Short Stories

One Day

"One day." I whisper to the nth wish in my heart, looking out the window.

A small sigh escapes as I lean against the window frame, the last rays of the sun hiding behind the mountains.

The door to my room opens and mom smiles fondly. "Watching the sunset?"

I nod and give her a tired smile.

"Well," She walks towards me and sits on the other side of the window seat. She puts a hand to my forehead. "you're doing much better. And you haven't had any pain attacks for a while."

My eyes still don't light up and no spark kindles within. "Mom, I know. But I still won't expect."

"Maybe you don't expect anything to avoid disappointment. But maybe you should try to hope. The world is a much better place than you think. And life in God's hands, will always turn out better." She kisses my forehead and closes the door behind her.

It's been three months since I've had to be locked in my room, in this house, due to my weak body. Frustrating. And also, sometimes boring.

I decide to write in my journal then head to bed. I open the notebook and see a letter.

I scan through and my heart skips a beat. There's no way he would've gotten this letter into my journal on his own.

I smile to myself. Mom and dad must know about this.

I go to sleep with a lighter heart and a giddy smile.

The next morning, I wake up before the bright sunshine could come pouring through.

The door opens and mom peeks through with a smile. "A surprise is waiting for you downstairs."

I walk carefully down the stairs, not wanting another accident to happen.

I recount my "one day" bucket list.

One day I will go on a road trip.
One day I will watch the sunrise on a beach.
One day I will watch the sunset on a beach.
One day I will go to a Winter Jam concert.
One day I will go on a small boat ride.
One day I will see a drive in movie.

Will any of them come true today? I shake my head. That question never gets answered.

I used to do so much before my accident. Before I got sick. And now, here I an only wishing for fractions of what my life once was.

I've reached the dining room where my family and a special guest sits for breakfast.

He looks at me with a knowing smile.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, cautiously, sitting beside him.

He shrugs. "Thought you'd want to go on a little trip."

My heart quickens. There's no way.

I look up at dad, then at mom. They're smiling that smile.

"After the accident? You'd want to trust me on going with you?" I ask quietly.

He chuckles. I realize how much I missed his company.

"You're crazy to think I'd blame you for that." He's looking at me now with that knowing look, amusement in his eyes.

I roll my eyes. "Okay, whatever. But where would we be going?"

He bites into pancakes and winks. "You'll see."

The sun's still coming out as he drives us to some unknown place.

He parks on a hill, and we watch as the sun rises. The beautiful orange and yellow mix and I hold my breath as the sun rises fully, shining light on the small town below us.

"Wow." I breathe out.

He smiles back at me. "I'm sorry we looked through your list. When you were in a coma, we wanted to know anything or everything about how to make you feel better. I suggested all this to your parents. I'm sorry it took so long."

I laugh softly. "That it happened at all is a miracle."

He smiles contently and helps me back into the car. "That's only our first stop."

I raise an eyebrow and he laughs. "Come on. Just enjoy the ride."

The windows are down and I enjoy the fresh breeze of a new morning. It's been so long since I've been out of the house.

Being nearly crippled, getting fever on and off, it's been a hard three months.

He takes me to a drive in movie, then to a lake. The small rowboat seems stable and the lake is beautiful. I sit across from him, a picnic basket in between us.

He rows us to the other side where we have a little picnic and feed the ducks.

Winter Jam was only three hours long and we spent the afternoon meeting new people and hearing more amazing testimonies.

Afterwards, he drives us to a beach two hours away from our town.

"So you're telling me, that my parents, like my parents, allowed you to take me this far." I say again, for the nth time, watching as we park at the beach.

He laughs again. "Yes. Now come on, and enjoy. Stop worrying so much."

I roll my eyes.

We walk slowly across the boardwalk. My legs hurting after all the events today.

He patiently helps me sit on the beach chairs where we watch as kids play in the san and the waves crash upon the shore.

The sun's setting and I hold my breath again. The pink, purple, and orange hues mix and I'm amazed. Blown away again.

"It's so different in person." I whisper.

I can feel his smile on me.

"Thank you for trusting me again." He says.

I shake my head and smile. "No. You trusted me to be better than back then. So thank you for making my one days today."