"It was a deep, heart-breaking kind of hurt, threatening to destroy my insides. It felt like a vast whole of emptiness traveled loosely inside of me, burning from deep down like wildfire."
Stephen is one of the winners of an exclusive three day expe...
"Your father would've been proud of you, Steph." My mother squeezed my hand and sighed slowly.
"You make it sound like he's dead." I had pointed out to her.
"Yes, I may sound like that, but it's almost like it," she stared down at the ground. "We haven't heard about your dad in a very, very long time."
Her gaze seemed distant and far away.
"I wonder what he's up to right now. What do you think he's doing right now, mom?" I demanded, full of hope for an answer out of the ordinary—a positive one.
"I think he's laying in his bed, thinking about us. Just like we're doing for him."
"Steph, you know, you're everything I've got," she expressed, caressing my cheek in her hand. "Everything. I never want to lose you. I know I can seem overly protective of you, but letting go is so hard. You are a strong young man. Sometimes, though, I worry. What if what happened to dad happened to you too? What if you left and never came back and they sent a mail to me, telling me that you've taken away for some unclear reason? What if I never saw you again?"
The tear, longing to fall ever since she had gotten in my room, slid across her rosy cheek and her nose pinkened. I was seeing her like this, and it hurt. It was a deep, heart-breaking kind of hurt, threatening to destroy my insides. It felt like a vast whole of emptiness traveled loosely inside of me, burning from deep down like wildfire. I couldn't stand watching her cry like this. She cried very, not very often. And when she did, it meant she wasn't happy.
The last time I had seen her cry like this day was on a darker, gloomy night. That day, the sun had not beamed. The day was crisp dark, and earth and sky were indistinguishable. I'd found her sitting on the corner of her bed, tucked up to her chest, with an old photograph of my dad ripped apart between her fingers. I had not recognized her. She seemed so distant and far away from me, in a way that I couldn't understand. My mother had always been all angles and bones, but she looked like flesh and bones at that time. I wasn't able to understand anything. Little Stephen never truly understood what was going on.
(Flashback)
I walked along the long hallway as my body swayed side to side. I held forward the beautiful paper airplane I had crafted, awaiting to reveal its beauty to mom. I couldn't doubt it; She was going to love it. She always encouraged me to stay crafty and reflect my personality into what I create. Today, I had finally understood what she meant by that and couldn't wait to reveal everything to her. I longed to see that shining smile of hers. It was the kind of smile she only offered to me. It always made me feel special in a somewhat magical way. As the wings of the fragile airplane flapped in the air, I hopped across the old house's creaky floors.
"Mom! Look what I built today!"
Boy, had I known what I was in for, I would've stopped right there and made a leggo u-turn. But, instead, I jumped into the room with the broadest grin. That moment felt like a spark, slowly fainting into the dark, trying to fizzle its existence back to life. As if on their command, tears had slid along my warm cheeks. Crystalline pearls of translucent beads flowed turn after turn as I gazed up at my mother. She had said no words, but I felt everything. My memory of the event remains foggy and not very describable, but the feeling and emotion will forever stay encrypted in my soul in some way or another.
(Present)
"I don't know what I would do without you either. With all that dad has gone through, It isn't fair. It isn't fair. How could people ever be so cruel on this earth, mom?" I inquired, "And why dad out of all the dads in the world? »
My mom let out a slight squint as her shoulder clutched together. She held me closer and told me to cease. The best thing we could do was pray, and she had no response to that.
PEEEEEP!
The bus clamored out from outside. My time to leave had come, and the sudden stiffening of my mom's shoulders was not a good indicator. Instead, my heart started to pump.
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Yay! Chapter 3 is published <4 Thanks again for your ongoing support; it really makes my day as I see my story grow!
I hope you all have lovely days/nights, and I'll see you again in the next chapter!
P.S. How do you feel about being called, Softdoodlers?
