The Final Scenes

The Final Scenes Prologue & Chapter One

Prologue

Today's the day. Today my father will officially move out and start planning his wedding with his fiancée, today my mother and I will start looking for a new home.

Today, everything changes.

CHAPTER one

I stepped out of college and separated myself from the flow of tired students rushing to get to their cars, moving to the side, I closed my eyes and felt the cold breeze caress my face.

“Ryssa!”

My eyes snapped open, the sound of my name breaking me from my trance, I looked to the left and saw my friend Kathy waiting for me to acknowledge her.

“Hey Kath.” I greeted with a smile.

“Hey, so I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house in an hour?” she asked with an excited expression on her face.

My good mood instantly vanished.

“Sorry, but I'm supposed to look at a house with my mum.”

“Crap! Sorry! I forgot about that stuff about your dad and that stuff with um...,” she trailed off sheepishly, not knowing what to say.

I clenched my teeth together and forced myself not to glare, knowing that it wasn't her fault. Relaxing my face into a smile I replied, “It's fine, you didn't know.”

“Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye,” she gave me a quick wave before turning around and carefully walked back to her car, trying not to slip on the ice.

I felt a vibration in my pocket and pulled out my chipped phone, that I'd dropped a hundred times and looked at the number but didn't recognise it.

“Hello?”

“Ryssa?”

I recognised my mother's voice and felt a smile cover my face.

“Oh, hey mum.”

“Oh good. I wasn't sure I had the right number for a second.”

“What phone are you calling from?”

“Well er... I'm using a colleague's mobile because I kind of accidentally threw mine at your father and it broke,” she mumbled quietly.

I laughed as the scene formed in my head, the image of her face causing me to giggle.

“Anyway, I'm sorry but I'm going to be late for the viewing so could you meet the Estate Agent there?”

“OK., but why are you going to be late and how long?”

“Work,” she said in annoyance, “and I'll be there in half an hour and I'll text you the address. I'll see you later OK.”

“Yeah bye.”

“Bye love.”

After the call ended I stared at my phone, thinking about how my life used to be. I used to have an attentive and loving father, who came home every single night and a happy outgoing mother. But then my father started to come home later and later, until eventually some nights he didn't come home at all, and my mother slowly withdrew into herself.

My life at home completely changed, no longer the happy family with no secrets but wary individuals who shielded themselves, afraid they'll get hurt again, worried that they'll snap because of one little thing.

I felt a single tear fall down my cheek then wiped it away and stared at the moisture on my finger before hurriedly blinking the rest away, hoping no one noticed the crying blonde girl staring off into the distance.

I looked down at the phone in my hand, then quickly dialled the number for a taxi and made the decision that I would stay strong for my mother, that I wouldn't shed a single tear for my father in front of her. Ever.