Chapter 1 : Gone
It was a dark and depressing afternoon for me. A loss, and ending to a story, this was the epilogue. My grandfather, the only man I could look up to, had passed away three days ago, only a week to his seventieth birthday. As some would say, the man of my life. My father left us when I was utterly ill, my chances of surviving then were low, but I made it. I don’t know how, but I made it. I lived my life with this little ball of disgust and hatred towards this man whom I knew as “dad”. To me, he was a coward for leaving us, back away, and putting all the weight onto my mother’s shoulders. My grandfather came to rescue when he told my mother that he would live with us to support and raise this family. It was truly a blessing. I never met my grandmother before, but I’m sure she’s beautiful like she is in her old photos with grandpa and mom. My grandmother died of cancer three years before I was born. Since then, my grandfather has been closer with my mother as she, in his words, looks like her mother. Both beautiful, both amazing, both angelic.
My grandfather was Aria, my younger sister, and I’s father figure. He taught us how to read, bike, fish, play ball, draw, walk, you name it. He was always there for us, in sickness or in health, he would do anything to be there with us. I just couldn’t believe it, everything just ended like that. Oh how I miss him.
I have been I’ll since I was a young boy. Now it’s normal for me to visit the hospital for a check up. When I turned 15, the doctors said I was fine and that I would only need to go for a check up every three years. I was delighted, no more hours of sitting in the doctor’s room, no more blood tests, no more nurses handing me medication, it ended. Thankfully, I’ve been in great health since then. I now am able to do what every normal boy does. Play ball, hang out, go to parties and what not. This was my turn to live my life, but I guess for that to happen his was taken.
Chapter 2: Why, Oh Why
I was sitting in my room reminiscing the times we had together. The good and bad. The beautiful and ugly. The fun and mournful. Everything. It all seemed as if my life was really shattered. I couldn’t put the pieces together no matter how much I tried. And if I did, the trace of the crack would always be there. I was crying. Not the normal tear shedding one, but the one that hurts. The one that you just cant breathe, you cant make a sound, your eyes hurt, your vision goes all blurry, yeah that one. It continued until I heard a soft knock on my door. It was my younger sister, Aria. She was 4 years younger than me. Since my mother didn’t want to remarry, she adopted her. So beautiful, pure, fun, a ball of positivity. I quickly wiped my tears and told her to come in. She opened the door slightly, trying not to invade my privacy. “Avian, do you want some lunch? Mom cooked your favourite”. I haven’t been out of my room for the two days other than going to school and coming back, I think it was about time I spent some time with them. I nodded, I told her I’d be down in a minute. When I said that, her eyes gave out a glimmer of happiness.
As I walked down the stairs, I looked at the pictures that were hung by the wall. All from when I was just a baby, my first bike ride, my grandfather embracing me in his arms, the arrival of my sister from the adoption center, my mother as a teenager, my grandfather’s time as a soldier. All of it. I smiled, soon a tear rolled down my cheek. “Hey mom”, I said once I reached the final step. She seemed delighted that I came down, I walked towards her and gave her a hug. “Oh sweetie, how I missed you”, she said sobbing. “I miss you too, mom”. Then my sister comes in and hugs us both. We just stood there, hugging each other, embracing each other’s presence. It was a beautiful moment. “I’m hungry” Aria said, breaking the emotional moment. Mother and I laughed at her adorableness. Oh how I love my family, I thought. We sat at the dining table, enjoying mother’s amazing cooking skills. “How are you feeling?” mom asked. “Better” I lied. Aria, obviously sensing a negative vibe. Started bursting into a conversation about unicorns and the colour pink. I couldn’t imagine living without her, she made my life so much better than it would’ve been.
While we were eating, things got a little awkward. My mother broke it by trying to start a conversation. “Um Avan, I know things are tough on you right now, so I thought you’d want a little time to yourself. Maybe you could go out on a day trip or something, get your mind of things for awhile.” “Yeah!” said Aria. “You deserve it.” “Sure. Why not?” I replied. We talked about it, and mom told me I could have her keys to the car and use her debit card. I was blessed to have an understanding family. I told her I wouldn’t let her know in advanced though.
