A Girl Named Summer

Chapter 18

 Summer:

Life is the true teacher, but it always makes us experience things first and then teach us. It did happen to me, I always thought that one day I will grow old, live along with lots of children and spend a whole lifetime with someone who loves me truly. It will happen but everything will be partial.

I am growing old but still in my eighteens and maybe my last birthday will be on around twenty-one, I hope it will happen. I am spending my life with the orphan kids. It is the same house when I saw it on my first day to school. It looked untidy and kids have no fun here. But when I volunteered that I will take care by spend time with them; they gave me a warm welcome. And from that day onwards, I took care of them as my children, as a sister and also as a friend. Neal and me made a lot of changes and encouraged others to help us.

Slowly in this busy scheduled life people are taking their time to help others. Many of my school friends came forward to help. It's just not an orphanage but also there are kids who are suffering with many diseases and who can't meet the hospital bills. I can't help them with money but Justin came forward to give them free treatment and help, up to which he can do. But there are still kids who are at their ending stage where we have nothing else rather than pray. I watch them suffer everyday and I try my best to make their time a happy one.

Now, walking down the street, I realized that 7 months are over and how would be those days when I am going to breathe my last? How is my family going to cope up? How will Austin react when he comes to know about me? And mostly how things will be when I am gone?

I was so much in my thoughts that when somebody's hand wrapped my waist, I jerked back and yelled.

"Geez Summer! What the..." he looked shockingly but a small smile playing over his lips.

"Sorry," I apologized, "but you freaked me out!" I punched his arm. He rubbed his arm and winked while wrapping his hands around my waist. I leaned my head over his shoulders and we walked along the silently.

"How could you love him so much, Summer?" he said softly. I didn't mind him asking this question; after all he knows everything about me.

"Once I used to run away from love, for me it is nothing but when I saw him first time, I don't have the reason why I am so attracted him," I shrugged my shoulders. A small ache passed through my heart as I remembered him. He let out a deep breath.

"But how... I mean he was there... Everyday near you. Don't say you didn't felt bad while being away from him?" he rubbed my back. I could feel the sadness in his voice.

“I… hmm… the first time I saw him with a girl I felt jealous, and then slowly I felt sad… sad that I couldn’t be the one in his arms and I couldn’t be the one who can bring the smile on his face whenever he sees someone and when he kissed me…”

“He kissed you?” he shouted. We stopped talking and I looked around. We passer-by gave us an awkward look but I just smiled at them and punched his arm.

“Ouch! That hurts…. but summer you didn’t even tell me that…..”

“Oh c’mon Justin, do you think that I should tell you everything that he kissed me on the prom night and it was so passionate that I kissed him back. It was the most amazing kiss I ever had… I mean it was my first kiss, of course,” I scoffed and laughed. Justin didn’t say anything but kept looking at me with raised eyebrows.

It was then I bit my tongue and realized that in fact I said him everything.

“You know, we should tell me that, after all I am going to marry you, right?” he smirked.

“Yeah, in your dreams,” I rolled my eyes.

***

“….so it was how everything happened that day. I mean I couldn’t possibly see that day when Jay underwent that treatment and after that I was so happy, I even thought of partying but couldn’t,” I let out a breath after explaining everything that happened in my life. I raised my eyes to look at Justin who was busily reading the file. He didn’t say a word but kept on nodding his head, telling me that he is listening to me.