Once Upon His Last Day

Solace

I wake up at around 7 in the morning.

The weather seems to be perfect today - slightly cool with a cloudy sky. I hear the lovely melody of a few little birds coming from outside. I slide the curtains of my window to catch a better view of the birds. I open the window to let the cool morning breeze in. Somewhere from afar, I hear a soft, calming sound of the piano. I recognize the song - 'Top Of The World' by The Carpenters. Oh! I love that band profoundly! Their soft yet lively songs can never disappoint me.  Arthur loves that band too.

Ah right. Arthur. He's no more. Honestly, I forgot all about it. That memory suddenly comes back to me and once again, I feel absolutely miserable and gloomy. I return to my bed and lie there, just hoping not to fall asleep again since otherwise I'll get late for school.

Sometime later, my mom knocks on the door, telling me to wake up as it's time for school. After rolling on the bed for sometime, I finally manage to get up and brush my teeth and get ready for school. I decide to wear a yellow tank top, with a denim jacket on top of it, and jeans. I don't know why I choose to wear a happy colour like yellow. I mean, I literally don't know what happiness feels like anymore!

I usually go to school alone. But today I see, none other than Maybelle joining me! Ugh! She can me such a bitch sometimes! In fifth grade, we were really good friends, almost best friends. But then in sixth grade, all of our teachers were different and we were put in different classes for different subjects. So, after that, we didn't really get to talk to each other that much. Well, I don't know why today all of a sudden she decided to join me and even talk to me on my way to school.

"Muriel! Wait up!"

"Oh hey Maybelle". I try to force a smile, but I really want to scowl at this point.

"So-o-o-o-o---", she says, rather coyly-which isn't anything new by the way. Her behaviour really irks me! "I heard about Arthur. Oh! He was such a sweet, little boy! I'm so sorry to hear about him. He was like my brother too, you know. It's so painful for me to even think about it! You know, I can understand how immensely devastating it is to lose someone. My grandma died last month too, and I still can't get over it."

"Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your grandma. What happened?"

"Something called Coronary Artery Disease, which eventually resulted in a heart attack."

"Oh Maybelle, I'm so sorry!" For some reason, I feel like hugging her right now. But I don't.

"The worst part of it all is, you know, when someone dies- just one person- it's as if the whole world has become desolated." Now, that HIT. I hate to say this but she is absolutely right. Since Arthur died, I have not even cared about the fact that my mom, dad and grandma are still there. I mean, it is as if they are strangers-as if Arthur was the only person I was ever close to. 

"But, finding solace in something is the only thing that helps really."

"Solace?"

"Yeah. For example, when grandma died, I found solace in listening to music and sometimes, art seemed to work as well.But you can try other things. Like, talking to your friends maybe? You can always talk to me if you want to." Well, that was something unexpected. After that little sixth grade situation, we never really seemed to like each other anymore. Maybe everyone isn't what we usually think them to be. 

"Thanks"

"No problem"she smiles widely.

I notice we have already reached our school. Maybelle joins her group of friends and enters the hallway. Before entering, she waves at me. I return one.

I wait near the school gate for Mackenzie and Earl but I cannot find them anywhere and that's probably because they haven't arrived yet. While I stand there pretending to be lost, some of the students tell me how sorry they are for my loss and that they will always love me and be there for me. Well, who knows? But, the only people who will always be there for me without fail and will genuinely love me are Mackenzie and Earl. Let me tell you a little about them. 

I have known the two of them since first grade. They were probably the first friends I had in school. They've been with me ever since. Mackenzie was the first among them whom I had met. From what I have known, Mackenzie is someone who never gets panicked. Like literally-NEVER! She is such a sweet, kind girl and is always mellowed out. She is a huge fan of all things One Direction. Almost everyday, she wears her overgrown 1D merch that she has. As for Earl, he's someone who might seem very mysterious and banal from the outside but trust me, once you actually get to know him really well, he's one of those hilarious and jovial guys. His inane jokes,funny comments and his unique sarcastic persona is what makes him stand out. I love both of them so much. If they weren't here, I don't know what would have become of me. 

Someone pokes me on my shoulder. I turn around to see Mackenzie and Earl looking at me in a way as if I have just murdered somebody with the dead body beside me.

"Wh-a-a-a-t-t  u-u-u-p Muriel?" Earl said. Well, he sounded more like he was singing. "How-w-w-w a-a-a-r-r-e you?"

Mackenzie stands there, sometimes frowning, sometimes not. Now,her expression has changed into one which suggests that she has seen a ghost or something  gory. Wow, she actually seems to be panicked for the first time in probably forever.

"Hey guys, I'm just fine! See I'm smiling, so I'm happy!" I try to genuinely smile after what seems like eternity.Their presence always cheers me up somehow. 

"Yeah but..umm..we're really sorry to hear about Arthur. " Mackenzie FINALLY speaks! And that uncanny expression is gone from her face! Yay! She's back to being the Mackenzie whom I've just described. Oh and in case you're wondering- yes, there are two "Mackenzies" in this book. One of them is my best friend, Mackenzie Wilson, and the other is Arthur's best friend, Mackenzie Droubay. They're completely different persons by the way. In surnames and in their natures. 

"Yeah it-it's okay. Don't worry about that. I can cope with it. I think."

They both put on a wide smile and we pull each other into a hug. The rest of school slowly goes by, and now it's time to return home. During school, I genuinely felt happy. Maybe I could find solace in the company of my friends. 

When I come home, I again return to my gloomy self. While having dinner, dad reminds me about that eulogy. I feel even more miserable now. UGH! After dinner, I decide to put on some music to help me get some respite from my suffering. I put on 'Top Of The World' by The Carpenters. I seem to have forgotten about that song for a really long time. Today morning, I got reminded of it. I remember playing it and singing along to it, with Arthur. It was one of the many songs which made us joyous, every time we listened to it. Hearing the song now, arises a bittersweet feeling inside of me. Perhaps I could try to find solace in listening to music as well.

After listening to it, I fall asleep only to wake up to another day without Arthur.