365 Days with the Celebrity

Chapter 3 - Life's Trials & Tribulations

Eight months passed since Ariel left Darryl. 

She rubbed her bulging tummy, lost in thoughts at how her life turned upside down. This was not supposed to be! She was to pursue her dreams to become a 5-star chef, not be a pathetic single mother tossed away by her man. She did not go into Brimhill with the aim of finding love. Darryl was the villain. He distracted her and ruined her! He graduated and pursued his dreams while she was forced to abandon hers. He tricked her to marry him so that he could steal her virginity which she always believed should be a sacred vow of love. Never ever would she fall in love again, she promised herself.

Still, Ariel was hanging onto a slim glimmer of hope that he would call her and admit that losing her was his biggest mistake in his life, that he wanted her and their baby back in his arms. But he never did. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. His phone number was no longer working. 

The last Ariel heard from him was the divorce papers sent to her house, which she hesitated to sign. It was through Darryl's lawyer that she discovered that he and his mistress had plans to marry, crushing every hope that she hung onto. Eventually, she surrendered her signature to the papers.

Ariel comforted herself that once her baby was born, she would return back to Brimhill to complete her studies. Her mother offered to help take care of the baby while she does so, while her father would pay her tuition fees. Yet, the thought of going back to the academy made her nauseate as romantic memories that she and Darryl shared at the place were way too much for her to handle.

Ariel watched from the window as her parents drove off to go to the grocery store so that her mother could prepare some nice soup for her and the unborn baby.

Night fell and Ariel watched the clock in the living room nervously, wondering why her parents were taking so long to return since the grocery store was not that far. She called them but neither of them picked up. The doorbell rang and she rushed to open the door, thinking it was them. Instead, she was greeted by two policemen.

"Are you Miss Ariel Lee?" one of the policemen asked.

"Yes, I am," Ariel nodded suspiciously.

"I'm sorry to break the news. Your parents were killed today in a car accident. We need you to -" Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Ariel's screaming howl and she collapsed in shock.

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"Mom, Dad! Thank God, you're alive! I had the worst dream that you guys were dead!" cried Ariel as she ran to hug her smiling parents who were carrying the grocery bags.

CLUMP! CLASH!

The sound of clashing metal awoke Ariel out of her dream.

Where am I? What am I doing here?

"Sorry, Doctor. I was careless," said the nurse beside her as she picked up the medical tools.

"Her baby's fine, though there seems to be something odd about his heartbeat," the doctor studied the scanner.

"Wha-WHAT? What's happening?!" Ariel cried.

"She's woken up. Go get her a glass of water," the doctor nodded to the nurse. He turned his attention to Ariel and said, "Miss Lee, you collapsed in a state of shock. Your baby is fine though we noticed irregularities in his heartbeat." He pointed at the screen as another nurse scanned her tummy.

"My mom and dad?"

"Miss Lee, calm down now-"

"Where are they?!" she cried.

The doctor gently held her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, "I'm sorry Miss Lee, they're in a better place now. They won't be suffering anymore now."

Ariel shook her head in disbelief, and then buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"Do you have any close kin I can contact on your behalf?" asked the doctor.

"My parents immigrated here. I was born here. I do not have any other relative," Ariel struggled with her words between sobs, "But I have my friends. Call Rita. Can you help me call her?"

The doctor nodded and swiftly scribbled down Rita's phone number.

Ariel stiffened under the blanket as she tightened her eyes in tears.

This is not real, this cannot be!

She recalled the sweet humming of her mother's lullabies when she used to tuck her in bed every night. Even though they were not rich, her lower middle-class parents ensured that their little girl was raised happy and well-provided for, despite their strict and traditional upbringing. Ariel used to roll her eyes at their constant nagging and constipated ideals. Now, she missed their voices dearly.

It did not take long before all three of her best friends rushed to gather around her and shared in her insurmountable pain. They helped her arrange the funerals and lots of paperwork had to be done. During the discussion with a lawyer, Ariel learned that her parents were in debt and her inheritance had to be used to pay them off. Ariel had no choice but to sell off the house, the only house she grew up in. She was left with nothing, saved for a few belongings of her parents that she chose to keep. There was not sufficient funds to continue her education at Brimhill.

Ariel remained indebted to Rita's parents, Arthur and Rachel Johnson who treated her with kindness and accepted her as part of the family.

The day that her baby was born, Ariel fell in love instantly with the tiny bundle of joy. He was quite a small baby. Rita and her family, Camila and Beth were there at his birth. Her joy soon turned into a nightmare when her little one was put through constant monitoring during the first few days after his birth due to his weak heart, and it was revealed that her little boy was diagnosed with arrhythmia, which came as another blow to her life. She named the baby Andy, named after one of her favourite chefs, Andy Ricker. In the deepest chamber of her heart, Ariel grieved that Andy's father was not there at his birth, nor would he ever be in their lives.

However, she chose to be grateful for what she had. The Johnsons who were now her new family. Not only were they generous enough to help cover Andy's medical fees, they insisted that she should not work during the first few months after giving birth so that she could nurse her newborn son. Ariel took up part-time waitressing and urged the Johnsons to accept whatever little money she could contribute. They finally gave in after her insistence.

Andy's weak heart required yearly medical check-ups, but his existence also provided Ariel the strength she needed in order to survive her hardships. Beth and Camila dropped by to offer their occasional help with Andy when Ariel worked, on top of Mr and Mrs Johnson's unconditional loving grandparenting of Andy.

When Andy turned six, Ariel decided it was time to move out and find a place of her own with her boy, not willing to inconvenience the Johnsons anymore after Rita was the first to move out to stay on her own. Ariel could finally afford to rent a small apartment after years of saving up. Despite the Johnsons' repeated reassurances that she could continue staying at their place, Ariel wanted to carve out a life of her own. She gave them her biggest hugs before disappearing with her son to her new residence in the moving van.