Forgive me Father, Let me Dance!

Chapter 3

After a good half an hour in the bath I was definately ready for bed. Wrapping myself in the most comfortable robe Dad had got me I went over to their room just to say good night.

Marks and Spencers is pretty expensive and I didn't think I'd needed such an expensive birthday present last year but I loved my robe.

My parents were really loving that way. They hadn't spoilt me rotten, and I'd never demanded anything of them. But I was an only child and they liked to treat me on the special occasions. God knows they could afford to!

Climbing down the stairs to the ground floor I first went to get some warm milk with Milo. I decided against the marshmallows. I went back up to the first floor and popped my head into their bedroom after knocking.

Dad immediately looked up from his laptop and gave me a smile. I could see from his crinkled forehead that he was probably catching up with his reading on some of his medical journals as he always did in bed. Mum was already asleep, but she stirred softly when she heard me come in.

I gave them both a quick kiss and I was back climbing the stairs up another floor  to my room.

I passed a family portrait up the stairs. It was from my thirteeth birthday, just after we'd come back from visiting my Aunt Paola in Italy.

I looked so different from them, my bronze tanned skin against their paler skin. But because we all had dark hair you couldn't immediately tell that I was adopted. Ofcourse my oriental features and big eyes were very different from mum and dad's obvious caucasian features. Mum was Irish and her features were fierce and dad was all Italian goodness. Together we looked like half a Benetton add I thought, and smiled to myself.

Just as I got into my bed my mobile rang. I immediately knew who it was, I'd given her her own special ringtone. Her favourite one, from Hillsong United.

I'd met Ashley in my last year of high school, she was different from anyone I'd ever known. Initially a quiet girl when she trasferred, she had eventually opened up and she'd always got along with everyone and was polite to everyone around her- both the popular and the not-so-popular kids.

She made me laugh so much and even helped with my Maths... Oh god, how I'd hated calculus!

"Hey babe, whats up?"

"Oh gosh Ally! You've got to read it, it's absolutely wicked!"

"Huh...? I hope you're talking about something to do with our Uni applications love 'cuz I don't think I've got it in me to read anything else."

"No you silly goose, forget that. I told you about that story on Wattpad didn't I? I wont tell you what happens with the characters but you'll love it, I promise! I emailed you the link. It's called Forever Yours** and you really should read it."

"Not tonight Ash, I've got an early dance class tomorrow. I'll check it out soon, promise."

"Bonito, you dance too much. Ugh. AND turn that thing off and read something woman."

I knew she was referring to my TV in the background.

"Love you too bonito. Good night..."

And with that she hung up, not before grumpily mumbling something about that story she wanted me to read.

I finished my Milo and knew I had to sew my ribbons on my pointe shoes, but I was so tired I decided I'll do it in the morning.

I muted CSI on my TV and rolled over and easily fell asleep.

It was around 3 am when I suddenly woke up sweating. It had felt so real. 

For a second, I had thought it was real. It was like he was right there.

I dreamt I was chasing him, crawling after him, trying to catch him. He was giggling and gurgling and I was laughing and tickling him, also giving him enough time to get away from me, only to go after him again.

I loved him so much, he was so beautiful. Not a day went by even now when I didn't think about him.

Mother had told me Adeel was a year old that day.

I can't believe I had dreamt about him, that too on his first birthday.  Thats one of the few memories I had of him. He was crawling around absolutely everywhere on what had once possibly been beautifully polished wooden floors.

We had a regal house. Very traditional and very malasian. But with grandfathers fortune spent the house had deteriorated and it was in serious need of repair. 

I can't believe I had dreamt about it and even remembered it so clearly more than a decade later!

I remembered why I had woken from the dream. It was father's scream that I had dreamt.

Adeel had been crawling around some furniture as I was chasing him. He was just learning to walk and he gotten up holding on to the edge of a table.

I was pretending to catch him. We were both laughing. I had wanted to tickle him and that's when he fell.

He fell and cut his eyebrow on the edge of that table.

Thats when I felt a hard slap on the side of my face from behind me. And I had started running again.

My hand covered my ear that was now bleeding. I held onto my hot burning ear and I was running away from the house.

Thats when he screamed my name.

And that's when I woke up sweating.

It wasn't a dream.

It was a memory.

And that was all a long long time ago. In another time, in another world.

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NOTE: Forever Yours** is the first thing I ever read on Wattpad. It was an accidental discovery through an app on my phone. I highly recommend you read it. It's a sweet, romantic story that eventually inspired me to write. And with the wonderful encouraging comments of the Author, I just had to give it a special shout out.

 =)