Black Smoke

[[ IN PROGRESS ]]

Cover Art: @littlemissgemini224 She did such an amazing job with it! Give her a follow!

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"You love her...and yet-"

"I know," he said quickly. "You don't have to remind me, son. I know what she did."

"So then how can you say that? How can you love someone who doesn't want anything to do with us?" I felt my hands slowly clenched into fists as I spoke. "You told me yourself she couldn't handle the struggles we faced. Why would you love someone who doesn't want to acknowledge you?"

Regardless of my subtle outburst in a public restaurant, he remained calm and looked at me with reassurance.

"Because love means accepting their flaws, imperfections, and ideals in the factor of life itself. No matter how much they change their minds, how much they flip their switch, or say they want nothing to do with you, they taught you how to love for that little period that they were with you. In a way, it's a matter of being grateful someone noticed you in a crowd of six billion people. You can't hate them for that little part they gave you. That little chapter. Love is...never having to second-guess where you stand with someone."

It took me some time to understand what he was saying, but it only tied me back to someone I'd been misunderstanding for quite a while. My one person in a world of six billion.

"That's what love means?" I asked.

He nodded. "That's my perspective of it."

For once, I felt I learned something from him, and it wasn't about how long it took to properly smoke a whole pack of cigarettes or how to create a small fort made out of beer cans.

For once, I learned a life lesson.

******Awards Won******

04/11/2020- 1st place Teen Fic Entry (The Cherry Blossom Awards 2020)

06/14/2020 - 3rd place Teen Fic/Chick-lit entrant (The Perdurable Awards)