Five Whispered Words

Chapter 4

Blake had always loved first days of school, even when she was a toddler she didn't cry on the first day of elementary school like most children, instead she held her Hello Kitty lunch box in her tiny hands as she walked into the colourful classroom. Her parents always knew there was something different about her; the way she held her head high confidently in the toughest of moments really showed how independent she was- even from a young age.

It was that same first day of elementary school that her parents knew she was going to be successful in the future. All her teachers had said the same thing : "She'll do great things one day, Mrs. and Mr. Jackson." And maybe, just maybe, that's when they started to think so highly of her.

Her parents showed affection towards each other from the day she was born: always kissing, laughing, smiling and holding hands. Blake's parents were her role models and their loving actions made her the romantic she had grown up to be. She was the perfect daughter to them so they didn't feel like a lot of rules had to be followed. Being an only child meant that she didn't have to share a room or a bathroom and she was allowed to stay out later than most of her friends. Once she got to high school they didn't stress over her marks, they knew she always tried her best and they often told her how proud they were. She had to admit they had given her the world and she loved them deeply for it.

That's why the day her mother died a piece of Blake's heart shattered. Her mother was her rock, her best friend and the best shoulder to cry on. She was always there for her: she listened to all her problems and she gave the best hugs; at fifteen Blake Johnson hated the world.

The funeral, as most are, was depressing to say the least. Everyone dressed in black- even auntie Margaret who practically stopped traffic with the bright colours she wore. Lilies, her mother's favourite flower, were hung up on the trees in the cemetery and her father had held one the whole time, ruining the fragile flower. That was the day Blake saw her dad crying for the first time. She would later realize he wasn't only crying; yes there were tears running down his face but his eyes no longer shined like before and his skin was paler. No, she remembers thinking, he's not sad; he's broken. Blake didn't eat for weeks after the funeral.

"Pain will come with time, but time will heal the pain"
- Anthony Liccione

Eventually Blake ate again and she heard her father weeping in his sleep less and less. They moved, not being able to bear her smell everywhere they walked in the house the girl grew up in. The new neighbourhood was welcoming and they made friends fast. Mr. Johnson had learned how to braid hair, read stories in the funny voices his wife used to tell, he learned how to cook his daughters favourite meals and he studied all the books the local library had to offer in women's studies. Blake slowly began hating the world less and she started resembling the girl she was before her mother got taken away from her.

"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."
-Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

Her first day of college she did everything possible not to think about the Hello Kitty lunch box she held so many years ago and the lilies she had found playing in the playground.