Self love

Chapter 23

It had been at least a week before I received a call from Ariel. It was around 1 in the morning while my husband and I were sleeping peacefully that my cell-phone rang.

I hadn't felt like getting up to get it and my first thoughts were to let it ring to voicemail but I rarely ever got calls that late at night so it had to be an emergency of some sort.

"hello" I answered groggily into the phone as my husband stirred in the bed beside me

"Hello" I repeated once more but the line remained silent. I was about to end the call when I finally heard faint sobs on the other line. Getting out of the bed I rushed into the bathroom

"Hello , who's there?" I repeated once more

"Its....... Its.... Its me Ar-Ariel" she sobbed into the line

"Baby girl are you okay? What's wrong? Where are you?" the questions tumbled out of my mouth one after the other. I was worried out my mind and becoming more flustered by the minute.

"Can- can- can you come get me?" she cried

"Of course where are you?" I asked rushing to get my car keys.

Somehow I managed to get her address and in less than a minute I was on my way there. I hadn't even bothered changing out of my sleeping clothes or bed slippers.

I sped all the way towards the address and when I finally approached the old house I got out of the car.

The neighborhood was dark and silent, only the sounds of owls and crickets in the trees and bushes could be heard. Had I not been so worried about Ariel I probably would have been scared out of my mind.

I quickly made my way up the front porch and into the house.

"Ariel!" I called out but it went unanswered so I continued walking around the house until I heard sobbing coming from the bathroom at the end of the hall.

I sprinted down there then yanked the door open where I saw Ariel's fragile body curled up in the bathroom tub. Her frail fingers were wrapped tightly around a kitchen knife as her hands shook with fear and her drenched body trembled.

"Ariel what's wrong?" I asked making my way over to the tub.

"I can't do this anymore" she cried

"Can't do what anymore"

"I can't go on living" she cried "It's not worth it. I just can't do it"

"Why isn't it worth living anymore" I asked sitting down on the floor beside the tub.

"Because it just isn't! I just can't do it. He's dead and I can't go on living. I need to be with him, I don't wanna keep living without him!"

"who's dead?"

"My father" she said breaking down. Her head fell and the tears began to flow faster. Her breath quickened and her sobs turned into groans of pain. I took this as my opportunity to take the knife out of her hand and as soon as I did her hands grabbed my robe

"Help me" she screamed and I died a little on the inside. Here in front of me was another human being, broken and dyeing and she wanted me to help her.

She needed me to help her. I don't know where I got the strength from but I lifted her up out of the bathtub and engulfed her in a hug.

We stood like that for at least 15 minutes as she cried her heart out to me. She cried until there were no more tears and her body stopped shaking.

"Let's get you changed out of these wet clothes" I said and she slowly pulled away but I kept an arm around her for support.

When she finished changing we both sat on her bed in silence. She stared at the wall, her eyes revealing nothing but sorrow. It took everything inside me not to cry because she needed me right now.

"Talk to me Ariel. Let me help you" I told her.

It was at least another 15 minutes of pure silence before she finally spoke.

"My father died 3 years ago. My mother died during childbirth so I never met her. It was always just me and father and the he died" she broke down again crying although there were no tears. I took her hand into mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze to try and comfort her.

"he left me when I needed him the most. I had nobody. I had money but I that's all I had. I dropped out of high school and hid here at my dead grandmother's home. I had no family and I knew they were gonna put me in a foster home but I didn't wanna go.

Then I met this guy and he made everything better for a while. He got me to start seeing this psychiatrist but like everyone else he left too. So I ran away and came back here. The psychiatrist came here to visit me often but I never talked to her or anything. I didn't want anything to do with her. She reminded me too much of him. Until I got raped one night and she took me in and helped me. Then she got me to start going to your classes, but today-" she paused and grabbed her chest in agony

"She's gone. She died! She left me too. She left just like my Dad, just like everyone else." She cried

I sat there frozen, unsure of what to do next. I would never be able to understand the pain Ariel was feeling. I understood that at this point telling her silly things like 'its gonna be okay' would do her no good.

She had to heal and become better willing, I had to make her see that things could get better. I could go on for hours about how bad things happen to us to make us stronger and make us better persons but that's what the classes were for. I was gonna show her with my actions that life was worth living.

I was going to be an example to her, to help her understand, to help her want to get better, to help her want to save herself.

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Hey guys sorry I was gone for a month, I was finishing up finals and stuff but I'm back now and ready to get back to work. I know the update is short but I just felt like I really needed to post something today after all this time. Also don't forget to check out my other story 'Can't Make Her Fall In Love' its on my profile. Until next time BYE!