Riverside Bench

Pick Yourself Up

The day was dark that painful morning. People would think, why would he be upset over the death of a criminal? But Alan was devastated, as he knew Calim didn't deserve to die. No one did. His scars grew larger. The tragedy was a lot for Alan to handle. Amelia helped Alan. He was mainly guilty, feeling it was his fault for Calim's death.

Amelia grabbed his hand. Her soft touch helped him as he took a deep breath. She was so different ever since Alan got to know her. She was sweet, and a kind soul. Like Jessie, he thought. 

Alan tried not to cry. He tried to be strong, for Calvin. For himself. The stronger his mental toughness is, the stronger he is. 

At work, the day arose timidly. No work piled up on his desk. No Sam Finald visiting him for a quick hello. Just the silent mumbles of the station. He was trying to work. But the constant sound of the clock ticking, the pen clicking, the heater blowing, got to his head. He fell on the floor, closing his ears, yelling. 

Sam ran into the room, his flushed face brighter than the paint on the walls. He sat next to Alan. Alan buried his head into his lap. "He's gone. It's my fault again."

He put his hand on Alan's shoulder. "Calim was in pain. He made the decision himself. It's sad, but if you don't accept the fact that it's not your fault. You will be living in guilt and shame."

He stared at Sam. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like a child."

"No, your experiencing pain. And I'm glad to help."

"Thank you, Sam." He smiled as Sam left the room. It felt nice to have people helping him. 

Alan picked himself up and got back to work. Out of nowhere, the phone rang. 

"Hello." The voice echoed a deep tone. He shook in his seat. 

"Is this Alan?" The voice sounded more sympathetic. 

"Yes. This is Alan Brender." He regretted it right away. His words shook.

"It's Mark Myers." The voice was hurt. It sounded like it had been shattered into a million pieces. 

"Hi, Mark. I believe you heard what happened."

"I did. I'm sorry. It's painful, but he was a troubled man. A troubled person overall. He didn't deserve this. But he chose to not seek any help and it changed him."

Mark Myers was sad of course. But he was at a loss of words. His brother was a terrible person, but he was still his brother. Mark regret his lack of support in Calim's tough times. 

"Alan Brender, I'm sorry for what the pain he caused you. All I'm calling for is to ask a simple question. Take good care of Amelia, will you?"

He smiled and licked his lips, "I will. I promise. I will take the best care of her." 

                                       ------------------------------------------------------

A few days later, Amelia was allowed to leave the hospital. Alan was excited, "Let's go to that yoga class, huh." 

She smiled even brighter, "I've been waiting." 

In the yoga class, he felt so happy. Not lonely, not sad. When she smiled, all his problems went away.  She grabbed his hand, he blushed. Trying not to show his large smile. 

The day was one of the greatest he's had. They laughed while eating ice-cream, and shared some funny stories. 

They held hands as walked down the darkened path to Alan's house. Amelia was going to stay at Alan's house until she could get a place of her own. She glared over at him secretly. She snuck in a little smirk, and her cheeks turned hot pink. He laughed, "What are you smiling about?" 

She laughed, "Nothing. It's just I've never felt this happy before. You know not being lonely feels good."

He looked back at her as they reached his house. "It sure does." Then without thinking. He kissed her. 

She turned a brighter shade of pink and smiled. He just stared at her, confused if she's mad. Instead, she leaned in for a hug and laughed. "Wow. That was so movie-like."

Alan turned pink and grabbed her hand. "You know the part of the movie where the boy and girl stand in front of the sunset and then he kisses her. Well, how about tomorrow we go to see the sunset, have a picnic." 

"That doesn't sound bad. It's a date, Brender." 

Later that evening, Alan was woken by Amelia running in his room. "I had that dream again." She breathed heavily, and her face was pale.  

"Just sit, take a deep breath. It's okay, I'm here." She calmed down after a little bit. 

"You know your uncle, Mark. He called me a few days ago. He asked me for a favor. To always take good care of you."

She stared into his eyes. "Will you take good care of me?"

He looked back into her eyes. "I'll always take care of you."