OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 3.4: LIGHTNING

21 January 2030, 06:30 AM

The dawn light seeped through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room. I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. Nine years. Nine years will be since Ruby was born. Nine years since Evelyn left us. It felt like a lifetime and yet, in so many ways, it felt like just yesterday. I had done everything I could to give Ruby the life she deserved. I had fought, struggled, and sacrificed. There were nights when I thought I wouldn't make it—when exhaustion gripped my bones so tightly that even breathing felt like a chore. But giving up was never an option. Ruby needed me, and that was enough to keep me going.

Being a single father was a battle no one prepared me for. The weight of responsibility never lifted. Every decision, every mistake, every moment of doubt—it was all on me. There was no one to share the burden, no one to lean on when things got too hard. I had to learn everything by trial and error, from changing diapers to soothing fevers in the middle of the night. And yet, despite the hardships, despite the loneliness, it was Ruby's love that kept me standing. Her laughter, her tiny arms wrapping around my neck, her sleepy voice whispering, "I love you, Daddy"—those were the moments that gave me the strength to push forward.

Leaving our old town had been one of the hardest decisions of my life. Too many memories, too much pain. Everywhere I turned, I saw Evelyn. I saw the places we had gone together, the home we started to build, the life we had planned. Staying there felt like living in a ghost town, haunted by what could have been. So, I packed up our lives and moved, starting over in a city where no one knew us, where I could focus on providing for Ruby without the constant reminders of loss. Now, I work as an electrical technician. It's grueling work—long hours, often physically demanding—but it's paid well enough to give Ruby what she needed. 

Lost in thought, I barely heard the soft creak of the door opening. Light footsteps padded across the floor, and then the mattress dipped slightly as a small figure settled beside me.

- "Daddy," Ruby's voice was gentle, but firm. "It's time to get up."

I turned my head and looked at her. She has Evelyn's eyes, those deep, warm brown eyes that always hold a quiet strength. She was smiling at me, the way she always did, the way that made every struggle worth it. 

- "You're too bossy for an eight-year-old, you know that?"

- "And you sleep too much for an old man. I think it's time to get up. Do we really need to be late again?"

- "Alright, alright. I'm up."

As I swung my legs over the side of the bed, I realized something. No matter how hard life had been, no matter how much I had lost, I still have Ruby. And as long as she is with me, I have everything I need.