Mending A Broken Angel

Chapter 1: Butterflies in Mid-July

I didn't believe it until I saw her grave. Standing next to my father I watched as the body was about to be lowered into the ground. I didn't believe that I had a mother, but now, looking at her corpse, I could see that we shared the long black curls and deep ebony skin, even the figure: flat stomach, average chest, and legs that go all the way up. I felt it unfitting to wear black since it was hard to mourn someone who I had never met, but I thought that her family would look at me weird, but now I discovered that I could have worn bright orange due to the fact that the priest, my father, and I were the only ones present for her funeral. She must have pushed everyone else away as much as she did us, so much so that I didn't even know her name until I saw the tombstone and found that it was one of the most significant things we shared. The title of Angel Claire Johnson.

My father and I had moved because of his new job, which meant a new house, new school, and a new life. The house was a huge step up from our one story small apartment with 2 bedrooms and one bath, but this 4 bedroom and bath house seemed a bit ostentatious. I felt like a ghost in the house whenever he was off at work, and though I am not clingy, silence reminds me of loneliness and honestly I think too much while in the midst of it.

I wasn't used to the luxuries that came along with a home like this, so when I banged on the door of the bathroom, yelling at my dad to get out, I hit myself up side the head and went inside to take my first ever long shower. As I was scrubbing my back I could have sworn I saw a feather on the ground and when I dipped down to pick it up it disappeared. I still get a little migraine when I think about the night that I got these two wings tattooed on my back. The same night I gave up the only thing I cared about for 16 years to a 21 year old who couldn't have cared less about me, and this is why I hate silence because I don't have anything worth thinking about.

After I get out of the shower and pick out my hair I decide to go out for a run. I put on this new Nike work out clothes that my dad bought for me and grab this new iPhone and headphones that I honestly don't need and don't know how to use. When I walked by the mirror in my new room, I couldn't help but noticing that even in these new clothes, I look like the same girl who 24 hours ago sat on her old bed in her old room contemplating her purpose in life. Good thing I knew how to work iTunes so I downloaded every song I knew so I could tune myself out. Sometimes I feel like music is the only thing in the world that understands me. Though I wasn't too into this new suburban environment, I had to admit, the course that it made was great for jogging and apparently other people thought the same thing. I began to run faster when people began to wave at me and I felt compelled to wave back. I began to slow down when I realized that no one else was surrounding me. When I finally stopped running, I was bumped by another runner who knocked out one of my headphones. When, I looked up, I was startled by a sudden flash. When it had gone away, I saw a camera around the neck of a beautiful figure, who's name I did not know yet, but I do know that I found comfort in his smile and home in his light brown eyes. His white t-shirt became very see through because of the sweat from the mid-July air. he was beautiful. When I broke out of my day dream, I realized he was still staring at me, and being a little self-conscious, I glanced down to make sure I looked alright. Obviously, he noticed this and felt the need to explain himself.

"Um...i'm sorry. I was just--," he began his explanation.

"No. it's fine." I said knowing what he was going to say.

"--mesmerized by the view." He said completely surprising me.

I was completely taken aback, and I think he noticed because he continued. " I'm a photographer. I usually take still shots of nature, but when you were looking up the sun brought out your brown curls and beautiful eye color. I'm sorry if I sound a little creepy, it just looked really nice." Truthfully, it wasn't creepy at all, it was really sweet, and when I saw the picture it didn't look like me, and then I thought that maybe I had just been looking at myself the wrong way for a long time.

"I'm Hakim." He said interrupting my train of thought.

"I'm Angel." I said slightly blushing that we were so close that I caught a hint of his breath. It smelled like coffee. I love coffee. When we both realized that we were just staring at each other, he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Well, I hope to meet your acquaintance again, my angel." he said.

"Until we meet again, Hakim." i said as he walked off into the sun that was beginning to set.