sat in the corner of the room and burst into tears. She could feel no accomplishment or pride at her life's work. The despair and pain erupted from her like a volcano and soon her cheeks were wet and salty. Her eyes searched for comfort in her sparse vacant surroundings but she found no amenity around her. Lorrie's face contorted into a portrait of anguish. She could feel the life leak out of her until she felt as hollow as a tree trunk and she let all her ill feelings out with every tear she spilled. Then, with a heart of steel, she washed her face to remove any tear of grieve or any sign of sorrow, just to face her children and say,' Have a great day at school!'.

Later, she locked herself in her room again, knowing there was no one home but she found the need to. After five weeks of depressing nights and unworthy mornings, she found an urge to do something for her family, rather than spending her days and nights waiting for the lover who wouldn't step back home again. This thought was what frightened her the most and caused her throat to tighten and make her feel useless but she wouldn't anymore, rather, she couldn't because she didn't have a choice. She felt like the last soldier on whom the whole battle counted.

Lorrie suddenly realized the need for a job and the next minute, she dialed her cousin's number with trembling hands.

'Hey Sandra, how're you?', Lorrie said in a crooked voice and realized that she sounded Lorrie-ish.

'Hey Lorrie! I'm good long time no talk huh?' what's up?', Sandra replied with a jolly tone.

'um yeah, I kinnda need a favor . I'm in a desperate need for a job and I would really appreciate if you'd recommend me some work places hun.'

'Hmm, let's see', she paused for a moment and then spoke rapidly,'actually there is this agency which requires minimum workers right now as they're new in the business. They're called ITECH and it's an online marketing company. They contacted our office a few days ago to publish their advertisement so...'

'PERFECT. I'M SO GRATEFUL SAN. Can you text me their address so I can give my interview?'

'sure love, in a minute. Bye sweety.' And she cut off.

She then got up to drink a glass of water, considering that her voice sounded like a frog. She gently rubbed the soft skin that veiled her flesh trying to sooth the pain that was continuously bugging her, when her message tone ringed and soon after reading it, she gave a weak smile of relief and joy.

AN: hope you like this one too! lots of love from the author to all the readers. :) xx