If I Ever Fall In Love Again

《chapter 4 (part 1)》

Kalea on the other hand was easy to wake up. She was young, she had no clue what was going on. She even got excited when Bruno pulled out her black little dress with pink flowers on it. Bruno thought it fitted the occasion. She was a smart little girl, and she knew something was amiss. She sat on the bed quietly while Bruno pulled on her cute little white stockings with gold butterflies.

"Are we going somewhere, daddy?" She asked as he strapped on her fancy black shoes. 

"Yes." 

She paused and frowned, not satisfied with his short answer. "Are we going to church?"

"Yes, we are, sweetheart." He ruffled her hair playfully. "Now what are we gonna do with that hair?"

She shrugged and grinned a little. "Do what mommy usually does." Bruno's  face fell a little and she noticed. "Why are you sad, Daddy?" 

Bruno kneeled so he could be at the same height as her. "Why do you think that?" He asked softly.

"Because you don't smile anymore." She cocked her head to the side and studied him. "Is it because Mommy's gone?"

Bruno slowly nodded. There was no use hiding it anymore, Kalea was a smart girl and he knew that. She could read her father like a book, a skill she might've learned from her mother. 

"Kalani and me are still here." She said.

"Kalani and I, Lea." He corrected. 

She scrunched up her nose and gave him a look. "Ok." 

Bruno checked his watched and let out a sigh. "Go downstairs and wait for me. I gotta go check up on Kalani." She nodded and proceeded to walk past him and carefully climb down the stairs. "And don't try to reach anything in the cupboards, please!" He yelled after her.

"I won't, daddy!"

---

Genesis had to put on extra makeup that day. She was exhausted. She barely got any sleep, and she ran out of sleeping pills. It was late and the pharmacy had closed. Not only that, but she didn't want to go anywhere when it was dark. Every since she found her ring on the sidewalk, she developed a new found paranoia that she'd never experienced before. It came with fear that threatened to swallow her whole. She hated it. 

She didn't want to dress up. She didn't feel like dressing up to go to her friend's funeral. Any normal person wouldn't. But she put on a simple black dress anyways. She was quiet, Sarah noticed it too.

The drive to the church was fast. She could remember the last time she stepped foot into a church, and she furrowed her eyebrows and tried to force away the memories.

She was suddenly seated inside the church. Everything seemed surreal to her, she felt like she was floating. She felt like all of this was a dream that she wished she could wake up from, but she couldn't.

The casket was a simple wooden brown, the top of it was open. Genesis couldn't see anything inside of it but she forced herself to look away anyways. Time passed. She didn't know how long she sat there for, staring into space. Maybe it was a few minutes. A few seconds. An hour?

She looked around as the church suddenly became silent. Everyone seemed to be steering behind her, towards the door. With a raised eyebrow, she slowly turned around and frowned. Standing there was the Hernandez family. Bruno held a small Kalea in his arms, her head rested on his shoulder. He felt the looks of everyone on him and he grew wary and directed his eyes down, silently nodding at Kalani who seemed to be frozen in place.