Wandering Roads

Chapter 1

"Laughing, Smiling, Games, everything we did together is gone. If only they hadn't run the red light you'd still be here. I miss you. I feel so alone. Mom, Dad, you were the absolute best parents I could ever ask for. I love you, but it's time for me to let you go. Please have a happy, safe, warm, and calm life together. Sincerely, your daughter, Imani." I said, wiping the tears off my face and walking back to my seat, next to my best friend, Quinton.

It was the worst week of my life. I never thought they'd leave my side. My parents died in a car accident after another driver ran a red light. They were coming home after going out to eat at a restaurant, which they did every Friday night. I could barely focus on what the priest was saying, I was crying the whole time. My black dress was damp from all my tears. Soon my parents would be six feet under the ground. I never got to say goodbye to them. After the funeral, I headed out with Quinton, and we got into the car. We followed the hearse to the burial site, which was only a few blocks away from my apartment. I watched as they carried my mother and father over to the location of the burial. They were lowered into the grave slowly as I stood there, the sun blazing over my skin. My glasses glared in the sun as they poured the topsoil over them. The strong heat outside was fierce as summer was approaching as I walked back to the car.

"Wait, let's head to my parents' house really fast," I said the moment I got into the passenger seat.

"Alright, I'll head over there before we go home," Quinton replied.

We drove for about an hour when we pulled into their driveway.

"I'll wait here if that's okay with you," Quinton said. I nodded.

I walked into the house, just to feel it one last time before it was going on sale. I walked around, feeling the walls that my parents had once touched. Their bedroom, untouched since they left. I stumbled into a room I had never noticed before. I opened the door slowly to see an office. It was well put together. I decided to look around a little. In the bottom drawer, there was a box, with my name on it. I grabbed the box and walked back to the car.

"Ready to go Ivani?" Quinton asked as I stepped into the car.

"Yeah, let's go," I said, setting the box onto my lap. We drove away, it was silent.

"So, what did you find?" Quinton asked, breaking the silence in the car.

"It's a box, it had my name on it, I haven't opened it yet. I'll open it once we arrive at the apartment." I replied. He nodded and kept driving.

We walked up the stairs of the apartment building since we live on floor five. I sat down on my bed, whilst Quinton made some soup for dinner. I opened the lid of the box slowly, not knowing what to expect. I didn't expect so many memories to pop into my head. A small, soft, stuffed bear that I'd won at a carnival when I was four, old stories I'd write for entertainment, small toys, and other things. At the very bottom was a map. I'd never seen it before, but it marked three places around the world that I've been to with them. I slowly packed all my belongings, except the map, back into the box and slid it into a drawer in my dresser. I laid down on my bed and looked around the map until I heard Quinton call me for dinner. I set the map on my bed and walked to the kitchen.

"So what's in the box?" Quinton asked as I poured some of the tomato soup into my bowl.

"Just a few childhood items and a map," I replied.

"What's on the map? Anything special?" He inquired.

"There are three places that are circled on the map, places I remember going with my parents when I was little," I answered.

We continued to eat with little conversation, as there wasn't much to talk about today. What would we talk about? The funeral? The house? It was already hard enough to talk about it for the first time, talking about it again isn't much easier.

"I'll do dishes today, you get rest," Quinton said as I set my bowl in the sink.

"Thanks, I'm going to bed," I exclaimed.

I walked into my room, quickly changed, and set the map on top of my dresser. I stared at it for a minute, pondering what I could remember from those certain days. I got into bed and thought about it more, but I soon drifted off to sleep.

!Notes!

Obviously, it's not done. I will post each chapter as they are completed.