You Know Me

1| Goodmorning Sunshine

Sunday
May 15, 2020

The luminous sunset shines down on me as I look at my reflection through the green-tinted pond. My hair looks of flames as the soft breeze comes over me. The oranges and blues fuming from the sky make my view more admirable as I hum my favorite tune. The same tune, only deeper, comes from beside me, matching with mine. I look over to see my dad. His smile overtakes his face as he comes closer with wide arms.

"Hello, my sweet Josephine," he hums into my ear as he holds me tight.

An unfamiliar warmth takes over my body as I wrap my arms around him. "Daddy, where have you been? I've missed you so much," I whine under my breath.

"I've been here this whole time, sweetheart. With every step you've made, I've been right beside you," he responds with a comforting smile as he releases me from his hug.

His hands rest on my shoulders while he stares into my gloomy eyes. I can see the happiness in his eyes, no pain, just pure happiness. I look down at my feet as I kick the small pebbles hidden in the freshly cut grass. The wind begins to pick up, causing my fire-red hair to entangle in its grasp. The steady roars of thunder make me look up at the sky. What was once a beautiful horizon is now overlaid with dark clouds. I look back to where my dad was once standing to find him gone, almost like he disappeared in the wind.

"Daddy, where did you go?" I cry out. My voice becomes muffled with the gusting winds and my face turns wet with the tears that I had yet to notice were seeping from my eyes.

"I'm right here," a deeper, much raspier voice says from behind me.

I turn around to see the man who took everything from me. His eery smile makes my gut turn as I slowly back away.

A bolt of lightning strikes the ground from behind me, followed by a boom of thunder.

"Go away!" I scream, but his laughter takes over.

"What? I've been here too, every step you've made, I've been right beside you."

•••
"Noo!" I scream, jolting myself up from my sleep.

I sit up with a pounding headache and the faint sound of my alarm mixed with thunderous snores coming from beside me. I look around the room, making sure I'm still in my apartment, and grab my phone to turn off the loud chirping of birds, taking in the abrupt pain as my eyes fixate on the light of my phone that makes my head feel like flames of fucking fire.

Fuck.

It's 11:00 AM and my selected stranger from last night is still in my bed. I usually never let them stay, however, last night I was way too wasted to give a damn. I grab my sweat-drenched pillow from behind me and hit Elijah in the head, making his snores come to a halt.

"What the fuck?" He groans as he barely opens his eyes.

"Get out," I grumble, and wrap my blanket around my naked body.

I'm not a morning person. I'm not an afternoon person either but it sounds better for me to just stick to one.

"The fuck is your problem?" He grumbles back as he props himself up with his elbows. His greased black hair is mounted to his head with sweat and the awful smell of his morning breath looms the humid room.

"You. Get the hell out," I groan, hitting him with my pillow once again before hoisting myself up from the bed, taking the blanket that covers his body with me. I open the curtains, sending the late morning sun into the room, only to curse under my breath as the light hits my eyes.