farther than the universe |hs

The Mourning Period

Emilia; Present Day 

Emilia had always planned to come home for her parents' anniversary. It was supposed to be her surprise gift. She worked overtime, bustling into the loneliest hours of the night when everyone else went home. For the last two weeks, her only company were the Beatles subtly playing in the background, acting as a replacement for office chatter; and the glimmer of the moonlight reflecting against every other shiny object on her desk.

However, the universe had a different kind of surprise in mind for her family; because when her feet had finally gravitated back down to her hometown's soil, she gets a phone call from her mom about her dad, and how his heart had chosen their day out of all days to finally stop beating.

Lightning strikes the earth ever so violently as the thunder cries out in anguish. The rain starts to pour heavily; it's as if the universe is mourning on the behalf of Emilia and her mom's loss. Though it usually does rain here in Ashland, Oregon, that day was a specific kind of grey. The kind of grey that weighs down on your shoulders and sends you off into the corner of your bed. And that's exactly what Emilia's mom had done.

It had been three days since then. Three days since the sudden passing of Emilia's father. Three days since the storm had terrorized the people of Ashland, and continued to do so.

Emilia would like to believe that she's in a much better state than she was three days ago, but the universe would know that she had been lying, and she worries if she dare say a lie, she'd be punished for it.

So instead, Emilia gives herself a moment to breathe, letting go of all the times she had to hold her breaths for her mom. She rests her head in the dip of the palm of her hand, the other is occupied; holding her favorite mug filled coffee and the tiniest shot of tequila—her mourning mix.

Her jaded brown eyes fixate on the rhythm of the raindrops colliding against the glass. She listens intently to howling of the wind echoing in her ears. The air surrounding the kitchen is bitter; the atmosphere is as dead and lonesome. It's the perfect weather for the mourning period, Emilia thinks.

Emilia relieves an exasperated sigh as she sets her cup on the counter. She unlocks her phone, searching for her husband's name through the messages, but nothing. Her chest rises and falls in disappointment. Not a single phone call, not even a message.

Asshat, she internally grits. Her nails claws into the granite counter, her blood boiling; but she's not surprised. She's not surprised, with how the state of her marriage had been lately. It's not like the universe had sent her a blessing to begin with. This was another punishment for not listening.

Emilia dismisses it, sliding her phone to the side. She grabs the breakfast tray she prepared and heads to her mom's bedroom. She trudges up the stairs, the weight of her body becoming unbearably heavier with each step. There's something about her going to her mom's room that causes her heart to sink a little deeper.

She pictures her mom firmly holding onto her dad's old tie-dye shirt, resting it just beneath her nose in hopes to at least keep the scent of him alive if not the rest of him. She'll find her mom's swollen red eyes distantly watching the TV. The bright screen flashing, enveloping her mom from the darkness in the room. It had been her only source of light for the last three days.

Emilia swallow's thickly once she finds herself standing before her mom's bedroom door; it's slightly left ajar. The TV's LED lights filtering through the crack; she can hear the Brady Bunch theme vaguely playing in the background.

One deep inhale, and Emilia lightly kicks the door open; and she finds her mom exactly as she had imagined her to be. She frowns as she walks over to her mom who looks like she hadn't showered yet. Her greasy blonde hair sticking to her dried porcelain skin.