Larissa & Paul: A Forbidden Love Story

Chapter 11 - Trying To Move On

In the days that followed, Larissa couldn't let go of Paul. His funeral was the next day and she just couldn't shake off the feeling of having him die in her arms. The day after his death, Larissa went home to her mother. Even though she was still a little iffy about talking to her after the way she treated her for many years.

Throughout most of her time at home, Larissa spent a lot of days locking herself in her room. Even when her once snotty mother tried to talk to her, she would continuously shut her out and not talk to anyone. One day, the phone rings. Sheila answers it.

"Hello?" She said. "Hi, this is John Lennon. Is Larissa there?" John's voice said on the other line. "Yes she is. But I doubt she'll come out of her room. She's been in there for almost a week." Said Sheila. "I don't blame her, Mrs Miller. It's hard to lose a loved one." Said John. "Believe me, John, I know how that feels. I lost my husband when Larissa was just 10 years old." Sheila said. "That's a shame." John said. "Anyway, I'll get Larissa for you. And hopefully she'll come out of her room." Said Sheila. "Thank you, Mrs Miller." Said John. "You're welcome. And please, call me Sheila." Sheila said.

Sheila puts the phone down and goes up to Larissa's room. She knocks on her door. "Go away, Mother!" Larissa said. "I'm sorry, honey. But you have a phone call." Said Sheila. "No! I don't wanna talk to anyone!" Said Larissa. "It's your friend, John Lennon. He wants to talk to you." Sheila said. "Okay, fine! I'm coming out!" Larissa said. She thrusts her door open and quickly moves past Sheila as she goes downstairs. She picks up the phone and puts it to her ear.

"Hello?" She said. "Larissa?" Said John. "Oh, hi John." Said Larissa. "I wanted to check and see how you're doing in regards to... you know." John said. "Honestly, it's been very difficult. I haven't been adjusting very well ever since Paul died. I miss him like crazy, John!" Larissa said as she's on the verge of tears. "We do too, love. I haven't been able to write a good song without him." Said John.

Larissa talks on the phone for a few more minutes. Before she hung up, she says her goodbyes to John. Sheila comes into the room and wraps her arms around her daughter. "I was probably thinking we could have some mother/daughter bonding time. We haven't had those since your father died and I started acting like a terrible mother. What do you say?" She said. "Sorry, Mother. It's gonna take me a while before I can show my face in public again." Said Larissa. "I know, sweetie. But we have the funeral tomorrow and you'll be facing a lot of people then." Sheila said. "That's true. And I forgive you for your actions, by the way. Just don't ever do that again." Larissa said. "I promise, Larissa, my darling. And thank you for your forgiveness." Said Sheila.

When night came, Larissa once again locked herself in her room. She stared up at the starry sky and got lost in her thoughts. "Oh, Paul, why did you have to die? You were so young and you left me too soon. I wish I could change what happened that day. My heart has a hole that can't be fixed without you beside me. But now that you're gone, I can never get rid of this pain. I want you back, Paulie. Please, come back to me! You never should've died!" She said.

Larissa starts to cry so hard. She drops down to the floor and buries her face into her hands. "I miss you so much, Paul, my darling! Now that you're dead, I don't know if I'll ever find love again!" She cried. She then hears a knock at the door. "Larissa, honey, are you okay in there?" It was her mother. "No, Mother! I'm not okay!" Larissa said through her tears. "Could you unlock the door so I could come in?" Sheila asked. "I guess so." Said Larissa. She unlocks her door and opens it to let her mother in.

"Sweetheart, I know you miss Paul. And believe me, I regret killing him. My anger took control and I just couldn't stop myself from doing it. After you stood up to me, I learned my lesson and knew it was about time I started acting like a loving and caring mother again." Said Sheila. "It took me a while to consider coming back to you. But I knew you deserved forgiveness. And after I knew about your regret of killing Paul, I told the police it was someone else who killed him and not you." Larissa said. "You didn't have to do that, but, thank you." Sheila said.

Larissa hugs her mother for the first time in years. After their embrace, they smile at each other. "Why don't you work on your eulogy for tomorrow?" Asked Sheila. "I might as well do that." Said Larissa. "And first thing in the morning, before the funeral, I'm going to tell Paul's dad that the feud between us is over." Sheila said. "That's definitely a good idea. Besides, Jim's a sweet man. And he's gonna need a lot of support after losing his son." Larissa said.

Sheila nods in agreement. "I'll let you be alone now." She said. She kisses Larissa on her forehead and exits the room. Larissa grabs a piece of paper and a pen to work on her eulogy for Paul's funeral. When she finished, she gets ready for bed. After getting under the covers, she stares up at the ceiling as tears slide down from the corners of her eyes.

"Paul, I wish you were here to hold me. I want you to tell me that everything will be okay. I miss your hugs and kisses the most. Oh, darling, I wish you didn't die!" She said. Larissa tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't without thinking about Paul and how much she loved him. So, she spends the rest of the night crying and drowning her pillow in tears.