40 days

Chapter 1: The Funeral

-RINGG! RINGG! RINGG!-

Somehow I could hear something that was most likely a bell...

I opened by eyes, only to realize that I was awakened from a dream by an alarm. It felt real, even the pounding in the heart agrees that it was believable.

The dream though, was nothing new to me, I have been having dreams similar to that one before, all of them with the images of my dead girlfriend. 

As I stood up from my bed to turn the alarm off, I noticed the calendar next to it and I was reminded that today was her funeral. I went to the window, reeled the curtains aside, letting the sunshine in and a sudden thought comes to mind.

The day might seem bright to others, but to me, everything was cast under a huge shadow.

I readied myself to go, wearing a white long-sleeved polo and black slacks. I carried a box with me, a box which I should've given to her. A box that holds my regrets...

I hurriedly got to my car.

I put the keys in and tried starting it but the engine wouldn't budge. I did it a couple more times but it didn't work. 

I got off the car and started running to the nearest bus stop, about a couple blocks away from where I am staying. As I ran passed through a lot of people, I looked up the sky and noticed black smoke forming, probably from an explosion. I found my way through the crowd to get a glimpse of where it was it coming from.

It turns out it was because of a car accident. The collision was so hard that the impact caused an explosion and both drivers ...dead.

My view made it's way up to a tall concrete building that had a big clock on top of it, right before the tip. I noticed the time and figured out that I was running late.

I ran past the people as fast as I could, catching my breath from exhaustion. I 

I spotted a taxi and asked for it to stop. I went in and told the driver where I was going.  

"Bad morning don't you think sir?" the driver asked.

"It is, the worst actually."

"Mind me asking why sir?"

I kept quiet. I was still frustraded by all the delays happening, all I want for now is go to the funeral.

"Ohh...pardon me for asking sir"

With the overload of thoughts I am carrying in my mind, I seemed to have ended up spilling them, telling him what happened. 

"My girlfried passed away three days ago and today is her funeral, I was supposed to take my car but it wouldn't start no matter what and now I am running late, all I could ask for is to see her one last time, that's it!"

"Somehow there's a good to it sir, if your engine would have started, you could've been the one in the accident."

"That won't make it less of a bad day for me."

"Well, we're here sir."

I paid him, got off the taxi and hurriedly headed off to the funeral.

I was running and when her grave was at sight, I slowed down, though I didn't know why. I was about 15 meters away when I stopped and just looked for a while. My eyes were tearing up as I now felt her permanent loss. I know that she wasn't coming back. 

Memories of the past struck me and I found myself emagining her in front of me, saying "I love you" and walking away. If that was the case, I'd hold on to her hand and never let go of it. If I just had the power to reverse everything, I'd protect her.