Barely There

Chapter 6 - Unexpected Phone Call

She woke up to the shrill sound of her phone. Rays of light peeked through the cracks of her blinds, forming uniform horizontal golden patterns on the wall besides her. She groaned, sitting up on the bed, then leaning her tired body against the headboard. Glancing to her right, she checked the time.

5:58.

Internally screaming and ready to go back to sleep, she answered the phone. A high, energetic voice sprung out from the other side.

"Hi Leda jan! I'm just calling to check how you've been. You haven't called in a while."

"Yeah...Sorry mom I've been busy with work but I'm good. How about you?"

Her eye twitched as she attempted to sound convincing in the midst of her exhaustion and plastered a fake smile on her face to add to the effect.

"I know you're busy with spreadsheets and meetings and all that but I'm glad to hear that you're doing good. I've been great honey."

"How's dad?"

She paused before answering.

"Sleeping still. You know your dad."

"Yeah."

"Do you have work today?"

Leda sighed, the sleep seeping out from under her skin the more the clock ticked.

"No mom, it's a Saturday."

A short laugh sounded.

"Oh...yeah it is. Nevermind. Ok well I'll let you get back to sleeping"

"Ok mom. Love you."

"I love you too sweetie. Bye!."

"Bye."

No sound came from the other end of the line. Leda went to hang up the phone when her mother spoke again.

"Leda."

"Yeah?"

"Stay safe."

"Always."

She hung up. The silence returned.

She laid back on the silky sheets closing her eyes to the world around her. After tossing and turning for what seemed like decades, she groaned in frustration.

"Fuck this."

She tore herself away from the bed angrily and decided to get ready for the day. She stood up from her bed and stretched her limbs, yawning in the process. She brushed her teeth and showered to freshen up, then continued the rest of her morning routine. She trudged to the kitchen, still tired, and made herself pancakes, burning her fingers several times in the process. As she ate in silence, a dark feeling consumed her. Her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed the heavy silence that had ensued the entire week.

Shrugging away her worries, she grabbed the empty plate and washed it with cold water, scrubbing away the sticky syrup that clung to the ceramic. The air in her apartment grew heavier and heavier as moments passed. She turned off the tap and moved towards the balcony, stepping out into the cool air. The slight wind pricked at her skin like thin needles at first.

She took in the view before her. Spots of rich orange dotted the area as the Autumn season grew closer. Leaves covered the grey sidewalks in sparse patches and blew with the wind in swirls of color. There were very few people out and the only sound she could hear was the sound of the wind blowing steadily around her. The sun glared at her and she had to squint her eyes to see ahead. She breathed in deeply forcing the fresh oxygen into her lungs.

After a while, she stepped back into her apartment. The sun had colored the once white walls a yellow tint. Her mind wandered.

Yellow light. Yellow walls. Yellow flowers.

She took out her phone hesitantly. Swiping through her images, she landed on the one from her graduation. Zooming into the bottom of the image, her face fell, the ever-lasting peace vanishing.

Yellow shoes. His favorite color.

Abruptly, she turned towards her room and put on a pair of grey sweats and a warm sweatshirt. Leda quickened her pace as she walked towards the door, feeling the world slowly start to crumble down on her. She ran down the stairs of her apartment complex as she held the railing tightly.

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as she left the building.

She walked.

Walked everywhere.

Walked to nowhere.

After wandering like a lost spirit for hours, she found a secluded park. An oak tree stood in the middle, the branches reaching out to her in strokes of green. She walked to it and fell against the trunk, resting her head back and relaxing her body. The sun deprived her of her vision for a moment and when her sight returned she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slowly to the right.

There was a yellow butterfly softly perched on her right shoulder facing the light.