Opposites Attract - Rhea Ripley

Chapter 15 - Farewell.

3 Weeks Later...

I sat at home, a pit in my stomach. Demi hadn't called me in some time, but it was fair, she had just lost her auntie. Throughout the time Demi had been in Australia I had gotten to know her Auntie very well over calls. She was so happy, so bright, and so full of life. She had been like a second mother to Demi. I couldn't even begin to imagine how Demi must feel right now.

Today was the funeral and I knew this would be a tough day for Demi, all I wanted to do was hug her and tell her it'll be okay, but I couldn't. She was on the other side of the world and we were only over a screen. I tried calling her a few times to check up on her, but she never answered. I kept telling myself she was just busy, but deep down I knew something was wrong.

It was hard to find time to call because of time zones, but we learnt what time to call and Demi and I would talk for hours, we would talk about everything, we would laugh and cry. The silence was deafening. I had been messaging her all day, telling her I'm thinking of her, that she wasn't alone, that I was here for her. But she never responded. It wasn't like her. I didn't understand what was going on.

In Australia...

I sat in bed, my whole body aching, my hair greasy and my face wet from tears. It had been days since I had last slept, and each night I would lie awake, reliving the memories of Auntie and feeling her absence more acutely. I couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong, that there was something I was supposed to do. The phone sat silent on my nightstand, its screen reflecting back an image of myself, I didn't recognise the person staring back at me. I knew I should call Sasha, tell her how I felt, but I couldn't find the words.

I couldn't talk, I just wanted to curl up into a ball and do nothing. I had lost all sense of time, of place, of who I was. The room around me seemed to close in, the walls pressing against my skin, trapping me in this never-ending cycle of grief. I wanted to scream, to shout, to break something, but I couldn't muster the energy. The silence was deafening.

I still felt as if everything was my fault, I shouldn't have put all that extra stress on Auntie, especially a few days before her death. I should have been more understanding, more patient. I should have told her how much I care, that she shouldn't worry. But I couldn't change the past, and I knew that. I just wished I could see her again, her bright personality, her warm smile, her sparkling eyes. I missed her so much...

My mum slowly walked into my dim room. She hesitated at the edge of the bed, as if unsure of what to say or do. I could feel her presence, even if my eyes were closed.

"Dem, darling. It's 7am, we're leaving in 2 hours. Go get a shower and we'll have breakfast." Mum softly rubbed my arm, trying to rouse me from my slumber. But I couldn't bring myself to move, couldn't even summon the energy to respond.

I just opened my eyes, nodding numbly at my mother. I felt like I was moving through water, every motion taking twice as much effort as it should. My throat was raw from crying, and my head ached. I forced myself to sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and taking in my surroundings. The room was still a mess from the past few days, clothes and tissues strewn about, the smell of Auntie's favourite perfume lingering in the air, the one she had given to me to remember her by.

It was then that motivation hit me, I had to continue, to get ready, prepare to give my Auntie the best send off she could ever have. I forced myself up, taking deep breaths to steady my shaking body. As I stepped into the shower, the hot water stung my skin, burning away some of the numbness that had taken hold of me. I scrubbed my body until it was clean, washed my hair twice to get rid of the tangles of grief that seemed to be woven into every strand. As I dried off, I looked at myself in the mirror, trying to see past the red-rimmed eyes and the pale, drawn face. I tried to remember who I was, what Auntie would tell me if she were here.